The Sharks have chosen a far better balanced team, although once all injuries are over it could still be stronger.
Players still out are as follows, Muller, Swannepoel, Mostert, Ludick, Mvovo

Sharks coach John Plumtree has made a number of changes, some forced by injury, when he named the team to face the Cheetahs in a Super 14 Round Two match in Durban on Friday.

The most notable of those changes are the decision to start Ruan Pienaar at flyhalf and move captain John Smit to hooker.

Then there is the injury crisis at lock – which will see veteran Johann Muller sidelined for at least this week with a knock to the neck and Gerhard Mostert likely to be out for the season with a dislocated shoulder.

The backline changes are the most interesting, as they are not injury related.

Springbok Adi Jacobs comes in for Andries Strauss in the midfield and Pienaar comes into the starting line-up, from the bench, to replace Monty Dumond at flyhalf.

With Pienaar having covered both scrumhalf and flyhalf off the bench last week, his selection at pivot for Friday means Charl McLeod comes into the reckoning as back-up for Rory Kockott.

The other interesting selection is in the front row – where Jannie du Plessis comes into the starting line-up, with Smit moving from tighthead prop to hooker, with Bismarck du Plessis playing off the bench. Springbok Deon Carstens provides cover at prop off the bench.

However, Plumtree was forced to change his second row, through the injuries to Muller and Mostert in the loss to the Chiefs last week.

Muller, who took a smack to the neck, is replaced by former South African age-group captain Alistair Hargreaves – who gets his first Super 14 start, after his 2009 season was curtailed by injury.

There are also some changes among the loose forwards, with Jacques Botes starting ahead of Keegan Daniel as the openside flank.

Plumtree admitted that losing two locks in the opening round of a season, with veteran Albert van den Berg having moved to Japan, means he will have to rely on his back-up staff.

However, the Sharks mentor has faith in the new combination of Steven Sykes and Hargreaves.

“Steven [Sykes] is experienced enough,” he said of a player with 24 Super Rugby caps and an appearance for the Emerging Boks in a draw against the British and Irish Lions last year. Sykes was also an unused replacement on the Bok bench in the third Test against the Lions.

Hargreaves, who played four times off the bench for the Sharks last year before injury forced him out, was called up to the Bok team for the year-end tour.

“Allister has been groomed,” Plumtree told rugby365.com, adding that this is “a good opportunity for him” to step up and show that last year’s selection for the national team was justified.

The Sharks coach also confirmed that Willem Alberts, signed from the Lions after a protracted battle that ended in a court case, will cover lock and loose forward off the bench.

“We are in a nice position with Willem [Alberts], who can cover both lock and loose-forward.

“We haven’t had a player like that since AJ Venter was here.”

The Sharks: 15 Stefan Terblanche, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Waylon Murray, 12 Adrian Jacobs, 11 JP Pietersen, 10 Ruan Pienaar, 9 Rory Kockott, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Jean Deysel, 6 Jacques Botes, 5 Alistair Hargreaves, 4 Steven Sykes, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 John Smit (captain), 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements: 16 Bismarck du Plessis, 17 Deon Carstens, 18 Willem Alberts, 19 Keegan Daniel, 20 Charl McLeod, 21 Monty Dumond, 22 Andries Strauss.

Date: Friday, February 19
Venue: Absa Stadium
Kick-off: 18.00 (16.00 GMT)
Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa)
Assistant Referees: Pro Legoete (South Africa), Cobus Wessels (South Africa)
TMO: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)