Captain's profile: Wian Strydom

Daniel Pienaar will be playing the role of hosts this year and would want to avoid a fourth consecutive defeat against their rivals.

Captain Strydom vividly remembers the last time his team won the Classic Clash.

"Die Brandwag has been winning the Classic Clash for the last three years. I can recall the last time we won I was in grade eight and that is a feeling I will never forget," he said.

Daniel Pienaar's season has been really successful, with only two losses and massive victories over Grey High School and Framesby, they step into this encounter with great confidence.

However, with 33 first XV appearances, Strydom knows all too well never to underestimate his old rivals.

"Brandwag is always a team that can surprise you on any given day. I expect that it will be a hard and challenging game.

"Brandwag has big forwards, and I expect that is where they will try to dominate us," he added.

With a near full strength squad, the captain emphasized the importance of remaining focused on the field.

"Our team has a good combination of youth and experience. On Saturday we will have a full strength team with only our lock, Reinardt Deysel not playing due to a broken wrist.

"We need to handle the game like any other and not get caught up in all the hype of the Classic Clash," Strydom stated.

HTS Daniel Pienaar will need to produce yet another gutsy performance as they rely on Strydom's strengths as a player, and the captain's unique ability to stay calm in stressful situations.