Vikings rocked by Mtya injury

The FNB TUT Vikings coaching staff on Friday morning had to make the 'painful decision' to not include seasoned flanker Athi Mtya in their starting line-up for Monday's all-Pretoria Varsity Cup clash against Tuks.

"We were very hopeful that Athi would recover from his hamstring injury sufficiently to play against FNB UJ Tuks as we need his experience and big-match temperament," TUT Vikings assistant coach Jimmy Watt told this website.

"This morning (Friday), however, he did not come through a fitness test unscathed.

"We could have taken the risk to play him, nevertheless, as he has recuperated well (so far), but Athi is too valuable a player for us to be put in jeopardy at this stage of the season. He will rather make his comeback against UCT in Cape Town (on February 22)."

Aside from losing Mtya for Monday's Pretoria Derby, Watt and his co-selectors have made only two other changes to their starting line-up for this mouth-watering FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International fixture.

In the backline, injured scrumhalf Nico van Zyl is replaced by Manny Raposo. Meanwhile, up front, Juan Pike makes his return at loosehead prop where he replaces the bench-bound Jacques van Rooyen.

* Tuks beat TUT 45-9 last season (at the TUT Stadium), having also won the first-ever Varsity Cup encounter between these teams in 2008 by 43-26 (at a neutral venue in George).

The FNB TUT Vikings team: 15 Hansie Graaff, 14 Johan Swartz, 13 Jaco Oosthuizen, 12 Lutho Nyeka, 11 Thabo Motau, 10 Jacques Venter, 9 Manny Raposo, 8 Wikus Botes, 7 Emile Verster (captain), 6 Alfred Khoza, 5 Werner Lourens, 4 Johan Steenkamp, 3 Braam van der Merwe, 2 Dean Muir, 1 Juan Pike.
Replacements: 16 Eugene Cunha, 17 Jacques van Rooyen, 18 Dewald van Deventer, 19 Ryno Lopes, 20 Theunis Cchoeman, 21 Simphiwe Mtkulu, 22 Henk de Ridder, 23 Johann Visser.

Head coach: Alex de Kock

Date: Monday, February 15
Venue: TUT Stadium
Kick-off: 4.30pm (Live on SuperSport One)
Referee: Mlungiseli Mdashe

By Morris Gilbert