Sharks unveil their recipe for Leinster showdown
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: The Sharks take an almost unchanged line-up into Saturday’s United Rugby Championship clash against Leinster, as they look to finish their three-match European tour on a high.
It’s still early in the competition and the Sharks know they are not yet the finished product, but there is regular and meaningful improvement each week.
“We’ve been working really hard over the last two weeks or so,” assistant coach Warren Whitely said from the team’s base in Dublin, adding: “We were disappointed in certain aspects of play in the first game [against Zebre] particularly, but we felt we made improvements against the Dragons.
“However, we haven’t reached the standards we’ve set for ourselves so there is an emphasis on improvements.”
There are just two changes to the starting line-up, both rotational.
Hyron Andrews and Reniel Hugo swapped jersey numbers in the second row.
Sikhumbuzo Notshe and Phendulani Buthelezi also rotated at No.8.
With a Sharks loose forward trio that leans towards mobility and athleticism, rather than big, heavy ball carriers, Notshe fits the bill perfectly, alongside flanks James Venter and Dylan Richardson.
“As coaches, we’re really excited with what we’ve seen [with the loose trio] over the last couple of weeks, it’s been phenomenal, and we know there’s going to be even more improvement in that department as we progress in the competition.
“What’s most important for us is the cohesion of the players which is really important and that does take time, especially in a loose trio and they’ll find each other the more they play together.
“And we have our Springboks as well as guys coming back from injury who will join the squad. But it’s really all about cohesion, guys playing together and finding combinations that work best for the team.”
Although the weather in Ireland can be wet, for the Sharks, it’s more about how they want to play, rather than being dictated to by good or bad weather.
“We have a specific game model that we trust and believe in,” Whitely explained.
“We want to keep it simple.
“The boys will make certain decisions on the day and in the moment, according to our game model and the plan for that weekend.”
Sharks: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Werner Kok, 13 Rohan Janse van Rensburg, 12 Ben Tapuai, 11 Thaakir Abrahams, 10 Boeta Chamberlain, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 7 Dylan Richardson, 6 James Venter, 5 Hyron Andrews, 4 Justin Basson, 3 Thomas du Toit (captain), 2 Kerron van Vuuren, 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu.
Replacements: 16 Dan Jooste, 17 Dian Bleuler, 18 Carlu Sadie, 19 Reniel Hugo, 20 Phendulani Buthelezi, 21 Cameron Wright, 22 Nevaldo Fleurs, 23 Marnus Potgieter.
Date: Saturday, October 8
Venue: RDS Arena, Dublin
Kick-off: 17.05 (18.05 SA time; 126.05 GMT)
Referee: Craig Evans
Assistant referees: Peter Martin, Keane Davison
TMO: Jon Mason
