Worsie to get cold shoulder?
UJ's Namibian RWC flyhalf Worsie Kotze is in a race against time to recover from a shoulder injury in time for the start of the Varsity Cup, but coach Hugo van As has an able replacement if need be.
Kotze picked the injury up in UJ's warm-up fixture against Shimlas in Kroonstad last week, which may just give former Sharks pivot Guy Cronjé an opportunity to impress at the start of the season.
UJ coach Hugo van As revealed to varsitycup.co.za that that the injury would not require surgery, and he also confirmed that Kotze was expected to be back in action just in time for his team's first fixture - a grudge match against Tuks who were the only team that managed to beat them last season.
He said: "Luckily the injury is only to the shoulder muscle so it will not require surgery and with two or three weeks of rehabilitation he should be ready to play against Tuks in our first game.
"He will be put on a special programme, it is also an injury that he can play with if we need him to, but obviously we would prefer to have him at 100%," added the UJ boss.
If Van As does not sound particularly concerned about the loss of his proven playmaker who performed so admirably at the World Cup in New Zealand last year it is because he has a more than capable alternative in former Sharks playmaker Cronjé.
The UJ coach was happy with what he saw from Cronjé when he got his opportunity against Shimlas and he is excited about seeing what he has to offer in the Varsity Cup this year.
"Guy did very well, he is a talented player and having a 'Soutie' at flyhalf brings a calmness to the team," he joked.
Having two quality players in the same position may be a headache for some coaches but Van As is delighted to have so much talent at his disposal and is adamant that both of them will have an opportunity to make an impact this season.
"Both of them are special players, and they each bring something different to the team. The key will be to strike a balance.
"Theuns [Kotze] is a very versatile player so he can play in different positions and it is an intense campaign so both of them will get a chance to contribute," he explained.
The hit-out against Shimlas was exactly what the side needed, and although it was nice to win, Van As explained that victory was not their sole focus.
"We set ourselves a few goals and we achieved them in Kroonstad which was nice, the players needed game-time and that is our first full contact session under the belt now.
"The score was not really important but we were definitely tested by a well-drilled Shimlas team that will be a force to be reckoned with this season," said Van As.
By Michael de Vries
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