The Sharks travel to Cape Town to take on Western Province in this weekend’s opening Absa Currie Cup match with a fairly youthful side, although most are or have been in the frame for some time now.

Official Sharks Media Release

While there are a number of players missing to the Springbok cause, many replacing them are not alien to the set-up, nor inexperienced at this level or higher, with only Rosko Specman (named on the bench) yet to play at either Currie Cup or Super Rugby level with the remainder of the team having played some form of senior rugby.

Jean Deysel will captain the side for the Currie Cup season in the absence of Keegan Daniel who is with the Springboks and he will certainly call on the experience of fellow Boks Odwa Ndungane and Meyer Bosman, as well as centurion Jacques Botes and the likes of Steven Sykes and Craig Burden.

For all intents and purposes, this is a very different looking Sharks side to one we’re accustomed to, although in Odwa Ndungane, Paul Jordaan, Meyer Bosman, Riaan Viljoen, Jean Deysel, Jacques Botes, Jandre Marais, Steven Sykes, Wiehahn Herbst, Craig Burden and Dale Chadwick, we have a number of familiar, experienced players who will be tasked with providing guidance to the rest of the team.

Not considered for this match, but available over the course of the campaign, were Anton Bresler and Charl McLeod who have carried a heavy workload and should slot back into the team from next week, while the injured duo of Tim Whitehead and Pieter-Steph du Toit are likely to miss the first five or six games and return to action for the second round of matches.

The Sharks

15. Gouws Prinsloo
14. Odwa Ndungane
13. Paul Jordaan
12. Meyer Bosman
11. S’bura Sithole
10. Riaan Viljoen
9. Cobus Reinach
8. Tera Mtembu
7. Jean Deysel (Captain)
6. Jacques Botes
5. Jandre Marais
4. Steven Sykes
3. Wiehahn Herbst
2. Craig Burden
1. Dale Chadwick

Replacements
16. Monde Hadebe
17. Julian Redelinghuys
18. Peet Marais
19. Francois Kleinhans
20. Conrad Hoffmann
21. Marius Joubert
22. Rosko Specman