Western Province v Free State Cheetahs
(Newlands, Cape Town - Kick-off: 17.05; 15.05 GMT)
The threat of a promotion-relegation match forced WP coach Allister Coetzee to bring out all his big guns for the final weekend.
Coetzee made eight changes to his starting line-up, with the introduction of seven Springboks - including national skipper Jean de Villiers, who takes over the captaincy from flank Deon Fourie.
There is obviously a huge element of risk in making so many changes, but Coetzee admitted he had no alternative.
He would face a mutiny if Province were to drop out of the play-off race, or even worse, if they are subjected to the ignominy of playing the Kings in a promotion-relegation match.
The Cheetahs are in the same boat. They need the win not only to stay alive in the play-off race, but to also avoid finishing last and be subjected to a game against the Kings instead of playing for a trophy.
WP captain Jean de Villiers admitted that it will require a major adjustment for the national team members.
"The reality is that we have got seven guys coming into a side that has changed a bit from a style and mindset point of view, but we just need to get in a good 80 minutes on Saturday and hopefully put ourselves in a position to play in a play-off," De Villiers said of the more expansive approach Province have taken in the Currie Cup competition.
"We played Super Rugby and we were under constant pressure to play a more expansive game, we finished top of the log and it felt as if that wasn't good enough," he said of the Cape franchise's defence-orientated gameplan.
"Now you sit in a situation where you are playing a more expansive game and scoring tries, but you have got the possibility of playing promotion-relegation next week, which one do we really prefer?
"I think it is very exciting the way we have played in the Currie Cup and I am excited to play with that gameplan, but I think what we will probably bring from a national point of view is maybe a little bit more consistency or stability and decision-making in our own half and exits from our own half. We will look to combine that with the attacking mindset that has been very evident in the players in the last couple of weeks, so hopefully that will be the blend that can be the answer for us.
"Both teams have got something to play for so there is a lot on the line."
Cheetahs captain Adriaan Strauss, who was De Villiers' vice-captain in the Bok team just a week ago, also spoke of the significance of the Newlands encounter.
The Bok hooker, who will be making his 50th Currie Cup appearance for the Cheetahs alongside fellow Bok Coenie Oosthuizen (also in his 50th game), said the 'must win' status of the game means it will be close to Test match intensity.
"It is effectively a knock-out game - win and we can be in the play-offs, lose and we may play promotion-relegation," Strauss said.
Results this season:
For Western Province:
Blue Bulls 26-13 Western Province
Western Province 9-22 Golden Lions
Western Province 45-21 Griquas
Sharks 43-27 Western Province
Free State Cheetahs 22-29 Western Province
Western Province 42-6 Blue Bulls
Golden Lions 26-23 Western Province
Griquas 20-25 Western Province
Western Province 23-25 Sharks
For the Free State Cheetahs:
Free State Cheetahs 30-37 Sharks
Free State Cheetahs 35-20 Griquas
Blue Bulls 34-30 Free State Cheetahs
Free State Cheetahs 23-38 Golden Lions
Free State Cheetahs 22-29 Western Province
Sharks 34-32 Free State Cheetahs
Griquas 16-29 Free State Cheetahs
Free State Cheetahs 32-18 Blue Bulls
Golden Lions 43-20 Free State Cheetahs
Prediction: This could easily be the most brutal game of the weekend, given that there's so much at stake for both teams. It won't be pretty, that much Jean de Villiers made very clear. It is 'win at all cost'. Western Province will struggle in the first half and the Cheetahs may get close to an upset, but the quality in the WP team will see them secure a narrow win - by about five points.
Teams:
Western Province: 15 Joe Pietersen, 14 Gerhard van den Heever, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Jean de Villiers (captain), 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Demetri Catrakilis, 9 Nic Groom, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Don Armand, 6 Deon Fourie, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Tiaan Liebenberg, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Replacements: 16 Scarra Ntubeni, 17 Brok Harris, 18 De Kock Steenkamp, 19 Jebb Sinclair, 20 Louis Schreuder, 21 Marcel Brache, 22 Gio Aplon.
Free State Cheetahs: 15 Hennie Daniller, 14 Nico Scheepers, 13 Robert Ebersohn, 12 Andries Strauss, 11 Raymond Rhule, 10 Sias Ebersohn, 9 Sarel Pretorius, 8 Philip van der Walt, 7 Francois Uys, 6 Hendro Scholtz, 5 Izak van der Westhuizen, 4 Carl Wegner, 3 Coenie Oosthuizen, 2 Adriaan Strauss (captain), 1 Marcel van der Merwe.
Replacements: 16 Hercu Liebenberg, 17 Ross Geldenhuys, 18 Waltie Vermeulen, 19 Davon Raubenheimer, 20 Tewis de Bruyn, 21 Philip Snyman, 22 Ryno Benjamin.
Referee: Jonathan Kaplan
Assistants: Marius Jonker, Linston Manuels
TMO: Deon van Blommenstein
Source: Rugby 365
