DHL Western Province are expecting a Platinum Leopards team desperate for only their second Absa Currie Cup victory this season when these two teams meet at DHL Newlands in Cape Town on Saturday.
Leopards coach Leon Boshoff has decided to shuffle his team quite a bit in an effort to rest certain players, but also to give some of his fringe squad members an opportunity to get some valuable game time.
DHL WP assistant coach Matt Proudfoot, who earlier in his coaching career worked in Potchefstroom, said: “We are expecting a side that will be desperate for a win. They have made a few changes so they will be looking for improvement.
“I've coached many of their players so I know that they will throw everything they have at us. We are expecting it to be very tough physically as well as at the set piece where they will probably look to rattle us a bit.”
With Demetri Catrakilis out injured, Isma-eel Dollie, a former Emerging Springbok, will start at flyhalf for DHL WP.
In the Platinum Leopards team, Boshoff has decided to rest players like their captain Morné Hanekom, Joubert Engelbrecht, Brendon Snyman and BG Uys, giving Robert Kruger, Snoepie Coetzee and Hennie Skorbinski their first starts in the Absa Currie Cup this season.
DHL Western Province vs Platinum Leopards
Date: Saturday, 10 September 2011
Kick-off: 4:00pm
Venue: DHL Newlands, Cape Town
Referee: Sindile Mayende
Last three games in Absa Currie Cup:
23 July 2010: DHL WP won 42-23 in Potchefstroom
11 September 2010: DHL WP won 59-17 in Cape Town
22 July 2011: DHL WP won 47-9 in Potchefstroom