The Sharks squad has included South African national players in their starting lineup to face the defending champions Leinster at Kings Park stadium on Saturday evening.
United Rugby Championship
The Sharks have quickly integrated their strength by returning Andre Esterhuizen to captain a strong team against Leinster. The match is scheduled for 18:30, and all six current Sharks players from the South African national team have been named in the starting 23 after returning from international duties.
The starting six includes Esterhuizen, Thomas du Toit, and Edwill van der Merwe, while Ox Nche, Eben Etzebeth, and Ethan Hooker provide serious firepower on the bench. This is a significant addition of experience for the Sharks team, which impressively started the URC season by defeating the Ospreys 41-24 last week.
However, Leinster presents a completely different challenge. The Irish giants arrive in Durban with a squad rich in international quality, giving the Sharks an ideal opportunity to assess the progress made during the three-month pre-season period. The returning South African national players only arrived in South Africa on Tuesday but were ready to participate immediately in the game.
Team captain Fepsy Buthelezi believes that the match will show whether the tough pre-season training will start yielding consistent results. He noted that the start of the campaign against the Ospreys was very positive and benefited the group. Buthelezi added that the team analyzed its game and believes it could have performed better at certain moments, but overall it was a good start.
He emphasized the importance of the upcoming week to demonstrate how far the group has advanced and what has been discussed around the team. Buthelezi also mentioned that attack is part of their game, which they have worked hard on, and thanks to Scott Matie's return, the group reacted well to his influence. 'We scored amazing tries, and that is a really positive point,' he stated.
The Sharks demonstrated many attacking ambitions against the Ospreys, and Buthelezi believes this is an area where they can continue to develop. The Sharks squad for the match against Leinster includes: Luan Gilloomie, Edwill van der Merwe, Jurenzo Julius, Andre Esterhuizen (captain), Lily Bester, Wusi Moyo, Jayden Hendricks, Nick Hatton, Manu Tsituka, Fepsy Buthelezi, Darren Landsberg, Jason Jenkins, Vincent Koch, Esetchu Mnebelele. Reserves: Ethan Bester, Ox Nche, Hanro Jacobs, Eben Etzebeth, Matt Romao, Ivan van Zyl, Zeketelo Siyaya, Ethan Hooker. Players who will not be available: Bongani Mbonambi, Eduan Swart, Emile van Harden, Fez Mbata, Hendre Stassen, Jaco Williams, Yannis Potgiter, Jordan Hendricks, Makazole Maphimmi, Murray Koster, PK Sobale, Stefan Levis, Trevor Nyakane, Vincent Tsituka, Yaw Penxe.