Super Rugby: Am to lead out Sharks in his 50th appearance
The Sharks will trot out onto the Forsyth Barr Stadium to face the Highlanders led by Lukhanyo Am who will also play his 50th Super Rugby match.
The skipper leads a team with just one change from the side that beat the Bulls 23-15 in the opening round of action. Sbu Nkosi picked up a niggle, and the scorer of the Sharks first try of the 2020 Super Rugby campaign will sit out while recruit Madosh Tambwe comes in for his Sharks debut.
Am to make 50th appearance and captain the Sharks
Hooker Craig Burden is also set to make his 50th Super Rugby appearance when he comes off the bench for the Sharks against the Highlanders in Dunedin.
Head coach Sean Everitt said that the Sharks will take confidence from a winning start to their season as they head to New Zealand and Australia for a four week tour.
“It was a massive confidence booster,” he said.
“It was good reward for the players who worked tirelessly over the course of the pre-season. They’ve been amazing so it’s good that they put in a good performance, even if there were some errors, both teams made them in the tough conditions. So we’re happy with how things went and it was great to get onto the plane with a win.”
Conditions in the most Southerly host city in Super Rugby have proven to be to the Sharks liking after a preseason conducted in the sweltering heat of Durban.
“The guys are enjoying the conditions here,” said Everitt. “We play this match against the Highlanders under cover, so the conditions will suit us. I think the guys will find it refreshing although this first week is tough because we’ll have just one training session due to the travel. But we are happy with all the prep we did in pre-season, and the fact that the injury toll wasn’t serious outside of a minor niggle that Sbu has, is a big plus.”
The Sharks 2019 season was plagued by inconsistency both in Super Rugby and then in the Currie Cup and Everitt says it is something they are committed to addressing.
“We’ve said before that this team needs to be more consistent, we’ve been criticised for that, so consistency is key. Going overseas for four weeks is tough, we know that, but this team has a vibe about it and they are really keen to take up the challenge.”
Sharks Super Rugby Team vs Highlanders
1. Ox Nche
2. Kerron van Vuuren
3. Thomas du Toit
4. Ruben van Heerden
5. Hyron Andrews
6. James Venter
7. Tyler Paul
8. Sikumbuzo Notshe
9. Louis Schreuder
10. Curwin Bosch
11. Makazole Mapimpi
12. Andre Esterhuizen
13. Lukhanyo Am (c)*
14. Madosh Tambwe
15. Aphelele Fassi
Replacements
16. Craig Burden*
17. Juan Schoeman
18. John-Hubert Meyer
19. Le Roux Roets
20. Henco Venter
21. Sanele Nohamba
22. Boeta Chamberlain
23. Jeremy Ward
*Denotes that the players are set to earn their 50th Super Rugby cap for the Sharks.
Highlanders vs Sharks Match details
| Date: | Friday, 7 February 2020 |
| Time: | 19h05 (NZDT) 08h05 (CAT) |
| Venue: | Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin |
| Referee: | Angus Gardner |
| Assistant Referees: | Paul Williams, James Doleman |
| Television Match Official: | Chris Hart |
Team issued by Sharks Rugby.
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