Two Bok boost for Sharks

There is still no Curwin Bosch but the Cell C Sharks have been boosted by the return of two Springboks to their team for Saturday night’s Currie Cup league decider against the Vodacom Blue Bulls at Loftus.

Thomas du Toit and Andre Esterhuizen were both released from the Springbok squad that is busy putting finishing touches to their preparation for the World Cup in Bloemfontein and both have been selected into the starting team for the Pretoria game. Du Toit makes a straight swop with Mzamo Majola at loosehead prop, with Majola moving to the bench.

Esterhuizen’s return at inside centre sees a switch of position in the midfield, with Jeremy Ward moving from the No 12 jersey to the No 13 in place of JP Pietersen, who moves to the bench. Esterhuizen’s experience will come in handy as he lines up alongside young flyhalf Boeta Chamberlain, who enjoyed a solid first start against the Lions in Johannesburg last week but will be playing only his second Currie Cup game.

Chamberlain is continuing in the No 10 jersey due to the Bosch not having shaken off the injury that forced him from the field in the last home game against the Cheetahs.?There is one other change for the Sharks, and it is also a positive one, as Coenie Oosthuizen comes back from the injury the injury that prevented him from playing against the Lions. It is a timely return for Oosthuizen in the sense that the Bulls have been boosted by the return of Lizo Gqoboka.

A Sharks debutant this week will be Andisa Ntsila, the former Southern Kings star loose-forward, who has found place on the reserves bench.

It is a big game for the Sharks, as indeed this week’s game are for all the competing teams, as they will probably need to win in order to be sure of a place in the semifinals. A lot hinges on what happens in the other games in terms of what the Sharks require, perhaps the key game from a Sharks viewpoint being the one between Western Province and the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein, which will be played immediately prior to the one in Pretoria.

If WP lose without a bonus then the Sharks will be safe provided they don’t lose to the Bulls by a big score as they currently head WP by one point and are in fourth place.

According to experienced wing Kobus van Wyk, who has won the Currie Cup with both the Sharks and Western Province, the Durban team will head to Pretoria in a confident mood.

“The team is in a good space right now and hopefully everything falls into place with this last game,” said Van Wyk.

“We’re almost there as a team, small margins have cost us a bit in terms of our rhythm, but everyone has bought into what coach Sean has put together as a campaign and in the games we lost, we lost track of the game plan.

“This is going to be a determined Bulls team, so we need to go out there and do what we have been doing for the last two weeks. We have the team to do it, we just need to do it. The past three or four weeks have been finals rugby for us, we’ve had to win every game and the team has grown immensely in that time.”

CELL C SHARKS TEAM:

Aphelele Fassi
Kobus van Wyk
Jeremy Ward (co-captain)
Andre Esterhuizen
Lwazi Mvovo
Boeta Chamberlain
Sanele Nohamba
Tera Mtembu (co-captain)
Jacques Vermeulen
Phepsi Buthelezi
Hyron Andrews
Ruben van Heerden
Coenie Oosthuizen
Kerron van Vuuren
Thomas du Toit

Replacements:

Dylan Richardson
Mzamo Majola
John-Hubert Meyer
Gideon Koegelenberg
Andisa Ntsila
Cameron Wright
Rhyno Smith
JP Pietersen.