Eben Etzebeth returns for the Sharks following illness
The Sharks welcome back Eben Etzebeth in their first match of the year against the Lions, taking place in Round Eight of the United Rugby Championship at Kings Park on Saturday.
Following a narrow one-point defeat to the Stormers last weekend, the Sharks, playing at home, are keen to demonstrate a turnaround in their performance. The previous match in Cape Town showcased the level of play the Sharks aspire to maintain consistently.
With an eye on the upcoming game against the Lions, the Durban team is set to prove their true potential. Key changes have been made to the squad by Sharks head coach John Plumtree. Fez Mbatha steps in as hooker, with Kerron van Vuuren moving to the bench. Hanro Jacobs fills in for Coenie Oosthuizen, who has been under considerable strain in recent months.
A major boost for the team is the return of Eben Etzebeth. The two-time World Cup champion, who missed the last game due to a stomach bug, will join Gerbrandt Grobler in the second row. Grobler himself makes a notable return from injury, replacing Emile van Heerden.
The backline sees a single change with Grant Williams and Jaden Hendrikse rotating scrumhalf roles. This is part of an effort to maintain a stable and effective backline setup.
Etzebeth’s comeback is a significant addition to the Sharks' lineup, as they seek to rectify last week's close loss and set a positive tone for the year's opening match.
Sharks: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Werner Kok, 13 Lukhanyo Am (captain), 12 Francois Venter, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Phepsi Buthelezi, 7 Lappies Labuschagne, 6 James Venter, 5 Gebrandt Grobler, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Hanro Jacobs, 2 Fez Mbatha, 1 Ox Nche.
Replacements: 16 Kerron van Vuuren, 17 Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18 Joel Hintz, 19 Corne Rahl, 20 George Cronje, 21 Jaden Hendrikse, 22 Boeta Chamberlain, 23 Rohan Janse van Rensburg
Date: Saturday, January 6
Venue: Kings Park, Durban
Kick-off: 17.00 (15.00 GMT)
Referees: Morne Ferreira
Assistant Referees: Cwengile Jadezweni & Stephan Geldenhuys
TMO: Quinton Immelman
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Dont know if the Irish players said it or not, but lets all be honest with ourselves, and hopefully both the Irish and French have healed by now, the Media did jump the gun, be realistic, according to 90% of the media it was a France and Ireland final, and the media had 1 of them winning the world cup, not even mentioning the All blacks? Just remember world cups are different, Australia was not the most in form cricket tean in the last cricket world cup, but they have a nack of winning when it matters. I wont go into whether what Etzabeth is saying is true, all I am saying is that its very easy for a team to get ahead of themselves due to the media. Nothing wrong with it, the media got the springboks over confident against England and we nearly lost that one.
Go to commentsHey Finn, Well done to the Junior Wallabies…a win is a win but it was a wet and scrappy game. Would be interesting to hear your opinion on two things from watching the game at the Not So Sunny Coast Stadium. Firstly, what is your opinion on the rule change of being able to call The Mark from a kick off and what is the reason for the change? Secondly, your thoughts on the lack of action for the high tackle on the SA fullback. I understand the TMO ruled that he had fallen into the tackle and the tackler didn’t have time to adjust but it was clearly shoulder on head and the Aussie 11 had not made any attempt to adjust his tackle height leading into the tackle. In my opinion he was never going to get his tackle technique correct to complete a safe tackle. If that tackle was made at a more senior and more scrutinised level would we have seen the same result?
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