Bismarck back for Sharks
Gold has welcomed back hooker Bismarck du Plessis, lock Stephan Lewies and centre JP Pietersen into the starting line-up, with all three Springboks bolstering the side.
Jp Pietersen and stephan Lewies are back in the mix after recovering from injuries. Pietersen starts at outside centre while Lewies will wear the number 5 jersey.
Bismarck Du Plessis also returns to the Sharks team at Hooker after serving his suspension.
The Springbok hooker yesterday gave up the captaincy of the team. Marco Wentel will retain the captaincy for the Sharks.
Gold expects a tough first assignment in Dunedin.
“They have real game-breakers and it’s going to be a huge challenge for us on Friday,” he admits.
“I don’t think it gets much tougher than what we have coming on Friday,'' he added.
The Cell C Sharks team:
15. Odwa Ndungane
14. S’bura Sithole
13. JP Pietersen
12. Andre Esterhuizen
11. Lwazi Mvovo
10. Fred Zeilinga
9. Cobus Reinach
8. Willem Alberts
7. Renaldo Bothma
6. Marcell Coetzee
5. Marco Wentzel (Captain)
4. Stephan Lewies
3. Lourens Adriaanse
2. Bismarck du Plessis
1. Tendai Mtawarira
Replacements:
16. Franco Marais
17. Dale Chadwick
18. Matt Stevens
19. Mouritz Botha
20. Etienne Oosthuizen
21. Conrad Hoffmann
22. Lionel Cronje
23. Waylon Murray
(File Photo: Gallo Images)
Twitter - @SportswaveAndre @ECRSportswave