Christo Buchner

Johannesburg – Will lightning strike twice in the same place when the Sharks and Griquas meet in a Currie Cup match in Durban on Friday night?

The visitors from the Northern Cape are the only side that were able to beat the Sharks in the first round of the Currie Cup, but to repeat the feat on Friday will require Griquas to overcome circumstances in which they usually struggle.

They are generally at the wrong end of big defeats when visiting Durban.

However, Griquas will take a lot of confidence from coming so close to beating the Blue Bulls at Loftus Versfeld last week.

The visitors will also find the Sharks tougher opponents than was the case in Kimberley.

The big news from the Sharks is the inclusion of André Pretorius on the substitutes bench. It will be his first step back after virtually two years out injured.

There are three changes to the starting line-up, with Monty Dumond replacing the injured Louis Ludik at fullback, Keegan Daniel playing No 8 in place of Ryan Kankowski and Jacques Botes moving to the flank to cover for Daniel.

The home team will use powerful forwards such as Bismarck du Plessis, Tendai Mtawarira and Willem Alberts to force Griquas into submission up front. After that, they will release runners such as Lwazi Mvovo and Odwa Ndungane.

Mvovo (7) and Griquas’ Bjorn Basson (9) are the leading try-scorers in the competition.