Carr adds steel to Province defence

24 October 2014 - 02:25 By Craig Ray and Liam del Carme
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LEG UP: Province hooker Scarra Ntubeni trains at Newlands yesterday
LEG UP: Province hooker Scarra Ntubeni trains at Newlands yesterday
Image: CARL FOURIE/GALLO IMAGES

Most of the players in tomorrow's Currie Cup final were not born when Western Province and the Lions last met in a final nearly 30 years ago, but the stakes remain the same.

The beautiful old trophy, first contested in 1892, is still the most prized title in South African rugby and this season the two best teams have progressed to the final.

WP coach Allister Coetzee was a relieved man yesterday when he named No8 Nizaam Carr and centre Jaco Taute in the starting line-up for the final at Newlands. Both had been injury doubts.

Taute is the only change to the starting team that beat the Blue Bulls 31-23 in the semifinal, with Michael van der Spuy dropping to the bench.

Lock Gerbrandt Grobler is the other change, coming in for prop Oliver Kebble among the reserves.

Carr's good form and confidence will be a massive boost to the team.

In a match in which defence steel will be key, Carr's tournament-leading 181 tackles underline his value to the team. He also ranks fourth in ball carries and is the leader in that category of the players in the final.

Coming the other way, though, will be impressive Lions flank Jaco Kriel, who has been a phenomenal game-breaker for his team.

Kriel leads three statistical categories this season - clean breaks, defenders beaten and tries scored (nine) - while he is also second when it comes to turnovers ( nine).

One way of throwing the hosts off their game is by applying the squeeze to their scrum. To that end, coach Johan Ackermann yesterday added prop Jacques van Rooyen to the bench ahead of flank Kwagga Smith - the rest of the team isunchanged from last weekend.

History, though, is against the Lions, and this century there have been only four away winners in 14 finals. But the visiting team has won the last two finals.

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