With an injury cloud hanging over Peter Grant, Western Province coach Allister Coetzee is considering playing Springbok legend Percy Montgomery at flyhalf in their crunch match with the Lions this weekend.

With Grant still struggling with a shoulder injury Coetzee is hoping to give him the best possible chance of playing has said he will make the final decision on Thursday at the teams practise.

Should Grant not be available Coetzee has a couple options open to him. Joe Pieterson, who has been selceted to start on the right wing for the injured Tonderai Cahvanga, could move back to flyhalf or, perhaps more likely, veteran fullback Montgomery will switch to number 10.

Monty of course has played for South Africa at flyhalf and with many not having been totally convinced with Pieterson's performances closer to the breakdowns it seems likely that the former SACS pupil will get the job.

In other team news, Ricky Januarie returns to the starting line-up after missing last weekends game at Boland to get married and Spingbok prop Brian Mujati get a starting place after a couple of weekends on the sidelines.

Province work-horse Adriann Fondse is back after a stomach muscle injury kept him out last week meaning AJ Venter is back on the bench with young starlet Nic Koster moving out of the match squad all together.

Gio Aplon has been put on standby and will move on to the bench should Grant be declared unavailable prior to the match.

It is a Province side which has five previous Lions hero's in their starting fifteen with Conrad Jantjes, Wylie Human, Ricky Januarie, Brian Mujati and Schalk Brits all facing their old union.

Province head into the match sure in the knowledge that only a bonus points win, with a margin greater than 19 point, will be enough for them to progress into the semi-finals of the Currie Cup.

Western Province: 15 Conrad Jantjes, 14 Joe Pieterson, 13 Sireli Naqelevuki, 12 Jean De Villiers (captain), 11 Wylie Human, 10 Peter Grant, 9 Ricky Januarie, 8 Luke Watson, 7 Francios Louw, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Adriaan Fondse, 3 Brian Mujati, 2 Schalk Brits, 1 Wicus Blaauw.
Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 JC Kitzinger, 18 Schalk Ferreria, 19 AJ Venter, 20 Bolla Conradie, 21 Percy Montgomery / Gio Aplon , 22 Morgan Newman

Date: Saturday, October 4
Venue: Newlands, Cape Town
Kick-off: 17.05 (15.05 GMT)
Referee: Craig Joubert
Touch judges: Sindile Mayende, Marc van Zyl
TMO: Willie Roos

AFP