South African Rugby
Western Province name team to face Lions
Scrum.com
June 10, 2009
Luke Watson of the Stormers in action during the Super 14 match between the Stormers and the Blues at Newlands Stadium
Luke Watson will lead Western Province against the Lions at Newlands © Getty Images
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The Western Province coach Allister Coetzee has announced a strong line-up that includes five Springboks to face the Lions at Newlands, Cape Town on Saturday.

The side is led by No. 8 Luke Watson and features yet another strong loose-trio for the touring Lions to counter. Watson is joined by the impressive Duane Vermeulen in a ball-carrying blindside role while Pieter Louw is given the job of fetching on the openside.

Peter Grant starts at inside centre and will be looking to prove a point to the Springbok coach Peter de Villiers after he missed out on selection for the national team. He's partnered by the highly-rated Morgan Newman, who earlier this year was selected in the Springbok training squad.

There's experience too on the wings as Gcobani Bobo starts in the No. 11 jersey while arguably the quickest man in South African rugby, Tonderai Chavhanga, starts on the right.

It's up front where Western Province could struggle to contain the tourists though as Anton van Zyl makes his first appearance since returning to Cape Town from the Lions and young Martin Muller start in the second-row with the former Toulon hooker and Springbok tourist Tiaan Liebenberg the most experienced man in the tight-five.

Western Province: Pietersen, Chavhanga, Newman, Grant, Bobo, De Waal, Duvenage; Blaauw, Liebenberg, Harris, Muller, Van Zyl, Louw, Vermeulen, Watson (capt)

Replacements: Shimange, Moller, Steenkamp, Jordaan, Hoffmann, Engelbrecht, Aplon

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