Mchunu to make a splash against Stormers

AN injury to loosehead prop Ox Nche has opened the door for “the next Beast”, Ntuthuko Mchunu, to start for the Sharks against the Stormers in Friday night’s Rainbow Cup opener at Cape Town Stadium.

The 21-year-old broke into top flight rugby with some stunning displays for the Sharks in the recent SA Rugby reparation Series and it is not surprising that the Maritzburg College Old Boy is being compared to Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira, who, like Mchunu, was a schoolboy loose forward before being converted into a loosehead prop at the Sharks.

“Ntuthuko has come through a lot quicker that we anticipated, and I think everyone witnessed that in the Prep Series,” coach Sean Everitt said.

“He is a hugely exciting prospect, one that we are going to nurture, but I can see him rising to the top in the near future.”

Nche suffered an ankle injury in the Sharks’ last match, their 45-12 demolition of the Bulls at a rainy Jonsson Kings Park in Durban, while another casualty from that game, inside centre Marius Louw, is still recovering from a shoulder injury and will be replaced by Jeremy Ward.

While the dynamic Mchunu will doubtless catch the eye on Friday night, much of the attention will be focused on Springbok captain Siya Kolisi, who will be battling his former teammates for the first time since relocating to the Sharks.

Everitt said Kolisi is raring to go after having undergone a tough preseason with the Sharks after joining them two months ago. He barely played in 2020 because of injury.

“Siya hung in and has got into great shape, and then when we played him against the Bulls (in the final Preparation Series game) he made some telling contributions, so we are really looking forward to seeing what he can deliver against the Stormers,” Everitt said

“All-round, Siya has been amazing for us,” Everitt added.

“Without instruction from anyone, he has gone about mentoring the youngsters, and they really look up to him. He is not the captain but in a quiet way he has been showing leadership.”

The Sharks smashed the Bulls in their last game of the series, scoring seven tries in 25 minutes, despite heavy rain.

Their attacking intent was wonderfully evident, and it is unlikely that they will change too much going into the Rainbow Cup.

“On Friday night we want to pick up where we left off in that last game but we won’t get ahead of ourselves because the Bulls were not at full strength,” Everitt cautioned.

“But we want to perform well every week and that was an energetic performance in difficult conditions that we can be proud of.”