Fijian flyer, Meli Rokoua, will get a starting berth for the Isuzu Southern Kings when the team takes on the Toyota Cheetahs in a Guinness PRO14 Round 12 encounter at the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
Isuzu Southern Kings Head Coach Deon Davids named his match-day 23 squad on Friday which travels to the Free State for the second of three South African derbies between the two teams.
Rokoua, who was instrumental in the Isuzu Southern Kings’ fightback and win over Edinburgh Rugby last week when he came on from the bench, will start alongside former Cheetahs player, Tertius Kruger, in the midfield. This will be the Isuzu Southern Kings’ only change to their backline this week.
In the forwards pack, Ruaan Lerm will make a return in the No8 jersey in the place of Andisa Ntsila, who will be expected to make an impact from the bench this week.
Centre Berton Klaasen, who missed out on selection last week due to an eye injury, will be back in the team providing cover from the bench.
The Isuzu Southern Kings will also have a debutant on the bench in this derby.
Pumas stalwart, De-Jay Terblanche joined the Port Elizabeth-based side on a loan agreement this week.
The 33-year-old Knysna-born Terblanche was brought in to bolster the Isuzu Southern Kings front row which has Pieter Scholtz out on a three-match suspension while injuries to Justin Forwood, Rossouw de Klerk and most recently Lupumlo Mguca have left the side ailing in the prop department.
The Isuzu Southern Kings, who showed a great fighting spirit in their previous two matches, are eager to continue producing good performances and a positive result in the hope of turning around the 17-24 defeat to the Cheetahs a fortnight ago.
“We learnt a lot of lessons in that first match against the Cheetahs. Scrums are definitely an area that has been a priority for us,” Davids indicated.
“We know what to expect from the Cheetahs. They have some smart coaches, so we know they will have one or two things up their sleeves. What is important for us is to improve on the fundamentals – particularly the scrums and lineouts.”
After the injury-time defeat to the Cheetahs and last week’s impressive 25-21 win over Edinburgh, the Eastern Cape side has also been focusing on the positive elements they picked up from the recent outings.
“Reflecting on last weekend’s game, the boys put in a tremendous effort. For this week, we need to add to our execution. I felt we had some opportunities which we could have done better in,” the head coach pointed out.
“We have shown that defensively and with ball in hand, we can match any team, but if we don’t get quality ball it becomes difficult – that for us is the priority. We can practise all the other stuff, but if the set pieces are not in good shape, then it will be an uphill battle.”
The Isuzu Southern Kings team to face the Toyota Cheetahs is:
15 Masixole Banda
14 Yaw Penxe
13 Meli Rokoua
12 Tertius Kruger
11 Bjorn Basson
10 Ntabeni Dukisa
9 Stefan Ungerer
1 Schalk Ferreira
2 Michael Willemse
3 Luvuyo Pupuma
4 Andries Van Schalkwyk
5 John-Charles Astle (C)
6 Cyril John Velleman
7 Martinus Burger
8 Ruaan Lerm
Substitutes
16 Alandre Van Rooyen
17 Alulutho Tshakweni
18 De-Jay Terblanche
19 Stephan Greeff
20 Andisa Ntsila
21 Sarel Pretorius
22 Bader Pretorius
23 Berton Klaasen
Toyota Cheetahs team to take on Isuzu Southern Kings
Considering the thrilling finish between the Toyota Cheetahs and Isuzu Southern Kings a fortnight ago in Port Elizabeth, and the exciting victories last weekend, sparks are set to fly in Toyota Stadium.
The Toyota Cheetahs will be hosting the Isuzu Southern Kings in the second South African derby of the Guinness PRO14 season on Saturday, 2 February 2019. The action kicks off at 16:00 with a live broadcast in South Africa, the UK and Ireland across SuperSport 1, Premier Sports and eir Sport.
Toyota Cheetahs speedster Rabz Maxwane and Yaw Penxe from the Kings are expected to turn up the heat. Maxwane is still in the first position on the top-try scorer’s list with 10 and Penxe match-winning try against Edinburgh increased his tally to six.
The battle between the team’s goal kickers, Tian Schoeman and the King’s Masixole Banda, who are both among the top eight point’s scorers this season, are expected to be exciting.
The Toyota Cheetahs are also closing in on northern rivals and they are now only five points away from Cardiff Blues and a bonus-point win in this fixture would leave just two points shy of third place and relight hopes of a return to the Guinness PRO14 Final Series.
“The longer you play in this competition, the better you adapt and we expect that the Kings would want to cause an upset. They will be up for the challenge and we realise that it is going to a tough.
The fact that they keep playing right till the very end makes them a dangerous opponent”. Said Coach Franco Smith. “We’ve worked hard on different aspects of our games since the last encounter.”
Supporters can look forward to entertainment by the lovely Tarryn Lamb and her band at the Castle Deck after the game.
Tickets are only R60 for the main stand, R40 for the open stand and R20 for students and kids. Kids under the age of 7 can collect a free ticket from the gate. Tickets are available from the ticket office in Toyota Stadium or online at www.fscheetahs.co.za. Gates open at 14:00.
The South African derby is the only Guinness PRO14 action of the week.
Coach Franco Smith has announced his team for the clash with some changes:
- Shaun Venter will be leading the team as the starting scrum half with Rudy Paige providing cover on the bench.
- The two flankers, Junior Pokomela and Abongile Nonkontwana will be switching jerseys.
- Jasper Wiese is new to the bench.
- Ernst Stapelberg will be providing cover for Tian Schoeman.
Toyota Cheetahs
1 Ox Nche (35)
2 Joseph Dweba (14)
3 Aranos Coetzee (35)
4 Sintu Manjezi (6)
5 Walt Steenkamp (12)
6 Abongile Nonkontwana (8)
7 Junior Pokomela (24)
8 Gerhard Olivier (13)
9 Shaun Venter (28) – Captain
10 Tian Schoeman (13)
11 Rabz Maxwane (11)
12 Nico Lee (26)
13 Benhard Janse van Rensburg (13)
14 William Small-Smith (28)15 Malcolm Jaer (13)
16 Reinach Venter (5)
17 Charles Marais (33)
18 Luan de Bruin (5)
19 JP du Preez (12)
20 Jasper Wiese (4)
21 Niell Jordaan (8)
22 Rudy Paige (3)
23 Ernst Stapelberg (7)
Guinness PRO14 caps indicated next the player’s name.
The referee for the match is Stuart Berry. He will be assisted by Quintin Immelman and Cwengile Jadezweni. The TMO is Marius Jonker. (All SARU).
The following players are not eligible for team selection due to injury: Oupa Mohoje (knee), Jacques Du Toit (knee), Jamba Ulenga (neck).
Alan Straton
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