Powerhouse centre Andre Esterhuizen has been included in the Sharks XV lineup to tackle the Vodacom Bulls in the semi-finals of the Currie Cup at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
Head coach John Plumtree has welcomed back Springbok world champion Esterhuizen, who replaces Ethan Hooker at No 12 for the trip to Pretoria.
Plumtree has made six changes and one rotational change this week, bringing in Fez Mbatha for Dylan Richardson at hooker, with Corne Rahl replacing Gerbrandt Grobler at lock and James Venter coming in for Emmanuel Tshituka in the back row.
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Elsewhere in the backline, Hooker shifts to left wing in place of Makazole Mapimp, with Esterhuizen and Francois Venter forming the new midfield partnership, while Eduan Keyter takes over from Litelihle Bester at 14.
Veteran prop Ruan Dreyer and Junior Springbok star Jurenzo Julius, who were nursing respective calf and concussion concerns, have been dropped from the matchday 23, yet the likes of Grobler, Tshituka and Trevor Nyakane are set to feature of the bench.
The Sharks fought back to beat the Bulls in Durban last week, but skipper Vincent Tshituka highlighted that the Bulls will be the favourites while gearing for a fierce Loftus rematch in the Currie Cup playoffs.
“We know what the Bulls are like at Loftus and there is a lot of prep required, plus a lot of mental prep for the players to keep a calm mind but to also bring the attitude over the weekend,” he said.
Sharks – 15 Jordan Hendrikse, 14 Eduan Keyter, 13 Francois Venter, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Siya Masuku, 9 Bradley Davids, 8 Phepsi Buthelezi, 7 Vincent Tshituka (c), 6 James Venter, 5 Emile van Heerden, 4 Corne Rahl, 3 Hanro Jacobs, 2 Fez Mbatha, 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu.
Subs: 16 Ethan Bester, 17 Dian Bleuler, 18 Trevor Nyakane, 19 Gerbrandt Grobler, 20 Emmanuel Tshituka, 21 Tian Meyer, 22 Lionel Cronje, 23 Litelihle Bester.
Photo: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images
