League time for UCT's Tigers

The Ikey Tigers, runners-up in the recently-completed Varsity Cup, will get their 2010 Western Province Super League campaign underway against Helderberg (away) on Saturday afternoon.

Coach John Dobson has been forced into making a host of changes to the line-up that went down 14-17 to the Maties last Monday night, with Varsity Cup skipper Nick Fenton-Wells resting his knee niggle.

German second row Bodo Sieber - the old man of this team - returns to captain the Ikeys and he will ably supported by another returnee, former Varsity Cup star Enoch Panya who is back from a spell with the Mighty Elephants.

Young hooker Matt Page gets his first league start after good performances off the bench in the Varsity Cup, with Sieber and Panya the only two members of the pack that did not feature in UCT's 2010 FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International campaign.

In the backline, centre Mark Esterhuizen and speedy left-wing Paul Cohen will make their first appearances for UCT in the WP Super League, whilst Marcel Brache - who made such a huge impact during the Varsity Cup - gets a start at inside centre, in what will also be his league debut for the Ikeys.

Helderberg are never an easy side to face, especially on their own 'patch', and they will be hungry for an early-season scalp over a quality side like the Ikeys, having beaten False Bay in a pre-season encounter.

False Bay, of course, opened their 2010 Super League campaign with a 20-16 win over defending champions (and National Club champions), Hamilton's, last Thursday.

The Ikey Tigers team: 15 Therlow Pietersen, 14 Marcello Sampson, 13 Mark Esterhuizen, 12 Marcel Brache, 11 Paul Cohen, 10 Douglas Mallett, 9 Stu Commins, 8 Sam Peter, 7 Enoch Panya, 6 Zandy Macdonald, 5 Bodo Sieber (captain), 4 Don Armand, 3 Grant Kemp, 2 Matt Page, 1 Ash Wells.
Replacements: 16 Mark Goosen, 17 Wes Chetty, 18 Levi Odendaal, 19 André Goosen, 20 Nic Groom, 21 Zubayr Abrahams, 22 André Coetzer.