Sharks ring changes for Griquas
Cell C Sharks coach Rob du Preez has made a number of changes to his team as they chase their eighth consecutive Currie Cup victory.
Most notably Lukhanyo Am is out this week and Marius Louw
starts at inside centre – reward for a number of good performances off the
bench. Veteran Odwa Ndungane returns to the starting lineup after a long injury
absence in place of Tythan Adams.
Upfront, Juan Schoeman and Franco Marais return to the front row in a rotational switch with Thomas du Toit and Akker van der Merwe.
Tyler Paul shifts from lock to blindside flank while Jacques Vermeulen gets a break. That means Jean Droste gets a start in the number four jumper on Friday night.
Tristan Blewett could also make his Currie Cup debut off the bench this weekend and Du Preez says the youngster more than deserves his chance.
“Tristan has been part of our Super Rugby squad since last year. He is a guy with a terrific work ethic, he’s an energiser bunny in the squad and it’s fantastic for him to get an opportunity.”
“I think it’s really important that we do employ the whole squad. We keep everyone keen, there is great competition in the wider squad. We think about guys like John-Hubert Meyer, MJ Majola – those are guys that are a big part of our setup and they’re not getting game time. It’s important to manage them going forward. We need to make sure these guys get some game time.”
The Sharks have taken a firm hold of the top spot on the Currie Cup log but their coach want’s an improved performance in Kimberley. Their narrow win over the Pumas in Nelspruit was hard-fought, and Du Preez insists that they need to be better.
“It’s one game at a time, I’ve always said that. We don’t think too far ahead. It’s really important that we take our game to the next level. While we beat the Pumas, our performance wasn’t good enough.
“We’re playing in Kimberley which is a tough environment. They like to throw the ball around, they’re not scared to have a go, but we’re be concentrating on our game. We need a really good performance, especially going into our last three games at home.”
The Sharks take on the Griquas on Friday. Kick-off is at 17h00.
Sharks team: Garth April, Odwa Ndungane, Jeremy Ward, Marius Louw, Sbu Nkosi, Curwin Bosch, Louis Schreuder, Tera Mtembu, Tyler Paul, Keegan Daniel, Ruan Botha, Jean Droste, Ross Geldenhuys, Franco Marais, Juan Schoeman.
Replacements: Akker van der Merwe, Thomas du Toit, Hyron Andrews, Wian Vosloo, Michael Claassens, Tristan Blewett, Inny Radebe.