Sharks make three changes for Italian job

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Sharks head coach John Plumtree has revealed his team for their United Rugby Championship Round Four clash against Benetton in Treviso on Saturday.

Plumtree made minimal changes to his starting XV after they edged the Dragons 33-30 in Newport last weekend.

All three are rotational with Trevor Nyakane at loosehead prop and Fez Mbatha starting at hooker in place of Ntuthuko Mchunu and Dylan Richardson, respectively.

Phepsi Buthelezi and Emmanuel Tshituka swap jerseys this week.

The backline remains intact.

Sharks attack coach Dave Williams is excited not only for this match but also for how the team builds confidence in their attack.

“It all starts with how we exit from the back of the field and that’s giving us some good field position and then we have great individual moments from players and we’re executing from there,” he explains.

Although there have been some tense finishes in recent times, coming out on top in those games shows the fight and character in the team, which Williams acknowledges is an important component in their successful run.

“Those late comebacks are something we pride ourselves on, showing strength in staying in the fight.

“We have pressure moments that we can deliver in those final moments.

“We’d like to pull away, but we know the calibre of our opposition this week with their Test match experience.

“It’s going to be a great challenge for us, one we’re looking forward to.

“It’s going to be a great contest amongst the forwards and the two backlines, but it’s all about turning pressure moments into points.”

Sharks: 15 Jordan Hendrikse, 14 Eduan Keyter, 13 Jurenzo Julius, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Siya Masuku, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Phepsi Buthelezi, 7 Vincent Tshituka (captain), 6 James Venter, 5 Gerbrandt Grobler, 4 Jason Jenkins, 3 Ruan Dreyer, 2 Fez Mbatha, 1 Trevor Nyakane.
Replacements: 16 Dylan Richardson, 17 Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18 Hanro Jacobs, 19 Corne’ Rahl, 20 Emmanuel Tshituka, 21 Bradley Davids, 22 Lionel Cronje, 23 Francois Venter.

Date: Saturday, October 12
Venue: Stadio Monigo, Treviso
Kick-off: 16.00 (16.00 SAST; 14.00 GMT)
Referee: Sam Grove-White (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Federico Vedovelli (Italy), Alex Frasson (Italy)
TMO: Colin Brett (Scotland)