Whitehead handed WP start

Tim Whitehead, FNB UCT's star midfielder, will start at inside centre for Western Province in Saturday's Vodacom Cup clash against the Sharks at Newlands.

Whitehead, who has had a superb FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International season for UCT, will start in the No.12 jersey and will be joined in the WP backline by two Maties Varsity Cup stars - Conrad Hoffmann and Jurgen Visser.

Up front, meanwhile, two of Whitehead's UCT teammates, flanker Yaya Hartzenberg and lock Martin Muller, will start again and Maties ace Rynhardt Elstadt continues in the No.4 shirt.

Given that they are playing this weekend, that means that Whitehead, Muller, Hoffmann, Visser, Hartzenberg, Muller and Elstadt will all miss Monday's top-of-the-log Varsity Cup clash between the Maties and UCT in Stellenbosch (kick-off 8.30pm).

The Western Province Vodacom Cup team: 15 Jurgen Visser, 14 Dylan Des Fountain, 13 Frikkie Welsh, 12 Tim Whitehead, 11 Fabian Juries, 10 Willem de Waal, 9 Conrad Hoffmann, 8 Bradley Fortuin, 7 Yaya Hartzenberg, 6 Pieter Myburgh, 5 Martin Muller, 4 Rynhardt Elstadt, 3 JD Möller, 2 Hanyani Shimange (captain), 1 Denzil Riddles.
Replacements: 16 Callie-Theron Visagie, 17 Jean Smith, 18 Stephan Greeff, 19 Jody Birch, 20 Dustin Jinka, 21 Conrad Marais, 22 Marvin Christians.

Kick-off: 2.45pm

* Tim Whitehead picture courtesy of Peter van As.