UCT produce another Super player
Ikeys ace Tim Whitehead will make his Super 14 debut for the Stormers this weekend - the latest Varsity Cup player to make the step up to the toughest provincial tournament in the southern hemisphere.
Whitehead will follow in the footsteps of Ikey Tigers teammates, lock Martin Muller and utility back Tiger Bax, both of whom made their Super 14 debuts last year - straight from the Varsity Cup.
The 21-year-old was first discovered by UCT head coach John Dobson, in 2007, before Stormers backline coach Robbie Fleck - during his stint as the Ikeys' assistant coach - took him under his wing.
He is comfortable at inside and outside centre, but Fleck believes his future lies in the No.12 shirt - where his creativity and running lines can do more damage closer to the scrum.
"Tim has been training with us this week. He is a special player who has a lot of time on the ball, and he has good distribution skills," Fleck told the Cape Times newspaper.
"He would be a perfect fit for us in terms of the way we want to play the game. He was part of the Currie Cup squad, so he is familiar with our systems.
"It is a big step up for Tim. But he is a good player in the Will Greenwood mould. He is tall and has a high work-rate, while he also runs good lines," added the former Bok centre, who was Dobson's UCT assistant coach during the 2008 and 2009 Varsity Cup tournaments.
Whilst Whitehead will join UCT mates Muller and Bax as recent Stormers representatives come Saturday; Stellenbosch stars De Kock Steenkamp, Juan de Jongh and Joe Pietersen - all of whom are regulars in the Stormers squad - have also played Varsity Cup rugby in the past.
Ironically, the elbow injury suffered by the selfsame De Jongh - the first-ever Varsity Cup Springbok - has opened the door for Whitehead's Super Rugby debut, whilst a strong performance against the Cheetahs, at Newlands, on Saturday could also see Whitehead secure a plane ticket to Australasia for the Stormers' upcoming four-match tour.
"He's [Whitehead] played a lot of Varsity Cup rugby and has already played three Vodacom Cup games this season," explained Stormers boss Allister Coetzee, after announcing his starting XV on Wednesday.
"He featured in pre-season matches against Stellenbosch and Boland. Tim's a class player with a lot of time on the ball, and given the injuries we've had at No.12, we need someone like him coming through."
The Stormers team: 15 Joe Pietersen, 14 Gio Aplon, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Tim Whitehead, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Peter Grant, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Francois Louw, 6 Schalk Burger (captain), 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Anton van Zyl, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Tiaan Liebenberg, 1 Wicus Blaauw.
Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 JC Kritzinger, 18 De Kock Steenkamp, 19 Pieter Louw, 20 Ricky Januarie, 21 Willem de Waal, 22 Sireli Naqelevuki.
Kick-off: 5.05pm