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Will the Kings succeed on home ground?

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The EP Kings are looking to build on the momentum of the side that narrowly lost 23 – 21 to the SWD Eagles in the Vodacom Cup match in George last week, and will be looking to make a statement on their home ground at Nelson Mandela Bay stadium on Friday night.

Vodacom Cup Head Coach, Mzwandile Stick announced a relatively unchanged team to take on the Regent Boland Cavaliers on Friday, which will be captained by Albé de Swardt.

The forwards, for the most part, remain unchanged, with the front row consisting of Lizo Gqoboka, de Swardt and Pieter Stemmet, with Louis Fourie and Cameron Lindsay retaining their spots at lock from last week’s game.

Thembelani Bholi keeps his spot at blindside flank, where he is joined by new addition Stefan Willemse at openside.

Aidon Davis returns to the squad at eighth man, having been released from the SA under 20 training camp to fulfil his commitments to the Vodacom Cup team.

The backs remain fairly unchanged, except for Michael Bernardt who takes Brian Skosana’s spot at outside centre, with Skosana moving to the bench.

“Michael and Andile Jho have played really well together as a centre pairing in the Varsity Cup, and Michael is also a specialised outside centre, and I am sure he will add value to the team in this position,” said Stick.

NMMU Madibaz player, Simon Kerrod, also joins the team on the bench, along with Morne Hugo, from Varsity Shield team, TUT Vikings, who has joined the team on a trial basis.

“I think that the game against SWD was one of our best performances so far this season, especially for our forwards, where they dominated the set pieces, especially at scrum. To see these youngsters going up against experienced players the likes of Hannes Franklin and Grant Kemp, has been a good experience for them.”

Stick said he could see that there was pride developing amongst the players and that they were finally coming together as a team.

“This was a good game for the team, they are starting to believe what we have been telling them, that they have the potential, and we want to take that forward into this match,” he said.
De Swardt said he was looking forward to the game against the Regent Boland Cavaliers.

“I am looking forward to the game, we have realised that we are able to stand up for ourselves. That’s why I am excited for this game. I think we’ve started gelling as a team, it is a bit late in the competition, but we would like to end the season off on a high, for ourselves and also for our fans” he said.

  • The team is: 1. Lizo Gqoboka, 2. Albe de Swardt (Captain), 3. Pieter Stemmet, 4. Louis Fourie, 5. Cameron Lindsay, 6. Thembelani Bholi, 7. Stefan Willemse, 8. Aidon Davis, 9. Dwayne Kelly, 10. Ntabeni Dukisa, 11. Ofentse Boloko, 12. Andile Jho, 13. Michael Bernardt, 14. Eben Barnard, 15. Masixole “Coyi” Banda
  • Replacements: 16. Dane van der Westhuyzen, 17. Simon Kerrod, 18. Tyler Paul, 19. Siphesihle Punguzwa, 20. Kayle Van Zyl, 21. Morne Hugo, 22. Brian Skosana
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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.