Andre Esterhuizen is back to lead the Hollywoodbets Sharks in what for them is a crucial Vodacom United Rugby Championship derby against the DHL Stormers in Cape Town on Saturday.
The Springbok will be joined by fellow national team midfield star Ethan Hooker in the centre for the game at DHL Stadium (Saturday, 7:30pm), but Sharks interim head coach JP Pietersen has kept some continuity to the squad that scored an impressive 50-12 win over Clermont-Auvergne in their final Investec Champions Cup pool game in Durban last weekend.
Your Hollywoodbets Sharks to take on the DHL Stormers this week 🦈
— The Sharks (@SharksRugby) January 22, 2026
Good luck boys!@vodacom #URC pic.twitter.com/grmYbqiWkB
For instance, while the impressive Matt Ramoa drops out for Phepsi Buthelezi to take the No 6 jersey, Manu Tshituka and No 8 Nick Hatton continue in the loose trio, while Bok captain Siya Kolisi will be returning to his old but soon to be new home as a member of the bench.
So will fellow Boks Ox Nche and Grant Williams and if that selection is made around a perception that the Stormers’ strong bench needs to be blunted it is a smart move.
The Stormers have made a habit of finishing games strongly this season and their bench, which has for the most part been made up of a six/two split between forwards and backs, has had much to do with that.
When the Stormers beat the Bulls in the north/south derby at DHL Stadium three weeks ago they had a second half gear shift to thank, and that was also the case in the good away wins over Munster in the URC and Bayonne in the Champions Cup.
Week 10 of the #VURC is almost upon us 💥 pic.twitter.com/rzg5AjlcJX
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) January 21, 2026
Indeed, in both the URC games these two teams played against each other last season, the Stormers finished the stronger team - in the Durban game they came back from trailing by a margin to nearly win it, while in the Cape Town game they clinched victory with a late try.
On each occasion the Stormers forwards were on top in the last quarter, and the decision to delay the world rated loosehead Nche’s entrance until later in the game may be designed around blunting the Stormers’ expectation of getting late game momentum.
Although there is a strong Bok influence to both the starting team and the bench, the match day squad is not quite as strong as might have been expected as there is no Edwill van der Merwe and Makazole Mapimpi in the 23, two players who made appearances on the wing for the Boks last season.
However, Aphelele Fassi is arguably the first choice Bok fullback, with the man who played in his place after his injury last year, Damian Willemse, likely to line up in the Stormers midfield, which of course was where he was for the Boks in that 43-10 win over the All Blacks in Wellington where Fassi was injured.
The Lions lead the way in the SA shield 🦁
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) January 22, 2026
But the coastal derby presents the chance for either side to claim top spot 👀#SSRugby | #VURC pic.twitter.com/mspFA7mAnE
Hooker was one of the stars in that epic Bok win too, while Esterhuizen enjoyed a strong season internationally both when he got a chance to wear the Bok No 12 jersey and when he played as a Vlenter, meaning a hybrid between centre and flank. The other experienced Boks in the starting team are front-rankers Bongi Mbonambi and Vincent Koch.
The other Vincent, Vincent Tshiuka, is another past Sharks leadership figure who will be adding gravitas to the Sharks bench in their quest to prevent a strong Stormers finish to the game in front of what is expected to be a sold out crowd.
Hollywoodbets Sharks team: Aphelele Fassi, Yaw Penxe/PK Sobahle, Ethan Hooker, Andre Esterhuizen (captain), Jaco Williams, Jordan Hendrikse, Jaden Hendrikse, Nick Hatton, Manu Tshituka, Phepsi Buthelezi, Emile van Heerden, Jason Jenkins, Vincent Koch, Bongi Mbonambi, Phatu Gantyane.
Replacements: Eduan Swart, Ox Nche, Hanro Jacobs, Vincent Tshituka, Siya Kolisi, Grant Williams, Siya Masuku, Jurenzo Julius.