Sharks boss Plumtree picks formidable team to take on Benetton

The Sharks may be out of the running in this season’s United Rugby Championship, with their full attention now on the Challenge Cup final against Gloucester at the end of the month, but that hasn’t prevented coach John Plumtree from selecting a formidable side for Saturday’s round 16 match against Benetton in Durban.

The team that will run out against the Italian side, who are eighth on the table and in a must-win situation to keep alive their hopes of a top-eight finish for a place in the quarter-finals, includes seven recent World Cup winners. And this despite the fact the Sharks are out of the race for the playoffs as they’re down in 13th place with three games to play.

World Cup winners

Plumtree is no doubt hoping his side will gel and develop more due to his maintaining continuity in selection, ahead of the big Challenge Cup final on May 24 in London.

The Boks in the side are Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi, Vincent Koch, Eben Etzebeth, Grant Williams, Makazole Mapimpi and Lukhanyo Am.

There are just two changes in the forwards where Corne Rahl replaces Emile van Heerden and Gerbrandt Grobler gets a start at flank, with Vincent Tshituka shifting to eighthman in place of Phepsi Buthelezi.

And at the back, the experienced Francois Venter replaces rookie Ethan Hooker at centre.

‘Need to be better’

Assistant coach Warren Whitely said the Sharks would use this weekend’s match, as well as next week’s game against Cardiff to fine tune their performance.

“What we’ve made clear is that after our review of the Clermont game (in the Challenge Cup semi-finals in London last Saturday), there were things we felt that we need to work on and be better at, so this weekend gives us an opportunity to be better, even though it’s a different competition,” said Whiteley.

“We will need to be better in the (Challenge Cup) final and that’s why our focus is on this week, to be better than we were against Clermont and improve where we can.”

A long list of players weren’t considered for this weekend’s match because of injuries, among them Coenie Oosthuizen, Curwin Bosch, Dylan Richardson, Jaden Hendrikse and Phepsi Buthelezi.

Sharks: Aphelele Fassi, Werner Kok, Lukhanyo Am (capt), Francois Venter, Makazole Mapimpi, Siya Masuku, Grant Williams, Vincent Tshituka, Gerbrandt Grobler, James Venter, Corne Rahl, Eben Etzebeth, Vincent Koch, Bongi Mbonambi, Ox Nche. Bench: Fez Mbatha, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Hanro Jacobs, Lappies Labuschagne, Tino Mavesere, Cameron Wright, Boeta Chamberlain, Diego Appolis