Du Plessis will test Lions hooker Marx

YOUNG Lions hooker Malcolm Marx, who has been dubbed the “next Bismarck du Plessis”, will get a chance to prove himself against the real thing when they face the Sharks at Kings Park tomorrow.

Du Plessis was withdrawn minutes before the Sharks’ 35-29 defeat to the Cheetahs in Durban last weekend due to a shoulder niggle but is fit for the contest. It is expected to be a clash of two hookers as hot as wasabi.

The Sharks captain is desperate to help his team recover from the unexpected loss to the Cheetahs, which he watched, powerlessly, from the stands. His return takes on greater significance now that his partner in destruction Beast Mtawarira is out for a couple of weeks with a calf muscle tear.

Du Plessis will help the Sharks remain composed when the opposition turn up the heat — a factor which was lacking last weekend when Patrick Lambie was thrust into the leadership role.

The Cheetahs scored two tries, through Boom Prinsloo and Carl Wegner, between the 63rd and 70th minutes, a period when the Sharks needed a calm head to cool everyone down.

“Disappointment is what I felt when I was sitting in the stands,” Du Plessis said.

“We are a much better side than the way we played last Saturday against the Cheetahs but we let ourselves down in a lot of areas on the field, such as exiting from our own half.

“Our execution and our intensity were not up to standard on the weekend … but it is always easier to talk when you’re not on the field.

“I’m feeling good at the moment and I’m looking forward to running onto the field tomorrow,” he said.

Lions counterpart Warren Whiteley said the Sharks became a more deadly prospect with Du Plessis in the squad.

But he said 20-year-old Marx showed enough grit in the 22-8 loss to the Hurricanes at Ellis Park last Friday to give the side confidence ahead of the head-on collision.

“Bismarck brings a different dimension to the breakdown and he brings good leadership to the side as well,” said Whiteley, who played with Du Plessis in the Springbok squad last year.

“They are going to be a better side than they were last week and we know we’ll have to do better, too, to be able to compete. It’s going to be a tough game because of that and it’s going to be hard and close.

“I’ve got full faith in Malcolm, though. He did very well last week in his first Super Rugby start and I believe he’s going to be better with experience. They have a very similar build, frame and stature, so it will be a nice tussle between the two of them.”

Meanwhile, both teams have been forced into changes because of injuries. The Lions brought in Warwick Tecklenburg for Jaco Kriel, whose groin strain flared up this week.

The Sharks roped in Pumas Currie Cup lock Lubabalo “Giant” Mtyanda in place of Mouritz Botha, and Dale Chadwick for Mtawarira, as well as winger Odwa Ndungane for Sibusiso Sithole, who turned his ankle.

Lions coach Johan Ackermann’s answer to Mtyanda is youngster JP du Preez, who will start from the bench. Ackermann described the newly promoted 2.11m junior as being so tall “he makes you uncomfortable”. And Ackermann, a former Springbok lock, is no garden gnome himself.