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Isuzu Southern Kings team for last home game

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The Isuzu Southern Kings have named their team that will take on Welsh side, Ospreys, in their last Guinness PRO14 home fixture for the 2018/19 season on Friday night.

The match will be played at Nelson Mandela University’s Madibaz Stadium with kick-off at 19h35.

After a lengthy period on the sidelines due to injury, former South African Sevens star Sibusiso Sithole will make a long-awaited return to the playing field, making his first appearance for the season in the starting lineup.

Sithole will form a midfield partnership with Berton Klaasen, who made his 50th appearance for the Isuzu Southern Kings last week and is a replacement for the injured Tertius Kruger. Kruger sustained an ankle injury in Sunday’s 18-18 tie with Dragons.

In other changes in the backline, Ulrich Beyers will make a return to the starting lineup at No15 in the place of Masixole Banda, while Harlon Klaasen will start on the right wing where he replaces Michael Makase, who himself was a late replacement last week following a late hamstring injury to the Isuzu Southern Kings’ leading try-scorer Yaw Penxe.

In the forwards, exciting young prop Alulutho Tshakweni makes a return to the starting XV in a rotational switch with veteran, Schalk Ferreira, who will be on the bench this week.

Captain JC Astle will have a new starting lock partner in Stephan Greeff, who will get a start in the No4 jersey this week. Dries van Schalkwyk shifts to blindside flank where he replaces hard-tackling Tienie Burger, who has been ruled out of action with a shoulder injury.

Fijian, Meli Rokoua, will also make a return to the match-23 squad where he will provide backline cover alongside Banda. Schalk Oelofse has also been included on the bench to provide cover in the second row.

“We have had a few injuries that have forced us to make certain changes to our team,” Head Coach, Deon Davids, said.

“In certain positions we have rotated some of the players, and we are happy to see a guy like Sbura Sithole back in action as he gets his first run of the season after a frustrating time out with injuries.

“Ospreys is a good side with international players, and we expect a tough encounter against them this Friday. We will be playing our last match at home for this current season and we want to end it off on a high in front of our loyal home crowd.”

Isuzu Southern Kings

15 Ulrich Beyers
14 Harlon Klaasen
13 Sibusiso Sithole
12 Berton Klaasen
11 Bjorn Basson
10 Bader Pretorius
9 Stefan Ungerer

1 Alulutho Tshakweni
2 Michael Willemse
3 De-Jay Terblanche
4 Stephan Greeff
5 John-Charles Astle ©
6 Andisa Ntsila
7 Andries Van Schalkwyk
8 Ruaan Lerm

Substitutes

16 Alandre Van Rooyen
17 Schalk Ferreira
18 Pieter Scholtz
19 Schalk Oelofse
20 Stephan De Wit
21 Rudi Van Rooyen
22 Masixole Banda
23 Meli Rokoua

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.