Cape Town – Western Province’s Currie Cup depth will be tested over the next few weekends as the Stormers head into the crunch part of the United Rugby Championship (URC) and European Champions Cup.
With the URC team currently in Dublin, it's not just the coaching personnel who had to be divided among the two teams competing in the different competitions, but also the players.
Someone like Clayton Blommetjies, who has been a spark for the WP side, is now with the Stormers, so too loose forward Ben-Jason Dixon. Another player whose prowess WP can't depend on is winger Suleiman Hartzenberg.
So to fill some vacant positions ahead of Sunday's clash with the Sharks (kick-off at 2pm), the Currie Cup team under Labeeb Levy had to dig into the club rugby structures of WP Rugby.
Scrumhalf Labeeb Kannemeyer (SK Walmers) and winger Fazeel Robertson (St Georges RFC) are among the players brought in from the WP's club rugby scene who will debut on Sunday.
This is all part of the Stormers and WP management's plan to not just create broader depth in their squads for tournaments, but to also introduce certain players who haven't had the opportunity yet, to experience a professional set-up.
Before the Currie Cup started this year, Jerome Paarwater, head of the high-performance programme, had about 100 club players who were identified at the end of last year's club rugby season to join WP Rugby's programme.
Now, eight of these players have graduated to the Currie Cup side, with some making their debut for the WP in the competition.
And according to Stormers head coach John Dobson, the players have slotted in well to the demands of a professional set-up.
But, Dobson and his management will only see the results once they run out against the Sharks, and find out if this changed-up Currie Cup team will be able to hold the fort for the next couple of weeks as the Stormers battle in Europe.
The WP scrum will definitely come under the magnifying glass as that's the one part of the team that's been struggling. The changes among the back line could also have an impact on their deadly counter-attack.
Apart from captain and centre Juan de Jongh, scrumhalf Godlen Masimla and winger Duncan Saal, WP's back line is relatively young. Yes, flyhalf Kade Wolhuter has started a couple of games and looked cool and in control, but playing with other youngsters next to him could change things up.
And besides the vastly experienced prop Ali Vermaak and Springbok hooker Scarra Ntubeni, that pack of forwards looks very green.
WP knows that for the exciting backs to flourish, the pack will have to do the hard yards up front.
This test against the Sharks will show Dobson and his fellow coaches exactly where the team is in terms of their depth and if they can go through the Currie Cup with limited reliance on their more experienced players as it has been up until this point.
IOL Sport