Goodwood away to test Villager Mettle
After a weekend off due to waterlogged fields, Villager FC are going to be tested mentally when they take on Goodwood away on Saturday 21 June in the last round of the WP SLB before the break. Kick off at 4pm.
The cancellation of the Hands and Hearts game was not ideal for the Dirty Whites as they would have wanted to go into the last game of the first round with momentum on their side, coincidentally however, Goodwood are also coming off a bye ensuring both teams meet on an equal footing come Saturday afternoon.
The quick service of scrumhalf Daniel Anderson should speed up the game
Even after missing last weekend’s game Villager FC retained their top of the log standing by one point owing to the fact that St Georges and Milnerton both lost while Sir Lowrians are still a game in hand. Although Villager FC is one of only two teams that remain unbeaten, their lack of bonus points has ensured that there are still five teams in the hunt for promotion at the end of the year. As a result the Dirty Whites cannot underestimate any team no matter their win/loss record as that has often meant very little this year on the day of the game.
Goodwood are expected to be no different this weekend as they will be eager to impress their home supporters with the prized scalp of Villager FC. Although they have won only two from seven, the Dirty Whites will need to take cognisance of the fact that Goodwood are at home and if recent trends are too held true, it may be the deciding factor between the teams.
As a result of the cancelled Hands and Hearts game, Head Coach Andrew Hughes has chosen the same starting team with only slight changes to the bench which he believes can do the business this weekend. “Goodwood won’t be easy; they beat us twice last year so we won’t be taking them lightly.” He says. “But the fellas are fired up from their rest and will be looking to finish this round off with a bang.”
In order to finish with a bang, the Dirty Whites will need the forwards to not only front up to the expected physicality of the Goodwood pack but also execute with ball in hand with the precision that has been lacking of late. Forwards coach Riaan Crous agrees. “The pack has massive potential but they need to work hard at setting high standards and delivering on them in every game.”
Big ball carrying tight head prop, Ryan Germishuys returns to the fold
To rise to his challenge, Crous has opted for the youthful exuberance of Ayden Coetzee, Scott Pitcher and Ryan Germishuys in the front row tempered with the experienced calm headedness of veterans Richard ‘Oupa’ Williams and Andrew Wilkins at lock in a seemingly well-rounded tight five. The loose forwards comprise the ever present Brodie Blows, star player Jannie Bester and Captain Ashley Clarke into an exciting combination.
The backline will be hoping for good weather this weekend with which to attack the wider channels so as to allow the mercurial talents of outside backs Jethro Valentine, James Allderman and Christo Terblanche an opportunity to demonstrate what they can do with ball in hand. All three possess the skills and confidence to wreak havoc in any situation but will rely on the inside backs of Daniel Clarke, Brent Sanders and Stu Pattison to deliver the type of ball with which to do so. Daniel Anderson at scrumhalf will be a critical component of this by ensuring the forwards win the all-important gain line battle to generate the momentum the backs so desperately need to launch their attacks from.
Moving to the bench there are only two changes from last week with the inclusion of Troy Lee and Adrian Cleophas, while the remainder of the bench stays the same with Eddie Ntaka and LT Stamper completing the forward replacements and Jonny Sweetnam, Blane Hansen and Donny Venter fulfilling the backline subs.
Villager FC encourages our members to join us at Goodwood for our last round of league fixtures before the break.
1st XV vs Goodwood RFC:
Fixtures:
| HOME | AWAY | VENUE | TIME |
| Goodwood 1st XV | Villager 1st XV | Goodwood A | 16:00 |
| Goodwood 2nd XV | Villager 2nd XV | Goodwood A | 14:45 |
| Goodwood 3rd XV | Villager 3rd XV | Goodwood A | 13:35 |
| Goodwood u20 | Villager u20 | Goodwood B | 13:35 |
