Lionel Cronje will start at flyhalf and Murray Koster will captain the side as the Cell C Sharks kick off their Currie Cup campaign on Saturday at Hollywoodbets Kings’ Park against the NovaVit Griffons.
The Sharks have given a number of their URC players a rest, and will be reliant on their greater squad for the competition, with coach Joey Mongalo looking to spread the talent net further in the tournament.
“We have quite a combination of players in our team, there’s some players with URC experience, some under 21 players and some from the club system, so we have a wide array of players who haven’t played together and have only trained three or four times together because of the dynamic nature of the Currie Cup set-up; always different, always changing,” explains Mongalo.
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Your Cell C Sharks Currie Cup team to play the Novavit Griffons ??
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“The biggest challenge for us is to see how quickly the group finds cohesion and connection. We’ve been working hard off the field to connect because we haven’t had the opportunity on the field and hopefully that’s an outcome that comes sooner rather than later.
“We have a few experienced guys in the backline and we will rely on them to give us direction and structure.”
Mongalo is wary of the Griffons, who won the First Division last season and are an unknown quantity.
“The Griffons have played a number of friendly matches in preparation for the Currie Cup so they will be well-prepared for this match,” Mongalo warns. “They’ve been together for four months preparing so they will be a well-oiled unit.
“We expect them to be strong defensively, with a strong set-piece and that translates into an organised team, one we cannot even think about underestimating.”
There are experienced players such as Cronje, Anthony Volmink, Thembelani Bholi, Carlu Sadie and Marnus Potgieter in the ranks, and Mongalo will be drawing on their experience to help the younger players shine in the fixture.
Cell C Sharks: Nevaldo Fleurs; Yaw Penxe, Marnus Potgieter, Murray Koster (captain), Anthony Volminck; Lionel Cronje, Zee Mkhabela; Celimpilo Gumede, Siyambuku Ningiza, Tino Mavesere, Ockie Barnard, Thembelani Bholi, Carlu Sadie, Fez Mbatha, Khwezi Mona.
Replacements: Masikane Mazwi, Dian Bleuler, Khutha Mchunu, Athenkosi Khetahani, Marco de Wit, Damien Royal, Bradley Davids, Alwayno Visagie.