The Cell C Sharks XV will be pushing hard to get their SuperSport Challenge campaign back on track when they take on the Zimbabwe Academy at False Bay RFC on Saturday afternoon.
Zimbabwe lost 41-16 to Border Bulldogs in the opening round of matches, while the Cell C Sharks XV went down 40-31 to Free State in their first-round clash.
After surrendering a 28-nil lead, the Cell C Sharks XV will be looking to deliver a stronger finish against the Zimbabweans in an effort to do justice to the team’s talent.
Head coach Sean Everitt has made four changes to his starting lineup, with Rogers Zondi coming in for Khuta Mchunu at tighthead and Dylan Weideman making way for Lunga Ncube in the second row.
Amongst the backs, Zee Makabela will take over the scrumhalf role from Grant Williams after playing off the bench last week and the outside backs will be bolstered by the inclusion of Springbok Lwazi Mvovo who will bring oodles of experience in the wing position, replacing Sicelo Tole who provides cover off the bench.
At this early stage of the competition, there is little to read into the logs. But for academic interest, Griquas are top of the North Section with the Lions, Pumas and Griffons all on five points, while Western Province, then Boland Cavaliers, Border Bulldogs and Free State all have five points in the South Section.
The match between Zimbabwe and the Cell C Sharks XV kicks off at 4pm.
Cell C Sharks XV
1. Gugu Lelani
2. Cullen Collopy
3. Rogers Zondi
4. Lunga Ncube
5. Andrew Evans
6. Adam Mountfort
7. Wian Vosloo
8. Kwanda Dimaza
9. Zee Mkhabela
10. Murray Koster
11. Leolin Zas
12. Jeremy Ward (C)
13. DJ Falconer
14. Lwazi Mvovo
15. Rhyno Smith
Replacements
16. Connor Botha
17. Christiaan de Jager
18. MB Lusaseni
19. Vian Fourie
20. Damian Stevens
21. Inny-Christian Radebe
22. Sicelo Tole
The post Time to Strike Back appeared first on Sharks Rugby.
The Cell C Sharks have arguably our toughest Vodacom Super Rugby assignment of the season so far when we take on the log leading Crusaders in Christchurch in our second tour match on Friday.
The vagaries of the competition have once more proved that teams who are up for it on the day more often than not come away with the spoils. We proved that against the Lions at Emirates Airline Park a few weeks back and again last week against the Waratahs when a huge physical effort dominated play and the opposition.
One player revelling in that kind of bruising stuff is Cell C Sharks eighthman Daniel du Preez who will relish the opportunity to show his abrasiveness against the champions on Friday.
“It’s a team effort that allows me to play to my strengths,” he admits self-deprecatingly.
“It’s my team-mates around me who make me look good, they’re helping me, but I don’t think I’m doing amazing things.”
Although he and his twin brother Jean-Luc have played immense amounts of rugby together, they have only recently reunited to hunt as a pack. While the pair are devastating together, du Preez admits that those who have played in his place while his brother was injured have certainly done their work well.
“Jacques Vermeulen did a very good job, but obviously it is great to have Jean-Luc back. Jacques brings a lot to the team on the field.”
Another forward pack performance like the one against the Waratahs is certain to produce a competitive effort against the Crusaders.
“We all knew it would be a forward battle [against the Waratahs] and because we did well at set-piece time, that laid the platform and foundation for the backline to strike from.
“I also thought the forwards were very good on defence. We also didn’t make many handling errors.”
Shifting focus to the Crusaders, he admits that a massive challenge lies ahead, but one he and the team have embraced.
“We’re looking forward to this game, this is the big one. Our set-piece needs to function well and we need to minimise handling errors. We know that if we make mistakes against the Crusaders, they’re going to punish us.”
His opposite number Kieran Read is something of a living New Zealand rugby legend and what better way to test yourself than against the best?
“I have played against him before and I’m looking forward to the challenge,” he admits. “This is a massive opportunity to play against someone I believe is one of the best players in the world.”
The Cell C Sharks go into this match not only off the back of a successful first outing on tour, but in a good mental space that comes out of togetherness.
“The tour has been very good,” he says, “we’ve got to bond with each other and the boys have pulled together nicely, especially after the win over the Waratahs last week.
“Winning on tour pulls the team in and makes it closer. Spending every day together has made the team grow.”
The post Great Challenge Ahead appeared first on Sharks Rugby.
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