Sharks keep it steady

 

Picked as one of the tournament favourites at the start of the competition,the men from Durban have started strongly win home wins over the Bulls(31-16) and the Hurricanes (27-9), and once again they managed the luxury of being able to select the same 23-man matchday squad as they have had since Week One.

 

Such consistency in selection is something few teams have managed so far this season, and it should stand the 2012 runners up in good stead as combinations can gel early on in the tournament.

 

On the weekend's opponents, White has been impressed with the performances of the Lions so far this season, and he thinks it displays the depth of talent in the country.

 

"The Lions epitomise everything about South African rugby: everyone was talking about how surprised they were about how competitive the Kings werethis time last year, and now they're saying it about the Lions, the Sharks Director of Rugby said.

 

"Their competitiveness also shows the depth in South African rugby.

 

"People thought with all the new guys, the Lions would be no-hopers, but they went and defeated the Stormers by a massive amount of points, andwinning a real do-or-die fight against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein which is also quite tough.

 

"They have certainly showed that they can compete," he added.

 

Sharks: 15 SP Marais, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Paul Jordaan, 12 Frans Steyn, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Patrick Lambie, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 4 Anton Bresler, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis (captain), 1 Tendai Mtawarira.

Replacements: 16 Kyle Cooper, 17 Dale Chadwick, 18 Lourens Adriaanse, 19 Stephan Lewies, 20 Jean Deysel, 21 Charl McLeod, 22 Heimar Williams, 23 S'bura Sithole.

 

Date: Saturday, March 8

Venue: Kings Park, Durban

Kick-off: 19.10 (17.10 GMT)

Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)

Assistant referees: Stuart Berry (South Africa), Cobus Wessels (South

Africa)

TMO: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)