Murray takes centre stage for Sharks
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Waylon Murray's return to the Sharks has seen the centre thrust straight into the starting line-up against the Cheetahs at Kings Park on Saturday.
The players who have either returned or been lured to The Sharks have been largely integrated into the side that Director of Rugby, Gary Gold has selected for the match.
Murray will feature at outside centre with Renaldo Bothma and Mouritz Botha in the packMeanwhile Jean Deysel has been named on the bench.
“The Cheetahs are, for me, one of the most dangerous sides to play against and on their day they have the ability to beat any team,” explains Gold.
“We are expecting a physical battle against a well-coached team, who have some exciting young players in their squad.
“Our guys have prepared well for the tournament and there is a fantastic spirit in the camp.
"We want to play an exciting brand of rugby that our fans demand and score tries.
"The only way to win matches is to score tries and to score tries you need to keep the ball in hand.
"Our players are determined and will give nothing less than 100 percent effort on the park.”
While there has been no secret around the fact that they want to play an exciting brand of rugby, they also want to make sure they are prudent about it.
“We want to play smart and do what’s working for us,” explains assistant coach Brad Macleod-Henderson.
“If the opportunities are there, we want to make sure we take them.
"But we still need to make sure we do the basics well, that we defend well, our set-pieces are functioning and that we’re accurate at the breakdown. If we do all those things, I’m sure it will be an exciting game.”
Sharks: 15 SP Marais, 14 Sibusiso Sithole, 13 Waylon Murray, 12 Heimar Williams, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Patrick Lambie, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Lubabalo Mtembu, 7 Renaldo Bothma, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 4 Mouritz Botha, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis (captain), 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements: 16 Kyle Cooper, 17 Dale Chadwick, 18 Matt Stevens, 19 Marco Wentzel, 20 Jean Deysel, 21 Conrad Hoffmann, 22 Fred Zeilinga, 23 Odwa Ndungane.
Date: Saturday, February 14
Venue: Kings Park, Durban
Kick-off: 17.05 (15.05 GMT)
Referee: Andrew Lees (Australia)
Assistant referees: Rohan Hoffmann (Australia), Archie Sehlako (South Africa)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
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