Cooper boost for Sharks
The Sharks received a timely boost ahead of their Currie Cup semifinal encounter with the Golden Lions in Johannesburg on Saturday.
Star hooker Kyle Cooper return from injury, after missing last week's trip to Cape Town for the victory over the table-topping Western Province team.
The Sharks travel to Johannesburg for to meet a Lions team they feel will pose a major threat to their hopes of retaining their Currie Cup title.
Like the Sharks, the Lions have also won seven of their 10 league matches this season.
The Sharks have qualified for the semifinals for nine consecutive seasons and this will be their first away from Kings Park since 2006.
They edge the Golden Lions in terms of success rate, having won five of their eight semifinals in the last 10 years, while the Lions have only won two of their seven semifinal appearances in the same period.
Sharks: 15 SP Marais, 14 Tonderai Chavhanga, 13 Sibusiso Sithole, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Lionel Cronje, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Lubabalo Mtembu (captain), 7 Etienne Oosthuizen, 6 Jacques Botes, 5 Marco Wentzel, 4 Stephan Lewies, 3 Matt Stevens, 2 Kyle Cooper, 1 Thomas du Toit.
Replacements: 16 Monde Hadebe, 17 Dale Chadwick, 18 Lourens Adriaanse, 19 John-Charles Astle, 20 Khaya Majola, 21 Conrad Hoffmann, 22 Fred Zeilinga.
Date: Saturday, October 18
Venue: Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Kick-off: 14.30 (12.30 GMT)
Referee: Jaco van Heerden
Assistant referees: Ben Crouse, Sieg van Staden
TMO: Johan Greeff
