Sapa Speedster Tonderai Chavhanga has been laid low by a hamstring injury and has been replaced by backline utility player Joe Pietersen, in the Western Province Currie Cup rugby team to play the Lions at Newlands on Saturday.

Although Chavhanga has not been playing at his best of late, he has been a potent weapon in the team's attacking arsenal and was perhaps just one match away from reaching his top form again.

WP Currie Cup coach Allister Coetzee will have an uneasy next 24 hours as his flyhalf match-winner Peter Grant has not trained at all this week.

Today Grant was again on the sidelines, nursing an injured ankle. His fitness will again be assessed tomorrow, when WP are likely to make a final decision on his availability for this do-or-die Currie Cup encounter.

Springbok points machine Percy Montgomery has been named on the bench and will play if Grant fails a fitness test. Gio Aploon will take Montgomery's place on the bench if Grant does not play.

In the pack prop Brian Mujati and lock Adriaan Fondse have returned to full health and are back in the starting line-up at the expense of JC Kritzinger and AJ Venter.

WP team: Conrad Jantjes, Joe Pietersen, Sireli Naqelevuki, Jean de Villiers (captain), Wylie Human, Peter Grant, Ricky Januarie, Luke Watson, Francois Louw, Schalk Burger, Andries Bekker, Adriaan Fondse, Brian Mujati, Deon Fourie and Wicus Blaauw. Substitutes: Deon Fourie, JC Ktitzinger, Schalk Ferreira, AJ Venter, Bolla Conradie, Percy Montgomery and Morgan Newman.

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