Sharks coach John Plumtree is considering making a number of changes to his team for Friday’s Currie Cup encounter with the Leopards.
However, he first has to find a new captain now that Stefan Terblanché has been ruled out.
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Thankfully the loss of Terblanché – to a dislocated elbow, suffered in the 20-22 defeat to the Lions last weekend – is not as serious as they initially thought and he will sit out this week only.
“Stefan is all right,” Plumtree said on the Sharks’ official website, adding: “The inflammation has settled down and if it was the final this weekend, he’d just about be ready to play.
“But we’ll give him a week off to get over it and this means a new captain.”
And speaking of the new man to lead the Sharks, Plumtree revealed: “The captaincy will go to Keegan Daniel.
“He has showed some excellent leadership and consistent performances throughout the season, he understands the game from a strategic point of view and has the respect of his teammates, especially with the intensity he brings.”
Plumtree admitted that he was considering a number of other changes – some personnel changes and some tactical changes – after the loss to the Lions.
“Definitely you want to try different things, but the danger is changing too much which could lead to a bit of confusion; but there is some relevance in that,” he said.
“We get some players back for next week which adds different dynamics to the team in terms of threats, but from a strategy point of view there might be some change in how we play.
“All teams will be doing the same thing, but we won’t go away from our strengths; we’ve been exposed in some areas, we need to make sure we look after those come finals time.”
The other key change could be up front, where Gerhard Mostert returns from injury.
“Gerhard Mostert is also coming into the mix this week, otherwise, there won’t be too many surprises in selection.
“Jannie du Plessis is also back, he will need some rugby to get fit again, he hasn’t played for a few weeks and he’ll get a good run.”
Mostert will make his long-awaited return to the Sharks after injuring himself in the opening round of the Super 14.