The Sanlam Boland Cavaliers will field an unchanged match-day 23 for Sunday’s Carling Currie Cup Premier Division encounter against the Suzuki Griquas in Kimberley at 15:00 (SA Time).
Fresh off a thrilling 37-35 home victory over the Toyota Cheetahs in Wellington - a match that was decided after 88 pulsating minutes, head coach Hawies Fourie has opted for continuity as his side looks to build momentum in the country’s elite provincial competition.
“We decided to keep the team unchanged for this weekend's match against the Griquas in Kimberley,” said Fourie. “We were fortunate not to suffer any serious injuries. Laurence Victor had an ankle injury, but he’s been cleared to play. The other guys just had a few bumps and bruises, but they are all fit.”
That, however, excludes experienced but new scrumhalf, Louis Schreurder, who is still not available for selection due to an ankle injury suffered last week during a training session.
“It’s important to have consistency in your team selection,” Fourie explained. “We’ve got quite a few guys who joined just before the Currie Cup started and haven’t played for Boland before. I feel it’s a good thing to keep the team the same and give them another opportunity to get to know each other and gel.”
Despite the emotional high of the Cheetahs’ win, claimed in front of a large and vociferous home crowd at the Boland Rugby Stadium, Fourie remains grounded and is demanding improvement.
“There’s still a lot we need to sharpen up on. We struggled in the scrums in the second half and made a few handling errors and mistakes at the rucks,” he said. “We’ve worked hard this week, and I believe we’ll be better on Sunday.”
Facing a well-coached and dangerous Griquas side at home presents a formidable test for the men from Wellington. “They’ve got a proper team with exciting backs, and they play at a high tempo. If you look at the SA Cup clash between Boland and Griquas earlier this year, we’re expecting a fast-paced game with plenty of tries. It’s going to be exciting for the fans and we’re looking forward to it,” concluded Fourie
Sanlam Boland Cavaliers: 15 James Tedder, 14 Marcqiewn Titus, 13 David Brits, 12 Lunathi Nxele, 11 Donavan Don, 10 Ashlon Davids (vice-captain), 9 Chriswill September, 8 Sibusiso Sangweni, 7 Khwezi Mafu, 6 Gift Dlamini, 5 Marlyn Williams (captain), 4 Michael Benadie, 3 Dayan van der Westhuizen, 2 Sidney Tobias, 1 Wayrin Losper. Replacements: 16 HP van Schoor, 17 Lamla Nunu, 18 Laurence Victor, 19 Ameer Hendricks, 20 Thurlow Marsh, 21 Golden Masimla, 22 Juan Mostert, 23 Xavier Mitchell.
