According to reports over the weekend, Western Province missed out on the signature of Springbok scrumhalf Embrose Papier.
But as they gear up for their Currie Cup opener against the Free State Cheetahs at Newlands on Saturday, coach John Dobson believes they’ve got enough talent in their squad to successfully defend their title.
But there were some concerns about the No.9 position after WP lost Dewaldt Duvenage to Benetton in Italy after this year’s Super Rugby campaign, while veteran Jano Vermaak has had a lot of injuries over the past few seasons.
In steps 22-year-old Herschel Jantjies, who will have to fend off Paul de Wet and Justin Phillips if he wishes to make an impact in the Streeptrui this year.
Jantjies, though, did enough to impress his boss in the outings against Narbonne and Montpellier in their pre-season tour of France.
And along with other rookies, he has given the defending champions some comfort ahead of their season opener.
Dobson explains: “To see guys like Herschel Jantjies, [ex-Junior Bok captain] Ernst van Rhyn and [fellow loosie] Chris Massyn play so well gives us a lot of hope for the future and depth in our campaign.”