Van der Walt to captain Sharks

Cape Town - Sharks Director of Rugby Gary Gold has named his team to tackle the Blue Bulls in a Currie Cup clash in Durban on Friday (20:00 kick-off).

No 8 Philip van der Walt has been given the captain’s armband for this match as regular skipper Marco Wentzel drops down to the bench.

The Sharks team selected for is much the same as recent weeks as the they look to build continuity and develop partnerships.

Dave McDuling comes in for Wentzel at lock, with the latter getting a much-needed break after starting every match this season.

Flank Christiaan de Bruin gets his first start in a Sharks jersey after making his debut off the bench against Western Province. He replaces Jean-Luc du Preez in the only other change to the starting line-up which lost 26-18 to the Golden Lions in Johannesburg last weekend.

There is a also welcome return for Jean Deysel who has been named on the bench after injuring himself in the second round victory over the EP Kings.

Teams:

Sharks:

15. Odwa Ndungane, 14. Wandile Mjekevu, 13. Paul Jordaan, 12. Andre Esterhuizen, 11. S’bura Sithole, 10. Joe Pietersen, 9. Cobus Reinach, 8. Philip van der Walt (captain), 7. Christiaan de Bruin, 6. Francois Kleinhans, 5. Dave McDuling, 4. Etienne Oosthuizen, 3. Gerhard Engelbrecht, 2. Franco Marais, 1. Thomas du Toit

Substitutes: 16. Kyle Cooper, 17. Mzamo Majola, 18. Marco Wentzel, 19. Jean Deysel, 20. Michael Claassens, 21. Heimar Williams, 22. Garth April 

Blue Bulls:

TBA