Skipper Watson relieved to be back after long injury
[caption id="attachment_36291" align="alignright" width="300"] BACK ON TRACK: Luke Watson, right, with EP Kings coach Carlos Spencer during a practice session in preparation for their game against the Blue Bulls on Friday. Picture: BRIAN WITBOOI[/caption]
LUKE WATSON will return from a long-term foot injury to lead the Southern Kings against a Bulls XV in a Super Rugby friendly at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Friday (kick-off 7pm).
Compared to the side that lost 34-12 to Wales last weekend, the Kings have made 10 changes to their starting lineup, including two positional switches.
The biggest change sees Watson coming in at No8 to replace Paul Schoeman, who moves to flank. Former Sharks and Stormers centre Tim Whitehead also gets a chance to stake his credentials, and will partner Dwayne Jenner in the back division.
"It has been a long and frustrating process to get back after the initial misdiagnosis and then return from a significant injury," Watson said.
"A lot of people were under the illusion that I had a sprained ankle or a sore toe, but I literally had five or six screws and a metal plate put in my foot.
"So it has been a long process and coach Carlos Spencer has been great in allowing me to literally get back on my feet and build towards some sort of resemblance of match fitness.
"It is still going to be a process of building towards the Currie Cup as the foot adjusts and gets used to the workload."
The new-look Kings team will be keen to get on the winning track on Friday as they continue to prepare for their opening Currie Cup match against Western Province on August 8.
"The guys are looking forward to the game and there are lots of new faces at the Kings. We have been rebuilding a lot since Super Rugby and this is a really exciting period for the team.
"You could see some of the attacking intent against Wales. It was not as crisp as we wanted it to be but the intention was there and I am excited to be part of the system again," Watson said.
"We have had to rebuild and reshuffle a lot since Super Rugby and we have gone for younger players with bright futures and good careers ahead of them as we want to build towards 2016.
"The Kings want to be competitive and very successful in the Currie Cup, but I don't think anything that happens in these warm-up games will ultimately influence the long-term vision of where we are going.
"We are experimenting and trying a few different and new things. So there will be a lot of hit and miss at times but in the long term we are looking to build this franchise on local-based talent and we are very much on track," the Kings skipper said.
Izak van der Westhuizen has not passed his medical fitness trials and will not be joining the Kings for their Premier Division Currie Cup campaign.
"Izak has had three concussions since the beginning of the year and has been advised by the specialist not to play any rugby for the next six months to a year," EP Rugby chief executive Charl Crous said.
The Kings team: BG Uys, Edgar Marutlulle, Simon Kerrod, Steven Cummins, Cameron Lindsay, Thembelani Bholi, Paul Schoeman, Luke Watson (capt), Jaco Grobler, George Whitehead, Ntabeni Dukisa, Dwayne Jenner, Tim Whitehead, Siviwe Soyizwapi, Scott van Breda. Replacements: Dane van der Westhuizen, Brenden Olivier, Tom Botha, Devin Oosthuizen, Kevin Luiters, Shane Gates, Hansie Graaff. - George Byron
