One change for Sharks

The hooker missed last week's 28-20 win over Western Province in Cape Town due to an ankle injury and comes in for Monde Hadebe in the front row.

 

Lionel Cronje was again preferred at flyhalf ahead of Fred Zeilinga, while veteran England prop Matt Stevens kept his place ahead of Lourens Adriaanse.

 

Winger Lwazi Mvovo and scrumhalf Cobus Reinach will again feature and were the only members of the Springbok squad that did duty in the Rugby Championship that will play.

 

The Sharks beat the Lions in their only other meeting during the season -- a 26-23 victory at Kings Park in Durban -- a fortnight ago.

 

But coach Brad Macleod-Henderson expected a tougher assignment this time around.

 

"We played some nice rugby when we beat them in Durban, but that counts for nothing now," he said.

 

"It's a new game, a new challenge, a new week and we are preparing accordingly.

 

"It's going to be a huge task going up to Ellis Park, but a challenge we're looking forward to. We will have to play for the full 80 minutes, defensively we need to be strong and our set-piece needs to function well."

 

The Sharks team is: SP Marais, Tonderai Chavhanga, S'bura Sithole, Andre Esterhuizen, Lwazi Mvovo, Lionel Cronje, Cobus Reinach, Tera Mtembu (captain), Etienne Oosthuizen, Jacques Botes, Marco Wentzel, Stephan Lewies, Matt Stevens, Kyle Cooper, Thomas du Toit.

 

Replacements: Monde Hadebe, Dale Chadwick, Lourens Adriaanse, JC Astle, Khaya Majola, Conrad Hoffmann, Fred Zeilinga.