Esterhuizen captains Bok-laden Sharks against Leinster
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Andre Esterhuizen returns from international duty to captain the Sharks side into their Round Two Vodacom United Rugby Championship clash against Leinster at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on Saturday.
The Hollywoodbets Sharks have named an exciting combination for the highly anticipated encounter, with the Sharks Springboks included in the team.
*Also read: Kolisi makes Stormers comeback against Edinburgh
Thomas du Toit and Edwill van der Merwe return to the starting XV, while Ox Nche, Eben Etzebeth and Ethan Hooker provide further impact from the bench.
For club captain Phepsi Buthelezi, the challenge is about building on the foundations laid in Round One and demonstrating the progress the squad has made throughout pre-season.
“That was a really positive start for us and rewarding for the group. We’ve worked hard during our pre-season and to be able to get off the mark the way we did was really positive,” he explains.
“We’ve had a good look at our performance and believe we could have done better in certain moments of the game, but I think overall it was a good start to our campaign.
“This week is a very important one for us. It’s important to show how far we’ve come as a group and what the talk has been about.
“We’ve had a really tough pre-season, we’ve had hard and honest conversations as a group, we know exactly where we want to go, and this week presents us with an opportunity to measure ourselves against the defending champions.”
The Sharks produced an entertaining attacking display against the Ospreys, and Buthelezi believes the challenge now is to continue developing that aspect of their game.
“Attack is a part of our game that we’ve worked hard on and, with Scott Mathie returning to Durban, the group has really responded well to him.
“It’s something we will keep working on; we scored some amazing tries, and that’s a real positive.”
Sharks: 15 Luan Giliomee, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Jurenzo Julius, 12 Andre Esterhuizen (captain), 11 Lili Bester, 10 Vusi Moyo, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Nick Hatton, 7 Manu Tshituka, 6 Phepsi Buthelezi, 5 Darrien Landsberg, 4 Jason Jenkins, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Esethu Mnebelele, 1 Thomas du Toit
Replacements: 16 Ethan Bester, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Hanro Jacobs, 19 Eben Etzebeth, 20 Matt Romao, 21 Ivan van Zyl, 22 Zekhethelo Siyaya, 23 Ethan Hooker
Date: Saturday, October 3
Venue: Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban
Kick-off: 18.30 SAST (17.30 IRE & UK; 16.30 GMT)
Referee: Craig Evans (WRU)
Assistant referees: Hanru van Rooyen (SARU), Jonathan Lottering (SARU)
TMO: Ben Breakspear (WRU)
*The following Sharks players are currently not available for selection:
Bongi Mbonambi, Eduan Swart, Emile van Heerden, Fez Mbatha, Hendre Stassen, Jaco Williams, Jannes Potgieter, Jordan Hendrikse, Makazole Mapimpi, Murray Koster, PK Sobahle, Stephan Lewies, Trevor Nyakane, Vincent Tshituka, Yaw Penxe
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