Durban – The Sharks will take the nucleus of the team that beat Zebre and the Dragons into their tour finale against Leinster in Dublin on Saturday, with just two rotational changes made to the pack as coach Sean Everitt goes for consistency.
The backline that has looked so threatening has been kept intact but in the second row Hyron Andrews swops with Reniel Hugo and at No 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe gets a run and Phepsu Buthelezi drops to the bench.
Those two changes are like-for-like and should see no disruption to the side that finished strongly in Newport against the Dragons last week.
Buthelezi has been in good form but Notshe made a strong impact off the bench last week, setting up the match-winning try for Thaakir Abrahams, and the Springbok deserves a shot in the starting jersey.
Notshe slots into a loose trio that has been a revelation – Everitt is effectively playing two open-side flankers in James Venter and Dylan Richardson and the pair have been noticeable in their high work rates.
“As coaches, we’re really excited with what we’ve seen with the loose trio over the last couple of weeks, it’s been phenomenal, and we know there’s going to be even more improvement in that department as we progress in the competition,” said forwards coach Warren Whiteley, speaking from Dublin.
“What’s most important for us is the cohesion of the players and that does take time, especially in a loose trio, and they’ll find each other the more they play together.
“And we have our Springboks as well as guys coming back from injury who will join the squad. But it’s really all about cohesion, guys playing together and finding combinations that work best for the team.”
Although the weather in Ireland can be wet, for the Sharks, it’s more about how they want to play, rather than being dictated to by good or bad weather.
“We have a specific game model that we trust and believe in,” Whiteley explained, “And we want to keep it simple. The boys will make certain decisions on the day and in the moment, according to our game model and the plan for that weekend.”
Sharks – 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Werner Kok, 13 Ben Tapuai, 12 Rohan Janse van Rensburg, 11 Thaakir Abrahams, 10 Boeta Chamberlain, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 7 Dylan Richardson, 6 James Venter, 5 Hyron Andrews, 4 Justin Basson, 3 Thomas du Toit (capt), 2 Kerron van Vuuren, 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu.
Subs: 16 Dan Jooste, 17 Dian Bleuler, 18 Carlu Sadie, 19 Reniel Hugo 20 Phepsi Buthelezi, 21 Cameron Wright, 22 Nevaldo Fleurs, 23 Marnus Potgieter.
IOL Sport