Philip van der Walt

Philip van der Walt, a man who’s actions speak louder than words has been entrusted with the captaincy for the Cell C Sharks Currie Cup clash with the Vodacom Blue Bulls.

The leadership change comes after head coach Gary Gold has made a rotational switch in the locks, Australian David McDuling coming in for Marco Wentzel who gets a much-needed break after starting every match this season.

Flank Christiaan de Bruin gets his 1st start in a Sharks jersey after making his debut off the bench against DHL Western Province. He replaces Jean-Luc du Preez in the only other change to the starting line-up.

Springbok and injury-prone Jean Deysel returns to action on the bench after injuring himself in the Round 2 victory over the EP Kings.

“We are not looking to change too much but we have to be more accurate in what we are doing, in holding on to the ball,” explains assistant coach Sean Everitt.

“We have to be more accurate in taking those scoring opportunities.

“Those are the areas we are working on. We want to play ball-in-hand rugby but we have to be more accurate to do that successfully.”

Cell C Sharks: 15 Odwa Ndungane, 14 Wandile Mjekevu, 13 Paul Jordaan, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Sibusiso Sithole, 10 Joe Pietersen, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Philip van der Walt (Captain), 7 Christiaan de Bruin, 6 Francois Kleinhans, 5 David McDuling, 4 Etienne Oosthuizen, 3 Gerhard Engelbrecht, 2 Franco Marais, 1 Thomas du Toit
Replacements: 16 Kyle Cooper, 17 Mzamo Majola, 18 Marco Wentzel, 19 Jean Deysel, 20 Michael Claassens, 21 Heimar Williams, 22 Garth April.

Date: Friday 25 September
Venue: Growthpoint Kings Park, Durban
Kick-Off: 20:00 SA Time (18:00 GMT)
Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen
Assistant Referees: Lourens van der Merwe, Jaco Pretorius
TMO: Marius Jonker

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