Sharks play strongest hand for Bulls

Kobus van Wyk starts on the right wing in place of Odwa Ndungane, who shifts onto the bench. Meanwhile Louis Schreuder starts at scrumhalf in place of veteran Michael Claassens. That gives the Sharks a wealth of experience off the bench.

Springbok flank Jean-Luc du Preez starts at blindside flank, forming a menacing trio with his twin brother Dan and Sharks stalwart Keegan Daniel.

The rest of the starting XV is unchanged – as the Sharks look for continuity ahead of their knockout clash.

“I’m very happy but there were quite a few tough selection posers. We think the team we’ve selected are the players in form,” the coach said.

The Sharks bench is equally as strong this weekend but a notable omission is Springbok hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle. Akker van der Merwe has been chosen ahead of Ralepelle – and it’s hard not to feel sorry for the veteran.

Ralepelle sat on the bench for the Springboks in their last two Tests but he never got on the field. As a result, he’s missed out on some game time, and Du Preez has opted for Van der Merwe on account of his recent form.

“It was a tough decision. At the end of the day we felt that Chili hasn’t played a lot of rugby and Akker has been the inform guy – he’s playing really well and we know he’ll make a great impact off the bench.”

Like Ralepelle, Schreuder also spent a couple of weeks with the Springboks but never ended up getting a run. He then missed the Sharks clash against Western Province to attend a wedding. Nevertheless Du Preez is confident that Schreuder will perform.

“He’s had a really good week of training. We’ve had a great session and this weekend’s game will bring the best out of them.”

The Sharks are in force a defensive test this weekend. Under John Mitchell’s watchful eye, the Bulls have found their feet and are playing some enterprising attacking rugby. Coach Du Preez says their defence will need to be tight.

“That’s been one of strong points, in finals your defence must be great. The stuff we’ve done has worked for us. We’ve got enough experience and leadership in the team to change it up if we need to. We will have some backup plans but we believe in what we’ve done so far,” Du Preez said.

Some of the younger Sharks players are entering unchartered waters. Knockout rugby brings a different type of pressure, but captain Ruan Botha says there hasn’t been a change of mood in the camp.

We’ve got guys like Keegan, Michael and Franco, a lot of experienced guys who have played in semi-finals and finals. We’ve got the balance right, I don’t think there are any nerves in the team. We know we have to do, we must just stick to the basics of our game,” Botha said.

The Sharks take on the Bulls on Saturday at Growthpoint Kings Park. Kickoff is at 14h30.

Sharks team (15-1):

Garth April, Kobus van Wyk, Lukhanyo Am, Marius Louw, S'bu Nkosi, Curwin Bosch, Louis Schreuder, Dan du Preez, Jean-Luc du Preez, Keegan Daniel, Ruan, Botha, Tyler Paul, Ross Geldenhuys, Franco Marais, Thomas du Toit.

Replacements: Akker van der Merwe, Juan Schoeman, John-Hubert Meyer, Jean Droste, Jacques Vermeulen, Michael Claassens, Tristan Blewett, Odwa Ndungane.