Pumas in for Louw blow
16 Aug 2006
With Justin Melck out injured, SA U21 loose forward Pieter Louw gets his first start for Vodacom Western Province this season.
Due to the successful back row combination of Melck, Luke Watson and Robbie Diack, as well as Kobus van der Merwe’s inclination to stick with a winning formula, Louw has received minimal game time this season. This seems surprising considering his pedigree, as the 21-year old represented his country at the U21 World Championship in France earlier this year, and was also a part of the same team who won the tournament in 2005.
“There is a lot of competition in the side at the moment, and the loosies have been playing particularly well,” Louw told keo.co.za. “It’s good to be in a team where you have a lot of guys pushing for a spot in the starting line-up.”
Melck has not yet recovered from the thumb injury he sustained against Griquas a fortnight ago, and so Louw replaces him on the side of the WP scrum. He helped the Baby Boks win the World Championship in Argentina last year at No 8, but feels that he is versatile enough to perform just as well on the flank.
“I’m looking forward to playing at No 7. I am one who believes that a loose forward has to be good at everything. You need to be a strong ball-carrier, quick to the ball on the ground, and of course, uncompromising on defence.
“We haven’t decided whether myself and Luke will play as two fetchers or as a regular blindside and openside. It will depend on the particular situation we find ourselves in against the Pumas.”
Getting back into a winning team is not easy for a player returning from injury, as Ross Skeate and Andries Bekker discovered recently. Current WP second rowers Francois van der Merwe and Gerrie Britz have done well in the stead of Skeate and Bekker, who both got crocked ahead of the Absa Currie Cup opener. Skeate and Bekker should return at some stage, but with the incumbents performing, the WP coaching staff will be reluctant to make a change just yet.
With Melck out, Louw is aware of the similar opportunity that has been set before him. “I now have a great chance to go out there and show my coach what I can do. I’ve been looking forward to getting a full 80 minutes, so I’ll be sure not to waste the opportunity.
“Running out at Newlands for the first time is also something I’ve been looking forward to all season. Griquas showed us that we can’t take the smaller unions for granted. That was a fantastic game, they pushed us, but we held out and won the match.
“The Pumas have struggled this year, but we won’t make the mistake of underestimating them.”
By Jon Cardinelli
309 Comments
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16 Aug 2006, 14:40 pm
yay, at last a province thread!
16 Aug 2006, 14:42 pm
Province to take da golden cup!!!!!
16 Aug 2006, 14:46 pm
skim
hope u r right, going to be tough 2nd half, but wp should do it
16 Aug 2006, 14:47 pm
should have rested luke, or at least started him from bench
16 Aug 2006, 14:49 pm
gio to run circles around pumas
16 Aug 2006, 14:51 pm
Who says WP doesn’t have depth?
Dual wp squads:
White Squad:
1.Brock Harris
2.Huia Edmonds
3.Jd Moller
4.Francois van der Merwe
5.Gerrie Brits
6.Luke (c)
7.Melck
8.Diack
9.Bolla
10.Naas
11.Ryhland
12.Potgieter
13.Uys
14.Seconds
15.Aplon
Blue squad:
1.Attie Winter
2.Shimange
3.Gerrit Dyman
4.Andries Bekker
5.Ross Skeate
6.Pieter Myburg
7.Leon Karemaker
8.Pieter Louw
9.Paul Delport
10.Peter Grant
11.Chumani Booi
12.De Wett Barry (c)
13.Sireli Nagelevuki
14.Joe Peterson
15.Shandre Frolick
16 Aug 2006, 14:52 pm
So why isnt Luke in the Bok team?
16 Aug 2006, 14:53 pm
Skim, why brok and JD changed round?
16 Aug 2006, 14:53 pm
Sod off Supa.
This is an intelligent thread.
16 Aug 2006, 14:53 pm
because white is a poepol, sure u know what that is supa..
16 Aug 2006, 14:53 pm
(7)
Sorry supa this may seem I am having a go at you but it is not it is just Luke watson is not that good.
16 Aug 2006, 14:54 pm
ha ha these WP threads… just cant stay away from blows…
pumas hope you have ur ***-sfinkta-hole protectors ready
16 Aug 2006, 14:54 pm
why do the bulls have to spoil a perfectly good thread…
16 Aug 2006, 14:54 pm
Hey, I don’t care which number they wear…..
