The Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit has proved a banana peel for many a more fancied team in the Carling Currie Cup in recent years so it is no surprise that the Cell C Sharks have backed experience in the strong team that they’ve selected for Friday night’s clash with the Airlink Pumas.
The Sharks have depth that should be the envy of many Vodacom United Rugby Championship franchises, not just those in South Africa, and it is reflected in a team that includes several players who are possibly playing for a chance to be part of the URC team in the extended home leg that starts with a visit by Scarlets to Hollywoodbets Kings Park next weekend.
Among those is flyhalf Boeta Chamberlain, who started this phase of the season as the first choice Sharks flyhalf but then appeared to slip behind first Tito Bonilla and then Curwin Bosch in the pecking order. Pivot appears to be one area where there is muddled thinking on the part of the Sharks’ brains trust but Chamberlain did do well for the Sharks on their URC overseas tour last year.
Bosch also didn’t look the solution to the Sharks’ synergy between backs and forwards problems last week in Treviso so there should be a spot in the URC team to play for. Bonilla should probably be the man backed for now, but Chamberlain has the attributes to be the next cab off the rank.
It is interesting to note that Jordan Chait, who started as the starting flyhalf in the Sharks’ first domestic game against Tafel Lager Griquas, is back in the squad after he missed a few weeks with injury. Chait is backing up from the bench, while another player with extensive flyhalf experience, Inny Radebe, is at fullback.
Jeremy Ward brings experience to the midfield and Thembelani Bholi and James Venter, who leads the side in Nelspruit, do the same to the back row. There probably aren’t too many second row pairings in the Currie Cup who are equal to Le Roux Roets and Reniel Hugo either.
Cell C Sharks team:Inny Radebe, Yaw Penxe, Jeremy Ward, Murray Koster, Marnus Potgieter, Boeta Chamberlain, Sanele Nohamba, Celimphilo Gumede, Thembelani Bholi, James Venter (captain), Reniel Hugo, Le Roux Roets, Weihahn Herbst, Fez Mbatha, Dian Bleuler.
Replacements:Dan Jooste, Khwezi Mona, Lourens Adriaanse, Corne Rahl, OJ Noa, Bradley Davids, Jordan Chait, Curwin Gertse.