WP pack Currie Cup squad with EIGHT Junior Springbok champions
Western Province get their campaign underway with a North-South clash against the Bulls at the Cape Town Stadium, with kick-off at 17:10 on Saturday.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster.
Junior Springbok captain Riley Norton, who led the national U20 side to victory in the recent World Rugby U20 Championship in Italy, is joined by team-mates Xola Nyali, Wandile Mlaba, Oliver Reid, Herman Lubbe, Siya Ndlozi, Dominic Malgas and Gino Cupido in the senior Western Province squad, although they will only be eligible for selection from next week, having returned home this week.
The wider 54-man squad also includes the likes of Tristan Leyds, Zain Davids, Sako Makata, Justin Geduld, Ronald Brown and Shilton van Wyk who have represented the Springbok Sevens team.
The squad features some real experience, with Skosan, Geduld, Scarra Ntubeni, Gary Porter and Sti Sithole featuring alongside a host of players who have recently come through the pathways system and starred for the Western Province U21 side that has won back-to-back national titles.
There are also 13 players that have been called up from the local club ranks to bolster the depth and stake a claim for a regular place in the senior team.
Props Arno Gustafson (Hamilton RFC), Francois Staples (Dur-Bell), Mhleli Khuzwayo (UCT), Matthew Beckett (UCT) and Nick Roebeck (Hamilton RFC), hooker Abri Coetzee (Hamilton RFC), lock Carlo van Greunen (Dur-Bell), loose forwards Roland van der Heever (SK Walmers), Erhard Lambrecht (Helderberg), Enos Ndiao (UCT) and De Wet Marais (Maties), scrumhalf Ezekiel Ngobeni (Maties) and centre Brendan Venter (Helderberg) have all been training with the squad for the last six weeks.
Head coach Labeeb Levy said that with a lot of hard work under the belt, his team is looking forward to the challenge that lies ahead this season.
'It has been incredible to see this squad come together over the last six weeks under a new management team. There is a lot of energy from the coaches and the players and we will see that same intent on the pitch over the next few weeks.
'We have a lot of talented young players who have excelled at national level and for our junior teams in recent times, along with some considerable experience and the injection of some top Springbok Sevens players as well.
'Then of course we have the best of the local club scene in the mix and all of us have been pushing hard to bring the best of ourselves for the iconic blue and white hoops and our incredible supporters,' he said.
Forwards: Abri Coetzee (Hamilton RFC), Adam De Waal, Aden da Costa, Alex Groves, Andre Goedhals, Arno Gustufson (Hamilton RFC), Cabous Eloff, Carlo van Greunen (Dur-Bell), CJ Velleman, Danio Botha, De Wet Marais (Maties), Enos Ndiao (UCT), Erhard Lambrecht (Helderberg), Francois Staples (Dur-Bell), Gary Porter, Gideon van Wyk, Herman Lubbe, Keagan Blanckenberg, Luca Bakkes, Louw Nel, Lukhanyo Vokozela, Matthew Beckett (UCT), Mhleli Khuzwayo (UCT), Nick Roebeck (Hamilton RFC), Oliver Reid, Patrick Kitete, Riley Norton, Roland van der Heever (SK Walmers), Scarra Ntubeni, Sti Sithole, Wandile Mlaba, Xola Nyali, Zachary Porthen, Zain Davids
Backs: Asad Moos, Brendan Venter (Helderberg), Courtnall Skosan, Damian Markus, Dominic Malgas, Ezekiel Ngobeni (Maties), Gino Cupido, Imad Khan, Jared Africa, Joel Leotlela, Jurie Matthee, Justin Geduld, Kyle Smith, Luke Burger, Quewin Nortje, Ronald Brown, Sako Makata, Shilton van Wyk, Siya Ndlozi, Tristan Leyds
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