E-mail Article Print-Friendly Version Contact Us

CURRIE CUP

News | History | Table | Fixtures & Results

Province look to Luke

Tuesday 03rd July 2007

Western Province will look to inspirational captain Luke Watson to revive their spirits before their Currie Cup Round Three clash with the Sharks in Durban on Friday.

WP suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of tournament minnows Boland Cavaliers, losing 10-15 at a Boland Stadium in Wellington at the weekend.

Watson missed the Boland game due to a rib injury - first sustained while making his Springbok debut against Samoa last month and then aggravating it against the Lions at Newlands in the opening week of the Currie Cup season.

The injury also cost him his place in the Springbok Tri-Nations squad that left for Australasia last week.

However, he will return to lead Province this week.

"Luke should be ready. His leadership will make a huge difference," Province coach Kobus van der Merwe said.

Watson will have his work cut out for him when his team goes head-to-head with an inexperienced, but talented Sharks outfit.

Not only will Watson face difficult opposition, but his team will be going into the game with their pride dented.

Watson is not the only player who could be back from injury. Lock Andries Bekker looks to be on the comeback from injury and will possibly be available for selection.

Van der Merwe was offering no excuses when he spoke to the media about the game against Boland last Saturday, saying the players should take responsibility for their lack of performance.

"The guys were poor," he said.

"We were plagued by poor execution during the game as well as silly decisions."

Van der Merwe said only Schalk Brits (replacement hooker), Conrad Jantjes (fullback) and Dylan des Fountain (left wing) came out of the game with their reputations intact.

Van der Merwe said his team was technically, as well as tactically, poor.

"It doesn't make sense to me why the guys couldn't make decisions out there," he said.