The Boland Cavaliers suffered a major setback on Tuesday when seasoned flanker Henley du Plessis was ruled out of Saturday’s Currie Cup match against Western Province at Newlands with a neck injury.
Du Plessis is one of the stars of the team so far, and his absence will be sorely missed. His speed to the breakdown, tackling around the scrum and excellent cover defence was always going to be a much-needed ingredient against Province. However, he believes he should be ready to take on the Valke at Wellington.
Du Plessis’s injury was not coach Deon David’s only concern. Livewire flanker Zolani Mofu will not be considered. According to Davids, the knee injury he sustained against the Cheetahs two weeks ago has not healed properly.
The Cavaliers will therefore start the match with two new flankers — and a massive task awaits them to fill Du Plessis and Mofu’s boots.
But should Davids opt for Chris Potgieter and Angelo Brinkhuys, it could actually benefit the Cavaliers as these two players are virtually unknown to Province, especially Potgieter, who is ready to grab the chance after he played a blinder against the Stormers in a friendly match in Paarl earlier this season.
A possible third change in the team can come at scrumhalf where young Dewaldt Duvenhage, who scored two great tries against the Cheetahs, could find himself in the starting line-up ahead of Neil Papier when Davids announces his side on Thursday.
If Province harbour any hopes of revenge following their unexpected 15-10 defeat in Wellington in the first round of the competition, they will have to unsettle a confident Boland outfit who nearly scored upset victories against the Lions and log leaders the Cheetahs in their previous two matches. — Sapa