Just when you thought it couldn't get any grimmer for Western Province, the rugby gods have thrown another spanner in the works. This time, it's captain Zain Davids, who's been benched with a pesky knee injury. Davids hobbled off the pitch during a rather embarrassing 47-17 smackdown by Griquas in Kimberley last Friday. This latest injury twist means he won’t be rallying the troops for this week’s showdown against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.
Coach Labeeb Levy didn't mince words about the impact of Davids' absence.
"We struggled at the breakdown. Zain’s injury was a major setback for us,"
Levy lamented. He admitted they had a brief moment of glory early in the game, but post-Davids, it was pretty much downhill. The team was left without a proper fetcher, and well, the scoreline speaks for itself.But wait, there's more injury insult to injury... injury. CJ Velleman, the man who could’ve stepped into Davids’ big shoes, is also out of the picture. Turns out, his foot couldn't escape unscathed after an unfortunate encounter with a rival's boot.
"CJ is also injured. His foot is broken after someone stepped on it by accident. He would’ve been perfect,"
a clearly frustrated Levy revealed.As if preparing to face the high-flying Cheetahs wasn’t daunting enough, Levy is now bracing his team for what he anticipates will be a particularly tough game. The Cheetahs come into the match riding high on confidence after consecutive wins over the formidable Pumas and an eager Sharks squad. Their recent string of successes only adds to WP's challenges.
With Davids sidelined, the leadership baton looks set to be passed to lock Gary Porter, who'll likely captain the ship as they head into the lion’s—rather, cheetah’s—den this Saturday. Western Province could surely use a bit of that famed resilience because it looks like they’re going to need it more than ever.