Western Province lock Adriaan Fondse is certainly not expecting a rousing welcome when he runs onto the Loftus Versfeld turf on Friday, for the Round Nine Currie Cup encounter with the Blue Bulls.

The former Bulls second row forward will return to Loftus for his first Currie Cup game at his old stomping ground, after having moved to Cape Town this year.

In an ironic twist Fondse, schooled across the road from Loftus at Afrikaans Hoër Seunsskool (Affies) and having played at all age-grade and senior levels for the Bulls from 2002 to 2007, will come up against Wilhelm Steenkamp — a young man schooled in the WP region.

With his intimate knowledge of all things that are Blue Bulls, and especially how much it means for the men from Pretoria to play at Loftus, Fondse had no doubt about the enormity of the task awaiting Province on Friday.

"We will need to front up," Fondse told a media gathering in Cape Town on Wednesday, when asked what it will take for WP to secure a much needed win.

"There is no doubt they [the Bulls] will be tough and physical up front," Fondse added.

However, he warned against thinking that the Bulls are one-dimensional and can only play a forward-orientated game.

"We will need to produce a complete game," the lock said, adding: "The Bulls are good in all facets of the game. They have the backs to run at you when the occasion presents itself."

Fondse, regarded as WP's most exciting acquisitions this year, is a very physical player who is most adept in the line-outs.

He is the one player that will be able to stand up to the Bulls' beefy pack.

Born in Pretoria and schooled at Affies, his move to Cape Town has secured him a more regular starting spot — after he played second fiddle to the Bulls' dynamic Springbok duo of Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha for some time.

In the Super 14 and now also the Currie Cup he has shown why he was so highly rated in Pretoria, where they turn out world class locks with monotonous regularity.

He had a run for the Stormers against the Bulls in the Super 14 encounter at Newlands back in February and also starred in WP's 26-17 Round Two Currie Cup win in Cape Town back in June.

But running at Loftus in the blue-and-white hooped jersey of Province at Loftus is sure to result in a few catcalls from the blue-clad supporting army of the Bulls.

But he is ready for whatever the crown, or the Bulls, can throw at him.

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