Durban - Eugene van Staden will face a late fitness test on his troubled hamstring to determine if he will make the Sharks bench for Friday's Currie Cup clash against the Pumas in Nelspruit.
The big prop was bracketed with Julian Redelinghuys among the reserves in the Sharks team named on Wednesday.
Van Staden was dropped from the starting XV in the only change to the match 22 that did duty in the 35-16 victory over the Blue Bulls in Durban last week.
He was replaced by Dale Chidwick in the run-on team, the Sharks announced, and if he failed the late fitness test, he was to be replaced by Redelinghuys on the bench.
Sharks coach John Plumtree opted for continuity, with rookie Mark Richards swapping wings with the more experienced Louis Ludik in the only other alteration to the team.
New captain Keegan Daniel, named Man of the Match last week, was again expected to marshal the forwards, while veteran back Stefan Terblanche, new signing Marius Joubert and Frenchman Frederic Michalak would all be key in the backline.
Sharks: 15 Stefan Terblanche, 14 Mark Richards, 13 Marius Joubert, 12 Meyer Bosman, 11 Louis Ludik, 10 Frederic Michalak, 9 Ross Cronje, 8 Keegan Daniel (captain), 7 Marcell Coetzee, 6 Jacques Botes, 5 Ross Skeate, 4 Anton Bresler, 3 Wiehahn Herbst, 2 Craig Burden, 1 Dale Chadwick
Substitutes: 16 Kyle Cooper, 17 Julian Redelinghuys/Eugene van Staden, 18 Jan Andre Marais, 19 Francois Kleinhans, 20 Jacobus Reinach, 21 Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 22 Sibusiso Sithole
Pumas:
TBA