Luke withdrawal takes away the bite
by Gavin Rich 10 February 2012, 08:22
The withdrawal of Luke Watson from the Kings team he was to lead against his old DHL Stormers teammates has taken some of the needle out of Saturday’s Super Rugby warm-up fixture at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
According to a press release issued by the Kings, Watson has withdrawn because of a shoulder injury.
“He is not feeling 100% and as a precaution a decision has been taken not to risk him in this game,” said the statement.
This means that the match will be played without two characters who were known to be intense and not very friendly rivals when they were part of the same squad during Watson’s years in the Cape.
Schalk Burger, the regular Stormers captain, was not included in the Stormers team when it was announced earlier in the week.
The Stormers' management have denied it, but we have been reliably informed that the prospect of there being hype over a Burger/Watson confrontation did play a role in the decision to start with Burger last week against the Toyota Cheetahs rather than with the rest of the first-choice side this week.
Not that those side issues should be concerning the Stormers at this stage of the build-up to the new season, for this will be the first and only outing for the first-choice team before they front the challenge posed by the Hurricanes at Newlands a fortnight from now.
It means there is pressure to get it right and for the combinations to click, and the Stormers should be pleased that even without Watson, the Kings team still has a competitive look about it.
Lock Darron Nell, who assumes the captaincy, has plenty of first-class rugby experience behind him, while Falie Oelshig, Tiger Mangweni, Clint Newland and some of the bench players have also played Super Rugby.
The Stormers should be hoping to win comfortably, however, as last week’s defeat to the Cheetahs for the second-string team delivered a bit of a wake-up call to those who were crowing about the depth available to the franchise this season.
It is true there are a lot of young players in the Cape, but not all of those players are ready to play Super Rugby.
So the Stormers' first-choice players need to show that when at full strength they do retain the authority they packed during the past two seasons, when they finished in the top two on the log, and the first quest, which is to retain the South African conference trophy, will be strengthened by Andries Bekker and Duane Vermeulen proving they are both over their injury problems.
The two stalwarts make their first appearances of the new season, with Bekker likely to get 30 minutes as a preparation for the Hurricanes game, where he will be expected to play between 50 and 60 minutes.
An important member of the Stormers team, Bekker will be expected to make a crucial contribution, but Vermeulen’s physicality has arguably been missed even more than the Bekker X-factor in the time that he has been away.
Then there is Bryan Habana, who is said to be excited about playing at centre, the position he played towards the end of his school career and when he made his debut for the Lions in the 2004 season.
With Jaque Fourie, Tim Whitehead and Johann Sadie now all playing elsewhere, the Stormers' midfield options are demanding some scrutiny, and the injury to Juan de Jongh has presented Stormers coach Allister Coetzee with a timely opportunity to give Habana the once-over as a No 13.
TEAMS
Southern Kings: Tiger Mangweni, Norman Nelson, Jaco Bekker, Wayne Stevens, Marcello Sampson, Shane Gates, Faile Oelschig, Jacques Engelbrecht, Mpho Mbiyozo, Boetie Britz, David Bulbring, Darron Nell (capt), Clint Newland, Hannes Franklin, Jaco Engels.
Reserves: Bobby Dyer, Zane Killian, Andre Schlechter, Wayne van Heerden, Reynier Bernardo, Thembelani Boholi, Dustin Jinka, Earl Rose, Dwayne Jenner, Kieran Ross.
Stormers: Joe Pietersen, Gerhard van den Heever, Bryan Habana, Jean de Villiers (capt), Gio Aplon, Gary van Aswegen, Louis Schreuder, Nick Koster, Duane Vermeulen, Siya Kolisi, Andries Bekker, Rynhardt Elstadt, Brok Harris, Tiaan Liebenberg, Steven Kitshoff.
Reserves: Deon Fourie, Deon Carstens, Scara Ntubeni, Frans Malherbe, Eben Etzebeth, De Kock Steenkamp, Nizaam Carr, Nic Groom, Burton Francis, Marcel Brache, Danie Poolman.