Mvovo boost for Sharks
AFTER comfortably picking up three bonus- point wins against some of the minnows of the Currie Cup, the Sharks have added a bit more firepower for when they welcome the Bulls to Kings Park tomorrow (6.10pm).
Most notably, Lwazi Mvovo is given a starting berth after being released from the Springbok squad last week. The speedster comes in for S’Bura Sithole, with veteran Odwa Ndungane taking up the other wing.
“It is good to have Lwazi back after his stint with the Boks,” coach Robert du Preez said ahead of the important clash. “Having said that, it was quite a tough call because S’Bura is a great guy to have in the team, but that just helps a little with our depth.”
In the pack, the young but Super Rugby experienced JeanLuc du Preez returns for Tera Mtembu, who was an injury casualty last week against the Griquas.
There was much fear for Mtembu when he went down with a knee injury having had a spate of bad injuries to that joint, however, the news was slightly positive.
“Jean-Luc is back, but Tera
15 Curwin Bosch, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Inny Radebe, 9 Stefan Ungerer, 8 Philip van der Walt, 7 Jean-Luc du Preez, 6 Keegan Daniel (Captain), 5 Ruan Botha, 4 Etienne Oosthuizen, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Franco Marais, 1 Dale Chadwick
Chiliboy Ralepelle, John-Hubert Meyer, JC Astle, Jean Deysel, Hanco Venter, S’bura Sithole, Rhyno Smith. 15 Duncan Matthews, 14 Travis Ismaiel, 13 Dries Swanepoel, 12 Burger Odendaal, 11 Jamba Ulengo, 10 Tian Schoeman, 9 Piet van Zyl, 8 Arno Botha (Captain), 7 Jannes Kirsten, 6 Ruan Steenkamp, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 RG Snyman, 3 Jacobie Adriaanse, 2 Jaco Visagie, 1 Lizo Gqoboka
Bandise Maku, Martin Dreyer, Nic de Jager, Hanro Liebenberg, André Warner, Joshua Stander, Ulrich Beyers Sharks .......... 3 3 0 0 120 54 3 15 Cheetahs ..... 3 3 0 0 119 61 2 14 Bulls ............ 3 2 0 1 114 104 2 10 Lions ............. 2 1 0 1 92 56 3 7 Boland .......... 3 1 0 2 64 95 1 5 Griquas ........ 2 1 0 1 54 70 0 4 WP ............... 2 0 0 2 51 77 2 2 EP ................ 2 0 0 2 45 77 1 1 Pumas .......... 2 0 0 2 36 101 1 1 has hurt himself,” said Du Preez. “It is not as bad as we initially thought, I would say he would be out for about four to five weeks, but no surgery required, and it is on the other knee.”
There is also no room for Garth April in the match day squad after falling out of favour for poor discipline at the start of the season. Rhyno Smith takes the utility back spot in the 23, and Du Preez explains this by saying he is backing those who he has given a shot to.
“Rhyno played for us against Griquas, but then had a niggle, and is now coming back from injury. I think it is important that guys who have been in the mix get our backing, when they are ready again. But that is healthy competition anyway.”
The real test begins now for the Sharks, who have dispatched the minnows in exactly the style they had hoped. The Bulls however will be a different prospect and the coach definitely knows all about their traditional toughness.
“It is going to be very tough,” Du Preez said. “They are a very well balanced side, they didn’t have the greatest game against the Kings, but they will be tough on Saturday.
“The competition is a tough one in general. To be honest with you, I don’t think Griquas were at their best when they played us here, but they showed what they can do against the Lions. It is wide open; Free State was outstanding against the Bulls and Province.”