Regular captain Lukhanyo Am is not playing so his midfield partner Andre Esterhuizen will lead a rejigged and improved Cell C Sharks team in their first match of the Australian leg of their Vodacom Super Rugby tour against the Rebels in Ballarat on Saturday.
If anyone has to take a double take at the venue, perhaps it should be explained that while the assumption was that the game would be played at the AAMI Stadium in Melbourne, as all the Rebels games have been since they came into being 10 years ago, it has been switched to the mining town because the regular venue is already booked for Saturday. Singer Elton John is in town and will be using the stadium.
Not only is it the first time that the Rebels are playing away from their usual home venue, this will also be the first time a regional game will be played in Australia. The Sharks will go into it bolstered by the return to the starting team of frontrankers Thomas du Toit and Ox Nche, as well as the return of regular starting flyhalf Curwin Bosch.
Am is sitting out this week presumably because of the Springbok resting protocols, with Jeremy Ward coming in to play in the No 13 jersey and Esterhuizen taking the captaincy. Perhaps the big news though is that Sanele Nohamba, after impressing as the replacement flyhalf last week, will get to make his first Super Rugby start as the scrumhalf.
Nohamba was probably the find of the last Currie Cup season and also played well as a replacement scrumhalf in the first two games against the Vodacom Bulls and the Highlanders, but this will be the first time he wears the No 9 in a Super Rugby game. Like most of the other changes with the exception of the absence of Am, the selection of Nohamba to start arguably improves the Sharks’ combination to the one that lost to the Hurricanes last week.
The Sharks were severely disrupted for that game, with coach Sean Everitt forced to rejig his front-row shortly before kick-off due to a virus that ruled out Du Toit. He had to move Nche from the starting team to the bench due to the former Free Stater being the tighthead back-up in the absence of Du Toit.
“We never spoke after the game about the injuries or disruptions, the guys have all trained well throughout the pre-season and we’re not going to use that as an excuse,” said Everitt earlier in the week.
“But obviously it does have an effect on the team, especially when you have to get guys onto the bench who weren’t expecting to play.”
It does indeed, but the Sharks look well equipped to put in a better performance this week, particularly with Bosch back, while Springbok World Cup winning wing Makazole Mapimpi has further bolstered the team by coming through his concussion protocols. He was missing for much of last week’s game due to concussion.
Everitt will be hoping his return should make a quantum difference to the quality of the backline defence and level of organisation, which was woeful in the loss in Wellington.
Meanwhile the Sharks will be up against an old mate in Ballarat in the form of their former teammate Gideon Koegelenberg. The lock has been named on the Rebels bench. It is interesting to note that Wallaby flyhalf Matt Toomua is not playing this week. Instead Andrew Deegan, who was apparently the go-too man for the Western Force in the National Championship last year, will wear the No 10.
Teams for Ballarat
Cell C Sharks: Aphelele Fassi, Madosh Tambwe, Jeremy Ward, Andre Esterhuizen (captain), Makazole Mapimpi, Curwin Bosch, Sanele Nohamba, Sikhumbuzo Notshe, Tyler Paul, James Venter, Hyron Andrews, Ruben van Heerden, Thomas du Toit, Kerron van Vuuren, Ox Nche. Replacements: Craig Burden, Mzamo Majola, John-Hubert Meyer, Le Roux Roets, Henco Venter, Louis Schreuder, Marius Louw, Lwazi Mvovo.
Rebels: Dane Haylett-Petty (captain), Andrew Kellaway, Campbell Magnay, Bill Meakes, Marika Koroibete, Andrew Deegan, Ryan Louwrens, Isi Naisarani, Richard Hardwick, Michael Wells, Matt Philip, Ross Haylett-Petty, Jermaine Ainsley, Steven Misa, Matt Gibbon. Replacements: Anaru Rangi, Cameron Orr, Ruan Smith, Gideon Koegelenberg, Angus Cottrell, Rob Leota, Frank Lomani, Tom English