Never could get that right, loosehead, tighhead 1,3 don’t really care.
16 Aug 2006, 14:54 pm
BokinOz
Who do you support?
16 Aug 2006, 14:55 pm
KING LUKE TO U BOKIN OZZIE, maybe u should keep quiet seeing u a traitor
16 Aug 2006, 14:55 pm
14
Thats why you are called an “idiot”
16 Aug 2006, 14:55 pm
skim, those front rows still look like one that will take a beating while bending…
wp just have no props and strong men… lotta **** tho…
16 Aug 2006, 14:57 pm
The stormers will have Andries Human Though, together with JD Moller they’ll do alright. Hopefully we’ll get Visage too.
16 Aug 2006, 14:57 pm
Wich is tighthead Supa? 1 or 3?
You bulls are experts at frontrow play.
16 Aug 2006, 14:59 pm
how predictabull
16 Aug 2006, 14:59 pm
bok
Watson is overrated (by WP supporters) but he is good. Just pisses me off that they go on and on and on…
16 Aug 2006, 14:59 pm
luke for captain of boks
16 Aug 2006, 14:59 pm
Get over it supa.
So, 1 or 3?
16 Aug 2006, 15:00 pm
As i said: Luke is a good CC player, a below than average S14 player and will be a useless test player
16 Aug 2006, 15:00 pm
supa (22)
who the idiots now, watson best flank in world after mccauw
16 Aug 2006, 15:01 pm
jurgens
go back to the caravan, needs yr attention
16 Aug 2006, 15:01 pm
skim
tighthead is 3
loosehead 1
16 Aug 2006, 15:01 pm
Suparugby
Just like Anton Leonard was overrated by all the Bulls supporters.
16 Aug 2006, 15:01 pm
read that in SI Faithfull? #26
16 Aug 2006, 15:01 pm
Tightheads is something WP has a lot of, just not on the rugby field…
16 Aug 2006, 15:02 pm
wp faithful
why does the truth hurt?
16 Aug 2006, 15:03 pm
Thanks Supa.
16 Aug 2006, 15:04 pm
skim
supa suffers of what we call bullsyndrome, this causes u to have hallucinations and making stupid comments, typical BBS – blue bull stupidity
16 Aug 2006, 15:04 pm
lol at *****
wpfaith
If he is so good, why isnt he a bok??????
16 Aug 2006, 15:04 pm
Jurgens gaan speel in Chatsworth
16 Aug 2006, 15:05 pm
supa was Ettiene Botha n bok
16 Aug 2006, 15:05 pm
Spermkots
lees my post 25
16 Aug 2006, 15:05 pm
jurgens
wake up and get original please, and while u at it (awake that is), please start seeing who the real cc contenders are, that is WP for those slow bull supporters out there
16 Aug 2006, 15:05 pm
wpfaith
At least you have a smart wife…you on the other hand…
16 Aug 2006, 15:06 pm
supa
said it on other thread, jake is ‘n poepol, iets wat julle bulls baie van af weet.. he he
16 Aug 2006, 15:07 pm
wp faithful
anyone that do make a semi are a CC contender, but the why that wp has plyed in the last couple of years in the semis i doudt it
16 Aug 2006, 15:07 pm
Luke is good enough… But the rest of WP SUCK!! – literally and figuratively…
16 Aug 2006, 15:07 pm
Check die log Jurgens , Almal weet Luke se spel het baie verbeter vandat hy kaptein is , Was hy miskien Kaptein in S14 .
16 Aug 2006, 15:08 pm
***** (lyk jy ook soos hy – robbie wessels)
at least we win our games
16 Aug 2006, 15:10 pm
jurgens
ek dink dis tyd vir jou om huis toe te gaan, jou ma en pa wil die karavaan haak en bietjie kaap toe kom om te sien hoe ‘n regte rugbyspan met manne in lyk
16 Aug 2006, 15:10 pm
Spermkots
nee hy was nie, die kompetiese het hom laat kak lyk nie omdat hy nie kaptein was nie,
16 Aug 2006, 15:10 pm
So you dont mind being a mof as long as you win your games…
So lets get this right, according to the HEADing, Louw gives out blows… Nothing new on a WP thread…
16 Aug 2006, 15:11 pm
wp faithful
daai rugby spelers wat elke week hulle hare laat doen?
16 Aug 2006, 15:11 pm
50% verkeerd
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