Sharks look to maintain momentum

Consistency and sticking to their structures have been the watchwords for the Sharks this week and that has been reflected in selection with coach Robert du Preez (above) yesterday naming an unchanged starting line-up for their Currie Cup match against the Free State Cheetahs in Bloemfontein tomorrow.

The only change to the squad that beat the Blue Bulls 26-10 in Durban last weekend and announced themselves as Currie Cup contenders comes on the bench. Loose forward Tera Mtembu suffered a meniscus tear in his knee against the Bulls and has been replaced by Luke Stringer, the former UCT star who played 10 games for Western Province last year and was a member of the Stormers’ wider Super Rugby squad this year.

If the Sharks do have one vice that Du Preez would like to fix it is their wastefulness, and he will be hoping consistency of selection leads to more assured players and fewer mistakes.

“It’s really important that we keep our momentum going after a solid start. We’re taking it one game at a time and we have to make sure we execute the opportunities that are out there, we want to really be accurate this weekend. There are guys champing at the bit to play, which is really exciting.

“Even some of our Under-19 youngsters come into the reckoning, they’ve had an outstanding season and they could easily fit in.

“So this weekend is an opportunity for us to play to our standards, we want to deliver excellence and consistency is what we’re chasing. We want to execute and keep to our structures,” Du Preez said.

The Cheetahs will field a weakened side as their Pro14 campaign also starts tomorrow.