The Steval Pumas and DHL Western Province have travelled as far afield as Windhoek, Secunda, Kimberley and Caledon, and will converge on Cape Town this weekend for the Vodacom Cup Final.
The match – the first time ever the Vodacom Cup Final will be hosted in Cape Town – will form part of Newlands celebrating its 125th year of existence this weekend. And to add a little spice, it’s a replay of last year’s quarter-final, won 13-8 by the Steval Pumas in Nelspruit.
One member of that Steval Pumas side, who will be watching from the sidelines in the colours of the DHL Stormers, is Vincent Koch. Ten of his team-mates from last year’s quarter-final will return to Cape Town this weekend – Jacques Momberg, Frankie Herne, DJ Terblanche, Marius Coetzer, Uzair Cassiem, JC Roos, Wilmaure Louw, Jerome Pretorius, JW Bell and Reynier van Rooyen.
For the home team, only six members of their match-22 this weekend were part of the side that tasted defeat in the Mbombela Stadium last year. They are Jan de Klerk, Rayn Smid, Michael Willemse, Sti Sithole, Deacon Chowles and Robert du Preez.
DHL WP coach John Dobson has selected Wilhelm van der Sluys as the “sole survivor” of their 2012 title winning side. Louw and Simon Westraadt, now plying their trade in the Lowveld, were in the colours of GWK Griquas that night three years ago.
Louw was also member of the Steval Pumas side which lost in the final against the Xerox Golden Lions in 2013, and will return for the final along with ten other members of that team – Momberg, Terblanche, Coetzer, Cassiem, Pretorius, Bell, Herne, Eduan van der Walt, Stefan Watermeyer and Blitzbok Rosko Specman.
The last time these two sides met in Cape Town, was in semi-final in 2012, with DHL WP winning comfortably by 33-20 en route to their maiden Vodacom Cup title.
At home, DHL Western Province hold a commanding 4-1 lead over the Steval Pumas, with the visitors from Mpumalanga recording their first and only win at DHL Newlands in 2002 (58-18). The Capetonians though emerged victorious at home in 2012 (33-20), 2011 (27-14), 2008 (59-19) and 2003 (33-28).
Overall, they’ve played against each other nine times in the Vodacom Cup, with DHL WP winning six times and the Steval Pumas on three occasions.
The teams are:
DHL Western Province: Jean-Luc du Plessis, William Ndayara, Pat Howard, Jaco Taute, Tshotsho Mbovane, Robert du Preez, Godlen Masimla, Rayn Smid, Justin Benn, Tapiwa Tsomondo, Chris van Zyl, Jan de Klerk, Wilco Louw, Michael Willemse (captain), Sti Sithole. Replacements: Charlie van Jaarsveld, Deacon Chowles, Wilhelm van der Sluys, Luke van der Smit, Justin Phillips, Kyle Lombard, Matt Turner.
Steval Pumas: JW Bell, Bernado Botha, Wilmaure Louw, Stefan Watermeyer (captain), Jerome Pretorius, JC Roos, Reynier van Rooyen, Jason-Colin Fraser, Uzair Cassiem, Marnus Schoeman, Marius Coetzer, Rudi Mathee, DJ Terblanche, Jacques Momberg, Khwezi Mona. Replacements: Frankie Herne, Simon Westraadt, Eduan van der Walt, Brian Shabangu, Johan Herbst, Justin van Staden, Rosko Specman.
