WHAT THE LIONS WILL FACE AGAINST THE SHARKS TODAY

The British and Irish Lions will look to keep up momentum against the Sharks in Johannesburg today.

After a Murrayfield victory over Japan, the Lions had a thumping win over the Sigma Lions in their opening tour match. Here is a look at Durban outfit the Sharks, the opponents for the second of five warm-up matches ahead of a threetest series against the Springboks.

FORM

The Sharks finished third in the PRO14 Rainbow Cup SA but were in with a shot of reaching the final right up to their last round-robin match against the Bulls. They won three of their six matches.

COACH

Sean Everitt, left, joined the club as a youth coach in 2008 and has worked his way through the ranks. The 51-year-old was appointed assistant coach in 2017 before becoming head coach in 2020. In March, he signed a new contract until 2024.

KEY PLAYERS

The Sharks are the bestrepresented side in the Springboks squad with a nine-strong contingent including captain Siya Kolisi. However, with all of those players ruled out of today’s match, they will be severely weakened . Of those left, stand-off Curwin Bosch was the second highest points scorer in the South African section of the Rainbow Cup, while lock Reniel Hugo and hooker Kerron Van Vuuren were second and third in the try-scoring stakes. Bosch will start on Wednesday, with Hugo and Van Vuuren on the bench. Scrum-half Jaden Hendrikse, who is in the XV, crossed for two tries in a narrow Currie Cup defeat to Western Province last week.