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October 27 – The Sharks have selected 13 players with Test match experience for Saturday’s Absa Currie Cup Final against the Lions at Coca-Cola Park and Sharks coach John Plumtree has made just one change to his match 22 with Alistair Hargreaves returning to the side.
The run-on side is the same one that beat the Free State Cheetahs in last weekend’s semi-final. Hargreaves, one of a further three Boks on the bench, returns after missing the last few games with Jacques Botes making way. Retreaded flank Jean Deysel will remain as a starting lock partner to Ross Skeate, who with scrumhalf Colin Hoffman is one of two non-internationals in the starting side.
The Sharks website reports that the Sharks, who are defending their 2010 title while the Lions last won in 1999 and with their team full of hungry youngsters, have welcomed back seven Springboks from World Cup duty which has been a major boost, but also meant that squad depth was tested during the pool stages.
“When we won the trophy last year, we were lucky enough to have the same team from start to finish over the course of the tournament, we had a cohesive unit,” explains coach John Plumtree.
“This year we’ve had a lot of challenges which the Lions haven’t. The challenge for us is that we have to gel as a team right from the first whistle, that’s something we’ve talked about. They have that in place already and that will be the challenge for us. They’ve been playing well with that group all year. They were able to lighten up against us when they played here recently, that performance meant nothing.
“I’m sure they’ve forgotten about that game, we have.”
Sharks team:
15. Patrick Lambie, 14. Odwa Ndungane, 13. Stefan Terblanche, 12. Marius Joubert, 11. JP Pietersen, 10. Frederic Michalak, 9. Conrad Hoffmann, 8. Ryan Kankowski, 7. Willem Alberts, 6. Keegan Daniel (capt.), 5. Ross Skeate, 4. Jean Deysel, 3. Jannie du Plessis, 2. Bismarck du Plessis, 1. Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira. Replacements: 16. Craig Burden, 17. Eugene van Staden, 18. Alistair Hargreaves, 19. Marcel Coetzee, 20. Ross Cronje, 21. Adrian Jacobs, 22. Lwazi Mvovo.
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