The Hollywoodbets Sharks have kept with the narrative that the Carling Currie Cup is now strictly a development competition by going with a largely inexperienced team for their opening game against the ADT Fidelity Lions in Johannesburg on Saturday.
Nick Hatton, who brilliantly captained the side to the top of the log in the league phases before some of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship players returned in the knock-outs to help spearhead the drive to the title, will lead again, while Bradley Davids is his vice-captain.
However, apart from fullback Hakeem Kunene, who played some Investec Champions Cup games for the Sharks last year, and Deon Slabbert, who made his senior debut in the last URC season, there are few other players in the starting team that have played big games for the Sharks.
The Sharks, to again be known as the Sharks XV in the domestic competition to differentiate it from the team that plays in the international competitions, have seven players who will be getting their first tasted of Currie Cup rugby in their match day 23 - starting openside flanker Sphephelo Mbonambi, left wing Khuti Rasihaga, inside center Ranco Purchase and replacements Liam van Wyk, Khule Mthimkulu, Drico Marx and Chijindu Okonta.
The Sharks XV does have some front row experience on the bench in the form of Dian Bleuler and former DHL Western Province front-ranker Lee-Marvin Mazibuko. This is of course, in terms of the identity of the two teams playing in the game, a rematch of last year’s final, but Sharks coach JP Pietersen was realistic enough about the changes to stop short of calling it that.
He is, though, looking forward to seeing how his very young group responds to the challenge of playing against what is likely to be a more experienced Lions team. “What a challenge for this young group to go to Johannesburg and test ourselves to stay in the fight,” said Pietersen.
“We’re excited for the campaign, we have a young group, but there is experience in Nick Hatton and Bradley Davids, and hopefully they will just grow and get even better,” he said of two of the three young players who made the biggest mark for the Sharks last year, the other being centre Jurenzo Julius.
It is assumed that Julius won’t be playing much Currie Cup rugby this year now that he has become a fairly regular member of the URC squad as the Sharks are reluctant to overtax the players who will be needed more in the international competitions during the proper season, which now is aligned with the timing of the northern hemisphere season.
The Sharks will, though, be welcoming back a phalanx of young players who were part of the Junior Boks' triumph in the World Rugby Under-20 Championship that was concluded last weekend in the coming weeks. The young players playing in Johannesburg will be going all out to remain part of the mix so that they, like Julius did last year, can challenge to be part of the URC mix when that competition restarts in September.
HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS XV: Hakeem Kunene, Phiko Sobahle, Litelihle Bester, Janco Purchase, Khuti Rasivhaga, Jean Smith, Bradley Davids, Nick Hatton (captain), Jannes Potgieter, Sphephelo Mbonambi, Deon Slabbert, Gideon Koelenberg, Mawande Mdanda, Bryce Calvert, Phatu Ganyane.
REPLACEMENTS: Liam van Wyk, Dian Bleuler, Lee-Marvin Mazibuko, Kuhle Mthimkhulu, Thomas Dyer, Tiaan Fourie, Drico Marx, Chijindu Okonta.