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REACTION: Western Province assistant coach Dawie Snyman is confident Steven Kitshoff is on track to return to the Springboks fold for the remainder of the Rugby Championship.
Kitshoff has been named in WP’s starting lineup to face the Lions at Ellis Park on Saturday.
The loosehead prop returned to Cape Town after a brief stint with Irish giants Ulster.
The 32-year-old, who captained the Stormers to the United Rugby Championship title in the inaugural season, is expected to make his first appearance for the Currie Cup side since 2021.
Kitshoff has not played since suffering a serious knee injury in the Ulster Challenge Cup quarter-final against Clermont in April.
He missed the Springboks’ mid-year internationals against Wales, Ireland and Portugal, as well as the opening test of the Rugby Championship against the Wallabies in Brisbane, Australia.
However, should the star emerge unscathed from the WP showdown against the Lions, he could be named in the Springboks squad for the upcoming Rugby Championship matches against the All Blacks on August 31 in Johannesburg and September 7 in Cape Town.
“Steven is back from his injury, so he will get some playing time with us,” said WP assistant coach Dawie Snyman.
“He has been training for the last few weeks. We are just waiting for the medical reports to tell us what he can do and how much game time he will get to prepare him for the Springboks.
“But at the same time play well for Western Province.”
Snyman explained that good communication between the Cape Town franchise and the South African Rugby Union (SARU) was crucial as both parties were keen to have the veteran back in the green and gold jersey.
“Kitsie (Kitshoff) is very involved with the Springboks and part of their plan, so we wanted to know exactly (how to proceed) in terms of his rehab.
“We gave them feedback on how he performed in training and what we need to do to help him.
“There was also a discussion with Kitsie about what he needs to do to be ready to play Test rugby again.”
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On the strategy for Kitshoff during Saturday’s Currie Cup match against the Lions, Snyman said: “We will assess how he is right after half-time.”
“We will give him at least 40 minutes. We will assess the pace of the game and then make a decision.”
He added: “Steven has been training well. He has been on the field with the team for the last two or three weeks and has been training at a high intensity, so he will be able to handle the workload.”
Kitshoff’s return adds a wealth of experience to a front row that also includes captain Scarra Ntubeni and Junior Springboks captain Zach Porthen.
Kitshoff and Ntubeni competed in the 2012 Currie Cup final when WP was crowned champion.
The back row also received reinforcements, as experienced scrum-half Dewaldt Duvenage, wearing the number 9 jersey, provided the much-needed lead.
“These guys bring a lot of experience. They’ve been around a long time,” Snyman said.
“You can immediately feel the increase in level and energy in our team, even though some of them are a bit older and move a bit slower.
“It’s great to have guys like Scarra and Steven next to each other. They’ve played a lot of rugby together. Plus, Dewaldt has led a young back line.”
