Centre Marius Louw will captain a Cell C Sharks team that showcases the depth of talent available to the franchise when last year’s beaten finalists start their 2022 Carling Currie Cup campaign against Tafel Lager Griquas at Hollywood Bets Kings Park on Wednesday.
The four franchises competing in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship will be without their first choice players for the bulk of the domestic season, which ends with the final in June, because of the commitment to the northern hemisphere international competition. However, at first glance the Sharks Currie Cup team looks far from a second string combination, which it is given that there is a URC game scheduled for Johannesburg on Saturday.
Anthony Volmink, Yaw Penxe, Werner Kok, Louw, former try-grabbing Griquas wing Eduan Keyter, Cameron Wright, Thembelani Bholi, Gerbrandt Grobler, Lourens Adriaanse and Dan Jooste all boast quite extensive experience at Currie Cup level, while loosehead prop Khwezi Mona and Mpilo Gumede have played slightly less than others but are rising stars.
It is also good to see that the Sharks’ depth at flyhalf is being tested, with Jordan Chait getting a much needed opportunity to wear the No10 jersey.
The talented former Maties pivot has had little game time for the Sharks but showed some pleasing touches in the opportunities he was given early in the last pre-season before the likes of Curwin Bosch, Manie Libbok (now with Western Province), Lionel Cronje and Boeta Chamberlain carried the load in the competitive season.
There are two debutants for the Sharks in the form of Samoan blindside flank OJ Noa and Josh Moon, the former Ikey Tiger who will play off the bench against Griquas.
Sanele Nohamba, who was part of the Springbok squad at a stage of last year, will be among the replacements as the Sharks start their quest to end the Bulls’ recent hegemony in the oldest provincial competition in the world.
Former Springbok prop Etienne Fynn is coaching the Sharks in the Currie Cup and will be helped by former Sharks and Bok World Cup winning wing JP Pietersen.
Cell C Sharks: Anthony Volmink, Yaw Penxe, Werner Kok, Marius Louw (captain), Eduan Keyter, Jordan Chait, Cameron Wright, Mpilo Gumede, OJ Noa, Thembelani Bholi, Emile van Heerden, Gerbrandt Grobler, Lourens Adriaanse, Dan Jooste, Khwezi Mona.
Replacements: Jason Alexander, Dian Blueler, Wiehahn Herbst, Corne Rahl, Josh Moon, Sanele Nohamba, Murray Koster, Marnus Potgieter.