Lambie to lead Sharks
Patrick Lambie has been named to captain the Sharks in their Super Rugby crunch encounter with the Crusaders in Durban on Saturday.
Lambie is one of three Springboks returning to the side after being rested last week – when the Sharks edged the Western Force in a dour affair.
The flyhalf, who takes over from suspended Frans Steyn at No.10, is joined by fellow Springboks Marcell Coetzee and Cobus Reinach.
Lambie and Reinach replace Steyn and Conrad Hoffmann respectively.
Renaldo Bothma gets a deserved rest, after starting all but one match so far this season.
Coetzee returns and slots in at No.6 in place of Bothma.
The Crusaders failed to register a single point in their loss to the Bulls at Loftus last weekend and would hate to leave their two match tour to South Africa without a win.
They are in ninth place on the combined log, with the Sharks in third.
Sharks: 15 SP Marais, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 JP Pietersen, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Patrick Lambie (captain), 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Jean Deysel, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Marco Wentzel, 4 Mouritz Botha, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Kyle Cooper, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements: 16 Franco Marais, 17 Thomas du Toit, 18 Matt Stevens, 19 Lubabalo Mtyanda, 20 Renaldo Bothma, 21 Conrad Hoffmann, 22 Fred Zeilinga, 23 Waylon Murray.
Date: Saturday, April 4
Venue: Kings Park, Durban
Kick-off: 15.00 (13.00 GMT; 02.00, Sunday, April 5 NZ time)
Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen
Assistant referees: Ben Crouse, Rodney Boneparte
TMO: Willie Vos
