The Western Province celebrations of their excellent 33-21 win over the Sharks in the final Absa Currie Cup league match have been tempered by the doubt hovering over the participation of the two Fouries, Jaque and Deon, in Saturday’s semifinal against the Cheetahs.
SuperSport
WP will play the Cheetahs in the late sem-final on Saturday with their momentum up following a compelling performance against the winners of the league stages of the competition. Province took the game by the scruff from the opening minutes, and there was never a stage in the match where it looked like there could be more than one winner.
Jaque Fourie, making his debut in the blue and white hoops, brought the defensive organisation that his selection was made for, and he also posed big questions for the Sharks on attack as WP cleverly used another Bok centre, Jean de Villiers, in a form of roving role from the right wing.
The ploy worked perfectly for WP, who left quite a few points on the table through poor finishing, so they would not have been happy to see Fourie on crutches afterwards courtesy of a foot injury that will have to be scanned, with the results expected later on Monday.
The WP mood was further tempered later in the weekend when it was confirmed that hooker Deon Fourie will have to go in front of a disciplinary committee after being cited for foul play. Fourie apparently came in to help Jean de Villiers, who was involved in a skirmish on the ground with Bismarck du Plessis.
The South African Rugby Union said in a statement on Sunday that Fourie’s right hand had allegedly made contact with the face area of the Sharks hooker, and he could be ruled out of the Cheetahs game if found guilty. Should Fourie miss the game it will be a big loss for Province as Fourie was in the forefront of an excellent performance from the WP tight five against the Sharks.
The WP tight forward unit took big question marks into the game, but they raised their play and comprehensively outplayed their opponents. What made it special was that they are missing three key members of their first choice tight five — Andries Bekker, Tiaan Liebenberg and Wicus Blaauw — so they can ill afford to now also lose Fourie.
Understandably, it was to the pack that coach Allister Coetzee heaped most of the praise on afterwards.
“There was a physical intensity and a hunger to shut them out,” said Coetzee.
“The defence came back nicely as well. We made some big hits and put pressure on the opposition. This is actually what we needed at this stage of the competition: A performance like this. But nothing has been achieved yet. What we have is a home semifinal, and we are looking forward to it.”
Should Jaque Fourie be ruled out, WP will probably move De Villiers back into his usual position of inside centre and restore Conrad Jantjes at fullback, with Gio Aplon moving back to the wing.
Should Deon Fourie cop a ban at his disciplinary hearing, Hanyani Shimange will take over at hooker with Callie Visagie coming in on the bench.
He is so important to the Boks that he should be rested for the game this weekend.
Loosehead, patriotism is the last refuge to which a scoundrel clings. 😉
loosehead @ 1
😀 nice try!!
@ Loosehead:
@ Ashley:
WP supporters should put their National interests above their Provincial interests.
In some parts of the world you would be called traitors…………
I take it those “parts of the world” you are referring to include quaint places like Breipaal and Verkeerdevlei?
fender @ 5
moenie vergeet van oppipaal nie!! 😀
Laat ek hoor: wie gaan die semi’s wen en waarom ?
@ bdb:
Wonder waar is KP en Saint. Hulle sal uit pop die oomblik as die Bulle verdwyn dit wed ek jou. Voor die tyd le hulle maar laag, laer onderwater, ens.
@ bdb:
cheetahs en bulle want dis hoe dit moet wees die komp hanskakies in die repebliek van natalia verdien dit nie en die klomp in die kolonie het mos hulle ou bergietjie en jy weet die see …..
@ bdb:
Die Bulle, want hulle is die beste span, ….
en dan hopelik die weepee, want dan het ons ‘n makliker final want die Cheetahs is baie beter as hulle… 🙂
Super, wil jy nou vi my se jy glo die Bulls gan verloor tenie Sharks?
fender @ 11
dink al wat bull ondersteuner is het hulle omtrent ge-bekak in daai eerste 10 minute tenie ‘kwas!! 😀
nousie ouens ma soe ñ bietjie ge-worried jong!! 😆
bloody hell
india just folded after tendulkar’s departure … they went from 485/5 (ok, 486/6 when tendulkar went) to 495 out!!! 😯
#13
495 all out 😳
It’s nine o’clock on a Saturday
The Regular crowd shuffles in
There’s an old man sitting next to me
Makin’ love to his tonic and gin
He says, “Son, can you play me a memory
I’m not really sure how it goes
But it’s sad and it’s sweet and I knew it complete
When I wore a younger man’s clothes.”
La la la, di da da
La la, di da da da dum
Chorus:
Sing us a song, you’re the piano man
Sing us a song tonight
Well, we’re all in the mood for a melody
And you’ve got us feelin’ alright
Somebody said that it couldn’t be done,
But he with a chuckle replied
That “maybe it couldn’t” but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.
Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you’ll never do that;
At least no one we know has done it.”
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.
There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure;
There are thousands to point out to you,
one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle right in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start to sing as you tackle the thing
That cannot be done, and you’ll do it.
well, not much going on here today
will be back later again!!
Users Online
Total 24 users including 0 member, 24 guests, 0 bot online
Most users ever online were 3735, on 31 August 2022 @ 6:23 pm
No Counter as from 31 October 2009: 39,526,315 Page Impressions
_