Sharks to hand Super Rugby debuts to four youngsters

ALL four youngsters on duty with the Sharks in Singapore will make their Super Rugby debuts against the Sunwolves tomorrow.

Coach Robert du Preez has commendably backed youth for the vital opener for the Sharks, with Aphelele Fassi preferred to veteran Lwazi Mvovo for the fullback starting berth while there are places on the bench for hooker Kerron van Vuuren, prop Khutha Mchunu and No 8 Phepsi Buthelezi.

It is a powerful Sharks lineup that is close to a complete Springbok backline in Louis Schreuder, Robert du Preez, Andre Esterhuizen, Lukhanyo Am, Sbu Nkosi and Makazole Mapimpi. Fassi, at the back, is the exception and he will welcome the wealth of experience surrounding him.

Although only Nkosi and Am can be considered incumbent Boks, the others have been capped in the last two years and all of them will be in the reckoning for Springbok selection later this year.

The loose trio is another rock-solid area for the Sharks. At No 8, Dan du Preez has much to prove after he was first included in the Bok squad last June but was later dropped. Tyler Paul, at openside flank, was one of the revelations of the 2018 South African season. The former Southern King played lock in last year’s campaign and impressed with his work rate and aggression before switching to flank in the Currie Cup where he was a stand-out performer.

Another star of the Sharks’ Currie Cup winning campaign, Jacques Vermeulen, is at blindside flank and he is a more than capable stand-in for the injured Jean-Luc du Preez.

The front row features Boks in Coenie Oosthuizen, Akker van der Merwe and Tendai Mtawarira and it is worth noting that the Sharks still have Thomas du Toit and Chiliboy Ralepelle to come back from injury.