By Brenden Nel.
Fresh off two wins on their short European tour, the Cell C Sharks have made just two changes to side that beat the Dragons for their third Vodacom United Rugby Championship match against Irish powerhouse Leinster on Saturday.
The two changes are both rotational, as the team looks to freshen up its starting line-up ahead of a tough clash. Hyron Andrews swops jerseys with Reniel Hugo and in the loose trio Sikhumbuzo Notshe comes in for Phepsi Buthelezi.
While the changes were expected, the loose trio now looks a lot more mobile with Notshe combining with ball hunters James Venter and Dylan Richardson in an effort to counter Leinster’s set and reset approach at the breakdown.
The Sharks, currently without a number of Springbok players, know they have to improve from their first two outings on the tour if they are going to take on the Irish powerhouse, who are unbeaten thus far and intent on reclaiming their title as the best team in the championship. Assistant coach Warren Whiteley confirmed this as he looked ahead to the fixture.
“We’ve been working really hard over the last two weeks or so, we were disappointed in certain aspects of play in the first game [against Zebre] particularly, but we felt we made improvements against the Dragons,” Whiteley said.
“However, we haven’t reached the standards we’ve set for ourselves so there is an emphasis on improvements.”
“As coaches, we’re really excited with what we’ve seen [with the loose trio] over the last couple of weeks, it’s been phenomenal, and we know there’s going to be even more improvement in that department as we progress in the competition.
“What’s most important for us is the cohesion of the players which is really important and that does take time, especially in a loose trio and they’ll find each other the more they play together.
“And we have our Springboks as well as guys coming back from injury who will join the squad. But it’s really all about cohesion, guys playing together and finding combinations that work best for the team.”
Whiteley said the team would back their game plan no matter what the conditions at the RDS Stadium are for the game.
“We have a specific game model that we trust and believe in,” Whitely explained, “and we want to keep it simple. The boys will make certain decisions on the day and in the moment, according to our game model and the plan for that weekend.”
“We know Leinster have a powerful pack and a very strong maul – among other things – and this week is another great opportunity for us to keep improving.”
Former Maties flyhalf Nevaldo Fleurs has been included on the bench and will make his URC debut if he gets onto the field.
Cell C Sharks: Aphelele Fassi; Werner Kok, Rohan Janse van Rensburg, Ben Tapuai, Thaakir Abrahams; Boeta Chamberlain, Grant Williams; Sikhumbuzo Notshe, Dylan Richardson, James Venter, Hyron Andrews, Justin Basson, Thomas du Toit (captain), Kerron van Vuuren, Nthuthuko Mchunu.
Replacements: Dan Jooster, Dian Bleuler, Carlu Sadie, Reniel Hugo, Phepsi Buthelezi, Cameron Wright, Nevaldo Fleurs, Marnus Potgieter.