Thomas du Toit looks set to be rewarded for the good job he has done as interim leader by retaining the Cell C Sharks captaincy for their all-important final Vodacom United Rugby Championship game against Ulster in Belfast on Friday night.
The media communication from the Sharks has been a bit scarce this week and the 27-man travelling squad was only released on Twitter on Tuesday night, two days after they departed Durban on the important mission of playing for home ground advantage in the URC play-offs. There wasn’t any press release to go with the squad, but the ‘c’ next to Du Toit’s name confirmed what might have been expected in the circumstances.
Although regular captain Lukhanyo Am has returned to Sharks duty after his two month stint with the Kobe Steelers and is with the squad in Belfast, coach Sean Everitt has obviously decided that the Springbok centre should ease his way back into the team systems without carrying the extra responsibility of the captaincy.
It makes sense from a continuity viewpoint, and Du Toit has been outstanding as a captain since taking over the reins from Springbok skipper Siya Kolisi, who it was also felt shouldn’t be straddled with too much responsibility, two months ago. Kolisi led the Sharks in the first game they played after Am departed for Japan but Du Toit took over after that and did well enough to retain the role.
Of course, with Am and Kolisi in the team, there shouldn’t really be too much of a fuss about who officially leads the team, but it is nonetheless a strong endorsement of how well Du Toit has adapted to the role.
There are no surprises in the Sharks’ 27 with most positions well covered. It is interesting to note that while the Stormers have travelled to Wales for their last league game against the Scarlets with just 24 players and just two scrumhalves and hookers, the Sharks have the extra insurance you’d expect in those positions when the group travels overseas.
Grant Williams, Jaden Hendrikse and Cameron Wright are the three scrumhalves that are with the Sharks in Belfast, while first choice hooker Bongi Mbonambi has Kerron van Vuuren and Dan Jooste backing him up. Obviously one player from each of those two groups will drop out for the Kingspan Stadium game, though it is worth noting that Williams has been tried on the wing recently and didn’t do badly there.
Apart from Bok wing Sbu Nkosi, who is still out and is destined to link up with the Vodacom Bulls when this season comes to an end, all the top Sharks players are in Belfast for a game that it is crucial for them to win if they want a home quarterfinal and want to win the South African Shield.
They are currently third on the overall log, tied with Munster and the Stormers six points behind log leaders Leinster, but as they have an identical points differential, they only lead the Cape team in the Shield on the basis of having scored one more try in their URC campaign. Scarlets will be a tough obstacle for the Stormers in Llanelli on Saturday night but games involving the Scarlets do tend to be high scoring affairs, as evidenced by their recent 50-31 defeat at the hands of the Ospreys, whereas you’d anticipate the Ulster/Sharks game to be tighter.
Cell C Sharks squad
Forwards:Ox Nche, Nthuthuko Mchunu, Thomas du Toit (captain), Khutha Mchunu, Lourens Adriaanse, Kerron van Vuuren, Bongi Mbonambi, Dan Jooste, Ruben van Heerden, Reniel Hugo, Hyron Andrews, Siya Kolisi, Jeandre Labuschagne, Sikhumbuzo Notshe, Phepsi Buthelezi, Henco Venter.
Backs:Grant Williams, Jaden Hendrikse, Cameron Wright, Curwin Bosch, Boeta Chamberlain, Marius Louw, Lukhanyo Am, Werner Kok, Marnus Potgieter, Makazole Mapimpi, Aphelele Fassi.