Cats rugby coach Tim Lane has been forced to make one change from the team clobbered 46-10 by the Waratahs last week for Saturday’s clash with the Hurricanes at Wellington’s Westpac Stadium.
Lane has brought in Free State’s Gerrie Britz for the injured lock Jannes Labuschagne.
Britz will team up with Cheetahs teammate Boela du Plooy at lock.
Kleinjan Tromp has also played lock for the Cats this season, but has returned home from Australia with a fractured finger.
Paul Delport, who had replaced backup halfback Neill Powell on the bench after Powell was struck down by injury before their match against the Waratahs last weekend, has been dropped from the playing 22.
Midfielder Doppies la Grange will move to halfback if Enrico Januarie is injured.
The Cats have lost all three matches so far.
Meanwhile, Cats chief executive Johan Prinsloo joined the under-siege squad in Sydney before they flew to Wellington on Wednesday and was impressed with what he found.
”To be honest, I did not expect such good team spirit after [the Cats’] two heavy defeats,” Prinsloo said.
”The players are determined to do well and the coaches are anything but down-hearted. The blokes are really practising hard, but of course it serves little purpose to practise yourself to a standstill and then not deliver the goods on the playing field.”
Prinsloo acknowledged that the Cats’ defence had been poor to date, but said he could see that the squad were trying their utmost to rectify this. — Sapa
Teams:
Hurricanes: Brent Ward, Shannon Paku, Ma’a Nonu, Roy Kinikinilau, Tana Umaga (captain), David Holwell, Jason Spice, Jerry Collins, Ben Herring, Ross Kennedy, Paul Tito, Kristian Ormsby, Tim Fairbrother, Andrew Hore, Joe McDonnell. Reserves: Joe Ward, Neemia Tialata, Chris Masoe, Luke Andrews or Thomas Waldrom, Piri Weepu, Riki Flutey,Tane Tuipulotu.
Cats: Conrad Jantjes, Ashwin Willemse, Jaque Fourie, Doppies la Grange, Anton Pitout, Andre Pretorius, Enrico Januarie, Pietie Ferreira, Wikus van Heerden (captain), Hendro Scholtz, Gerrie Britz, Boela du Plooy, CJ van der Linde, Lukas van Biljon, Os du Randt. Reserves: Hanyani Shimange, Gurthro Steenkamp, Juan Smith, Gerhard Vosloo, Rudi Coetzee, Nel Fourie, Jorrie Muller.