Super boost for EP Kings
Senior team loans players for Boland clash
FIVE Southern Kings players have been loaned to bolster the EP Kings for their Currie Cup match against the Boland Cavaliers in Wellington tomorrow. The Super Rugby squad players whom Kings coach Robbi Kempson can call on are Tazz Fuzani, Cornell Hess (locks), Louis Albertse (prop), JP Jonck (flank) and Junior Pokomela (eighthman).
They are all fringe players and Southern Kings head coach Deon Davids will welcome them getting game time in the Currie Cup.
After slumping to a 37-14 defeat in their opening match against the SWD Eagles last week, Kempson will expect a much bigger effort from his players in Wellington.
Kempson’s efforts to mould a winning team have been hamstrung to a certain extent by the late release of players and the non-availability of flyhalf Michael Brink, who suffered a concussion during the Eagles match.
Madibaz No 10 Simon Bolze will take Brink’s place as the Kings bid to get their campaign up and running.
The Kings will also be without captain Jeremy Ward, who has not been given a clearance to play by Junior Springbok coach Dawie Theron. Ward’s place will be taken by Siphumelele Msutwana and flank Sintu Manjezi will take over the captaincy.
There has also been a change at scrumhalf, with Franswa Uekermann coming in for Chuma Faas, who is not available.
“I do think certain individual performances let us down, but our preparation time due to the fact that the Super Rugby players only came to us on Thursday last week completely put us on the back foot for the Eagles match,” Kempson said.
“Collectively, the players let themselves down with their approach to the game, basic handling errors, too many mistakes, and not following instructions.”
Kempson knows his team can expect a tough afternoon in Wellington against the Boland side that ran in five tries in their impressive 37-25 win over a Sharks XV in their opening game.
Irrespective of how well they perform in that first stage, the six South African Super Rugby unions – the Golden Lions, Western Province, Blue Bulls, Free State Cheetahs, Sharks and EP Kings – will automatically move on to the Premier Division, with the three non-franchise teams with the greatest number of log points joining them.
The remaining six will contest the lower First Division title.
The second-stage competition will also be played over a single round.
Points will not be carried over from the first stage.
Both the Premier and First Division will have semifinals, while the final in both divisions will take place at the home venue of whichever team was highest-placed at the end of the second phase.
