Forgotten Bok to face WP teammates
Forgotten Springbok hooker Pieter Dixon, lured out of retirement a few weeks ago, will front up to his former Western Province teammates in Durban on Saturday.
The inclusion of the 34-year-old Dixon is one of several changes to the Sharks team to face WP in a Currie Cup Round Six encounter.
Dixon, who was called up to the 2000 Bok team when injuries struck on the year-end tour to Europe, was hauled out of retirement by Sharks coach John Plumtree recently after injuries and Bok call-ups robbed the men from Durban of two of their senior hookers – Bismarck du Plessis and Craig Burden.
Dixon gets his first start for the Sharks, after more than 200 first class games for Province, the Stormers and over 150 for English Premiership outfit Bath, whom he joined in 2005.
He called time on his career, but having settled back in KwaZulu-Natal he was called up to help out.
As announced earlier in the week discarded Springbok Keegan Daniel regains the captaincy.
There is an injury-enforced change in the backs, with Paul Jordaan out and Tim Whitehead replacing him after recovering from a hand injury sustained against the Stormers in the Super Rugby semifinal at Newlands in July.
Cobus Reinach has replaced Charl McLeod at scrumhalf, while Rosko Specman and S'bura Sithole swap places on the left wing.
Specman will make his debut for the Sharks.
Sharks: 15 Louis Ludik, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Tim Whitehead, 12 Meyer Bosman, 11 Rosko Specman, 10 Riaan Viljoen, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Keegan Daniel (captain), 7 Jean Deysel, 6 Jacques Botes, 5 Anton Bresler, 4 Jandré Marais, 3 Wiehahn Herbst, 2 Pieter Dixon, 1 Dale Chadwick.
Replacements: 16 Monde Hadebe, 17 Julian Redelinghuys, 18 Peet Marais, 19 Brynard Stander, 20 Charl McLeod, 21 Marius Joubert, 22 S'bura Sithole.
Date: Saturday, September 15
Venue: Kings Park, Durban
Kick-off: 19.00; 18.00 GMT
Referee: Lourens van der Merwe
Assistant referees: Jaco van Heerden, Reuben Rossouw
TMO: Shaun Veldsman
