Sharks v New Zealand - teams and prediction
PREVIEW: The Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Tour is in full swing, and the next stop is Durban, where the Sharks will welcome the All Blacks to Kings Park on Tuesday.
While it might not be a Test match, the occasion is extremely significant in the history of the Durban franchise.
And to make it even more intriguing, the Sharks have named legendary All Blacks star Ma’a Nonu on their bench.
The 44-year-old two-time Rugby World Cup winner joined the Sharks on a short-term deal as part of a mentorship programme, making his selection against New Zealand one of the most intriguing storylines of the tour.
However, for the Sharks, the occasion will be about more than Nonu’s return.
The Durban side will need to match the All Blacks’ physicality, cope with their attacking tempo and remain disciplined against a New Zealand side that showed its quality in Cape Town.
The All Blacks defeated the Stormers 38-21 in the opening match of the tour and will be determined to build on that performance.
Meanwhile, the Sharks are preparing for what promises to be a stern examination.
“The Stormers lost two scrumhalves during that game, so there’s always the risk of injuries. I’ll hold my fingers and my toes together for tomorrow,” Sharks head coach JP Pietersen said.
“But we prep the boys as best as we can to give them a good opportunity to be robust tomorrow and to give us and be competitive against the All Blacks.
“Obviously, we will not be at our 100 percent, but we will be at our best at 70 or 80 percent. We’ll give it everything we can give and we’ll see how it goes tomorrow.”
#InjuryUpdate: Sharks suffer double blow https://t.co/RuY4BohQZM
— Rugby365 (@rugby365com) August 10, 2026
The Sharks coach was adamant that his team would not hold back, with the occasion providing an opportunity for his strongest available side amid injuries concerns ahead of the United Rugby Championship season.
“I’m not saying I’m protecting players. I’m just say if a player’s injured, we won’t take part, and if a player’s still in rehab, we won’t take part.
“It’s an All Blacks game and they played here in 1996, so it’s a great occasion. And if you’re fit and the players are ready to play, we’ll take part because this is our strongest team we could have put up as the Sharks.
“So it’s a great spectacle, and it’s something you can talk about and it’s something you want to be a part of as a player and as an organisation.
“So that’s our best team that’s facing the All Blacks tomorrow.”
The Sharks coach revealed that his side expects New Zealand to put a major emphasis on possession, while the Durban outfit will look to impose a similar game plan.
“The All Blacks pride themselves on ball possession.
“So we’ll see if they’re going to hold the ball against the conditions.
“And we also want to have a go. Some things we’ve been working on in pre-season. So we’ll see what the conditions are, if it’s raining or not.
“But we’ve got a plan. We want to keep the ball and win some territory battles.”
Meanwhile, Dave Rennie’s side against the Sharks in Durban has a “Test team” feel, with Ethan de Groot, Luke Jacobson, Ruben Love, Jordie Barrett and Damian McKenzie all set to feature for the first time in South Africa.
Two players that Rennie and his coaching staff haven’t had the option to select, at least just yet, are the All Blacks’ leading try-scorer of all time in Tests, Will Jordan, and Hurricanes tighthead prop Tyrel Lomax.
Both players, who have often been in the All Blacks’ starting 23 in recent years, are nursing minor injuries that have ruled them out of selection.
The All Blacks head coach said he was confident his side would do a better job against the Sharks after reviewing the Stormers contest.
“We’ve got a lot of guys who have never played over here, and you can talk about the challenges you’re going to face up front, and so you don’t really understand it until you experience it.
“So, look, we’re confident we’ll do a better job. We’ll do a better job staying in front of them all; we did do better in the second half, and the scrum stuff we can tidy up, and we just weren’t clinical enough on the edge.
“We created a lot of opportunities, and a couple of them were sort of three-on-ones and five-on-twos type of thing, and we didn’t nail it.
“So, we’ll spend a little bit of time on the high ball. I don’t think we caught one, so it’s gonna, it’s gonna be important for us.
“We will take a lot of learnings from it, but plenty of effort. As I mentioned, when we were down 13, the boys backed up for each other, and we finished strong.
“We were a lot more clinical when it mattered. We played at a tempo that, if we can be accurate, then we can stress the opposition.”
Players to watch:
For Sharks: Nick Hatton will captain the Sharks, who have included several players with URC experience in their starting XV. Among those to watch closely is Nemo Roelofse, the 120kg loosehead prop who has been plying his trade with Racing 92 in France. Lock Hendre Stassen, who has also played in France with Stade Français, will be another player under the spotlight. Springbok Vusi Moyo and Junior Springbok Zekhethelo Siyaya, both named in the starting XV, will also be exciting players to watch as they look to make an impact against the All Blacks. The Sharks have plenty of firepower on the bench, with Rambo Kubekha, Matt Romao and Luan Giliomee among the impact players who will be looking to make their mark when called upon.
For New Zealand: The All Blacks have made several changes to their starting XV following their 38-21 victory over the Stormers in Cape Town. Hooker Asafo Aumua, lock Sam Darry, scrumhalf Kyle Preston and wing Caleb Clarke, who all came off the bench against the Stormers, will start against the Sharks. Prop Pasilio Tosi, who started against the Stormers, will provide impact from the bench alongside fellow prop Ollie Norris and loose forward Ethan Blackadder, who will make their second appearance from the bench on the tour. Luke Jacobson will captain the All Blacks for the first time, adding another intriguing storyline to what promises to be a fascinating encounter at Kings Park.
Prediction:
Rugby365: New Zealand by 20 points
Sharks: 15 Zekhethelo Siyaya, 14 Donovan Don, 13 Jurenzo Julius, 12 Murray Koster, 11 Litelihle Bester, 10 Vusi Moyo, 9 Bradley Davids, 8 Nick Hatton (captain), 7 Manu Tshituka, 6 Phepsi Buthelezi, 5 Deon Slabbert, 4 Hendre Stassen, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Eduan Swart, 1 Nemo Roelofse
Replacements: 16 Liam van Wyk, 17 Rambo Kubekha, 18 Simphiwe Ngobese, 19 Corne Rahl, 20 Matt Romao, 21 Ivan van Zyl, 22 Luan Giliomee, 23 Ma’a Nonu.
New Zealand: 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Fehi Fineanganofo, 13 Quinn Tupaea, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Ruben Love, 9 Kyle Preston, 8 Wallace Sititi, 7 Luke Jacobson (captain), 6 Tupou Vaa’i, 5 Sam Darry, 4 Josh Lord, 3 Fletcher Newell, 2 Asafo Aumua, 1 Ethan de Groot
Replacements: 16 Bradley Slater, 17 Ollie Norris, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Ethan Blackadder, 20 Semisi Ta’eiloa, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Timoci Tavatavanawai, 23 Emoni Narawa
Date: Tuesday, August 11
Venue: Hollywoodbets Kings Park Stadium, Durban
Kick-off: 19.00 (17.00 GMT; 05.00 Wednesday, August 12 NZST)
Referee: Matthew Carley (RFU)
Assistant Referees: Karl Dickson (RFU) & Hollie Davidson (SRU)
TMO: Mike Adamson (SRU)
