Durban - Sharks coach John Plumtree has made just one change to his match 22 for Saturday’s Absa Currie Cup final against the Lions at Coca-Cola Park with Alistair Hargreaves returning to the side.

According to Sharks website editor Michael Marnewick, Hargreaves will provide second row back-up off the bench after missing the last few games with Jacques Botes making way.

Continuity in team selection is vital and for the Sharks being able to select an almost unchanged line-up provides them with momentum necessary for a big game - their biggest game of the season.

Chasing back-to-back titles after winning in 2010, the Sharks have a team laden with internationals while the Lions last won in 1999 and with their team full of hungry youngsters, present formidable opposition.

“When we won the trophy last year, we were lucky enough to have the same team from start to finish over the course of the tournament, we had a cohesive unit,” explained coach John Plumtree.

“This year we’ve had a lot of challenges which the Lions haven’t. The challenge for us is that we have to gel as a team right from the first whistle, that’s something we’ve talked about. They have that in place already and that will be the challenge for us. They’ve been playing well with that group all year. They were able to lighten up against us when they played here recently, that performance meant nothing.

“I’m sure they’ve forgotten about that game, we have.”

Teams:

Golden Lions:
15 Jaco Taute, 14 Deon van Rensburg, 13 Doppies la Grange, 12 Alwyn Hollenbach, 11 Michael Killian, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Michael Bondesio, 8 Joshua Strauss (captain), 7 Michael Rhodes, 6 Derick Minnie, 5 Franco van der Merwe, 4 Wikus van Heerden, 3 Patric Cilliers, 2 Bandise Maku, 1 CJ Van der Linde

Substitutes: 16 Martin Bezuidenhout, 17 Jacobie Adriaanse/JC Janse van Rensburg, 18 Warren Whiteley, 19 Cobus Grobbelaar/Jaco Kriel, 20 Butch James, 21 Dylan des Fountain, 22 James Kamana

Sharks:
15. Patrick Lambie, 14. Odwa Ndungane, 13. Stefan Terblanche, 12. Marius Joubert, 11. JP Pietersen, 10. Frederic Michalak, 9. Conrad Hoffmann, 8. Ryan Kankowski, 7. Willem Alberts, 6. Keegan Daniel (captain), 5. Ross Skeate, 4. Jean Deysel, 3. Jannie du Plessis, 2. Bismarck du Plessis, 1. Tendai Mtawarira

Substitutes: 16. Craig Burden, 17. Eugene van Staden, 18. Alistair Hargreaves, 19. Marcell Coetzee, 20. Ross Cronje, 21. Adrian Jacobs, 22. Lwazi Mvovo