Dimaza starts while Tedder returns for Kavaliers

Utility forward Kwanda Dimaza gets his first start for the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers in this year’s Carling Currie Cup, with James Tedder named at fullback for the Round 3 encounter against the Airlink Pumas in Wellington on Sunday (3pm).

Head coach Hawies Fourie and his team have made three changes to the forward pack that beat the DHL Stormers XXIII 41-3 a week ago, alongside the inclusion of Tedder as the solo change in the backline.

Domenic Smit makes room for Tedder and is named among the reserves, which means David Brits misses out on selection altogether.

Fourie stuck with tried and tested combinations in the rest of the backline, with Jurick Lewis and Lunathi Nxele continuing their partnership in the midfield. Chris Smit and Louis Schreuder combined to form the halfback pairing.

Former Pumas utility forward Dimaza will earn his first Kavaliers Currie Cup cap and he will partner with captain Thurlow Marsh and Gift Dlamini to form the back row. Marlyn Williams and Jeandré Leonard will once again combine as the lock pairing.

In the front row, two changes see Llewellyn Classen and Mthokozisi Gumede make their first start of the campaign; the duo pack down with Dayan van der Westhuizen. Alistair Vermaak is nursing an Achilles injury that he sustained during last week’s encounter.

Last week’s hat-trick hero, Jayden Bantom and Xavier Mitchell are named on the left and right wing, respectively. Positions that have boded well for Fourie and his charges.

Another potential Kavaliers debut for Darnell Osuagwu awaits when introduced off the bench. The former Pumas player will provide front row cover alongside Dewald Maritz and Heiko Pohlmann. He joined the Wellington side after this year’s SA Cup competition.

Fourie on the selection changes up front: “Kwanda Dimaza comes in for Khwezi Mafu; it is just a straight swap between the two of them. The rest of the guys (in the back and second row) stay the same. So, we have gone with a bit of continuity on the weekend, and we gave opportunities to Llewellyn to start and Darnell to come off the bench; he has impressed us since joining us from the Pumas.

“We look forward to seeing what he can bring and then Kwanda has been in the starting lineup for most of the SA Cup games except for three weeks where he was out with a concussion. He is quite a big unit, very good in the line-outs and has a very good skill set.”

Sanlam Boland Kavaliers starting XV: 15 James Tedder, 14 Xavier Mitchell, 13 Lunathi Nxele, 12 Jurick Lewis, 11 Jayden Bantom; 10 Chris Smit, 9 Louis Schreuder; 8 Thurlow Marsh (capt), 7 Kwanda Dimaza, 6 Gift Dlamini; 5 Marlyn Williams, 4 Jeandré Leonard; 3 Dayan van der Westhuizen, 2 Llewellyn Classen, 1 Mthokozisi Gumede. Replacements: 16 Darnell Osuagwu, 17 Dewald Maritz, 18 Heiko Pohlmann, 19 Johnré Stopforth, 20 Taine Booysen, 21 Chriswill September, 22 Ashlon Davids, 23 Domenic Smit.