Sharks welcome back several star Boks for Bulls battle

Teams, fixtures and results from Round 8 of the United Rugby Championship:

Friday, 20 December:

Ulster v Munster – 21:35

Saturday, 21 December:

Benetton v Zebre – 15:00

Stormers v Lions – 15:45

Sharks v Bulls – 18:00

Ospreys v Scarlets – 19:15

Leinster v Connacht – 19:30

Sunday, 22 December:

Glasgow Warriors v Edinburgh – 17:00

Thursday, December 26:

Dragons v Cardiff – 19:15

Sharks welcome back several star Boks for Bulls battle

The Sharks welcome back several of their star Springboks for Saturday’s URC derby against the Bulls in Durban.

Coach John Plumtree has made several changes to the team that lost 56-17 away to Leicester Tigers in the Champions Cup last weekend.

Aphelele Fassi returns at fullback and Andre Esterhuizen at inside centre. Jordan Hendrikse moves from fullback to flyhalf with Siya Masuku dropping to the bench.

Esterhuizen replaces Francois Venter in the No 12 jersey. Yaw Penxe also moves from left wing to right wing in place of Eduan Keyter as Bok speedster Makazole Mapimpi regains the No 11 jersey.

Up front, Springbok captain Siya Kolisi is back to lead the Sharks in the absence of the injured Eben Etzebeth. Kolisi will again play No 8, with Manu Tshituka moving to flank alongside Phepsi Buthelezi who was the captain in England last weekend. Jeandre Labuschagne drops out of the match-day squad.

Bok loosehead prop Ox Nche is also back in the starting XV in place of Ntuthuko Mchunu, while Vincent Koch replaces Trevor Nyakane at tighthead, with the latter moving down to the bench.

“Coming off a tough loss in the EPCR, bouncing back is our main priority,” Sharks midfielder Esterhuizen said.

“Training has gone well, it’s a local derby, the Bulls are always tough and we’re bracing ourselves for a big challenge.”

The Bok centre added that the Sharks wanted to make home ground advantage count.

“Durban is a tough place to come and play, the weather and humidity are big factors, and we as a team want to make it tough to come and play here. We want to make it hard, physical and very fast and the more we can do that, put teams under pressure, the better.

“Winning at home means a lot to us and the fans, having more fans in the stadium is what we want and that makes it easier for us when we play.

“Being at home is a massive boost, you have your own fans behind you, we have a sold out crowd, which we really appreciate. The fans have been showing up in numbers in the last few games and that’s been great for us. We feel we’re on the right track.”

Sharks team:

15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Yaw Penxe, 13 Ethan Hooker, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Jordan Hendrikse, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Siya Kolisi (captain), 7 Manu Tshituka, 6 Phepsi Buthelezi, 5 Emile van Heerden, 4 Jason Jenkins, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Dylan Richardson, 1 Ox Nche

Substitutes: 16 Ethan Bester, 17 Ruan Dreyer, 18 Trevor Nyakane, 19 Corne Rahl, 20 Nick Hatton, 21 Cameron Wright, 22 Siya Masuku, 23 Jurenzo Julius

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