Western Province will head into their Currie Cup clash against the Cheetahs on Saturday without captain Zain Davids, who has been sidelined with a knee injury.
Davids left the field early during WP’s 47-17 defeat to Griquas in Kimberley last Friday, and the setback could keep him out for more than just this week’s trip to Bloemfontein.
Coach Labeeb Levy admitted the flanker’s absence was keenly felt for the remainder of the game.
“We struggled at the breakdown. Zain’s injury was a major setback for us,” Levy said.
We had dominated in the early stages of the game, even if it was just for a short while. We didn’t have a fetcher.”
The injury situation worsened with confirmation that CJ Velleman who’s viewed as a like-for-like replacement for Davids in terms of his ball-stealing ability, is also ruled out.
“CJ is also injured,” Levy revealed.
“His foot is broken after someone stepped on it by accident. He would’ve been perfect.”
Levy is bracing his side for what he expects will be another bruising encounter against the high-flying Cheetahs.
“It’ll be tough. They’ve also benefitted from continuity and have won their last two matches against a tough Pumas team and a highly-motivated Sharks team. They’ll be full of confidence.”
With Davids out, lock Gary Porter is likely to take over the captaincy for the trip to Bloemfontein
Team officials confirmed on Monday that David will not be risked, with medical staff opting to give him time to recover fully. This means Western Province will head into the Bloemfontein showdown without their on-field leader, a significant loss given his influence at the breakdown and in rallying the side during tight encounters.
“It’s a tough one,” said interim coach Jerome Paarwater. “Chad has been massive for us, both in leadership and performance. But player welfare comes first, and we don’t want to rush him back only to risk further injury.”
