Pietersen starts at 13 for Sharks opener
The Sharks team selected to play the Griquas shows some strong continuity for the opening round clash of the 2019 Currie Cup competition which kicks off on Friday night when the two teams meet at Kings Park.
Newly appointed Currie Cup head coach Sean Everitt hasn’t hesitated in naming several youngsters on the bench, but it is in the starting line-up, from 1-15, where we see such familiar faces.
Ten players for Friday evening’s starting line-up were selected in the Vodacom Super Rugby quarter-final match against the Brumbies, with a total of 13 from the matchday 23 which allows for continuity.
Two players who cut their teeth at the Cell C Sharks, one a Rugby World Cup winner, have been named in the matchday 23. JP Pietersen’s arrival from France has been a revelation and he will start alongside co-captain Jeremy Ward at outside centre while Craig Burden plays off the bench as the replacement hooker.
Ward’s co-captain Tera Mtembu is part of a quality pack that will no doubt be tested against the tough Griquas’ forwards who will relish the opportunity to have a go at their Durban counterparts, while the backline has an exciting, but very settled look about it.
The match kicks off at 7.15 on Friday night.
Cell C Sharks
1. Juan Schoeman
2. Kerron van Vuuren
3. Coenie Oosthuizen
4. Ruben van Heerden
5. Hyron Andrews
6. Luke Stringer
7. Jacques Vermeulen
8. Tera Mtembu (co-captain)
9. Cameron Wright
10. Curwin Bosch
11. Lwazi Mvovo
12. Jeremy Ward (co-captain)
13. JP Pietersen
14. Kobus van Wyk
15. Aphelele Fassi
Replacements
16. Craig Burden
17. Mzamo Majola
18. John-Hubert Meyer
19. Gideon Koegelenberg
20. Phepsi Buthelezi*
21. Sanele Nohamba*
22. Marius Louw
23. Rhyno Smith