Veteran lock forward Chris Jack will join an elite and rare club of All Blacks who played for Western Province when he makes his Currie Cup debut against the Sharks and Newlands on Saturday.

While the occasional New Zealander, such as Duane Monkley, have graced the Blue and White hoops of WP, it has been decades since any All Black played Currie Cup rugby for the Cape Town team.

According to available records the last All Black to play for Province was Tim Mason, who played for WP in 1950, while a member of the Union club in Cape Town.

Since then there was Junior All Black Paul Anderson, who studied at the University of Stellenbosch.

Jack, who had a stint at English Premiership club Saracens, will play for WP in the Currie Cup before returning home to New Zealand in an attempt to resume his All Black career - ahead of the 2011 World Cup. Jack will be partnered in the WP second row by another 'import' in former Rondebosch buy Anton van Zyl, who returned to Cape Town after a few years with the Golden Lions.

Province head coach Allister Coetzee said he was comfortable bringing Jack straight into the starting XV.

"Absolutely," Coetzee said, when asked if he was comfortable with the selection, adding: "He is an experienced player. He played in New Zealand, played for the All Blacks and for the Crusaders - one of the most successful Super Rugby franchises - and in Europe for a couple of years.

"His experience counts a lot. He will play the same role than AJ Venter and Monty [Percy Montgomery] played here. I see him in exactly that mentoring role. He settled in nicely.

"A lot of information went into his head over the past couple of days, but he settled in well and is ready to start for us."

The All Black lock brings with him nine years of Super Rugby experience with the Crusaders - in which time they won the tournament five times, including their unbeaten Championship year in 2002, when Jack was also named New Zealand's Super 12 rugby player of the year and New Zealand Player of the Year.

Meanwhile star loose forward Duane Vermeulen, who recently excelled for the Emerging Springboks against the touring British and Irish Lions, has not been included in the Province side to play the defending champion Sharks.

Vermeulen was one of the few players to have performed consistently well during the past Super 14, but he is battling with a hand injury which he sustained in the match against the Lions at Newlands a fortnight ago.

Other noteworthy selections include former Bulls utility back Frikkie Welsh, who has spent several seasons in Europe, makes a welcome return to the domestic game and has been picked on the wing. He played for the Southern Kings against the B&I Lions.

The other debatable selection is WP coach Alistair Coetzee naming two hookers, Hanyani Shimange and Deon, Fourie on the bench. Fourie is set to cover loose forward.

Western Province: 15 Joe Pietersen, 14 Frikkie Welsh, 13 Morgan Newman, 12 Peter Grant, 11 Sireli Naqelevuki, 10 Willem De Waal, 9 Ricky Januarie, 8 Luke Watson (captain), 7 Pieter Louw, 6 Pieter Myburgh, 5 Anton Van Zyl, 4 Chris Jack, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Tiaan Liebenberg, 1 Wicus Blaauw.
Replacements: 16 Hanyani Shimange, 17 JD Moller, 18 De Kock Steenkamp, 19 Deon Fourie, 20 Dewaldt Duvenage, 21 Juan De Jongh, 22 Tonderai Chavhanga.

Date: Saturday, July 11
Venue: Newlands, Cape Town
Kick-off: 17.05 (15.05 GMT)
Referee: Jaco Peyper
Assistant referees: François Veldsman, Cobus Wessels
TMO: JC Fortuin

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