Johannesburg - The Sharks team to face the Cheetahs at the Absa Stadium on Saturday afternoon has been bolstered by the return from injury of flank Keegan Daniel and fullback Louis Ludik.
Ludik has missed the last three weeks of action and slots back into his preferred position, with captain Stefan Terblanche shifting to outside centre and Andries Strauss returning to the No 12 jersey. Riaan Swanepoel drops to the bench.
In the only change to the pack, Daniel has been named at flank in place of Jacque Botes after missing last weekend’s match with an ankle strain.However, Plumtree said Daniel still had to come through a fitness test on Friday.
“Keegan didn't train today, but we will fitness test him on Friday and hope that ankle injury will improve. He's still feeling it a little bit, but it's a lot better.”
It’s an extremely important match for both teams this weekend, with the Sharks looking to maintain their strong position at the top of the log -they enjoy an eight point lead - while the Cheetahs will be aiming to win their fifth game on the trot.
On another note, the Sharks will also be raising awareness for cancer by wearing limited edition black and pink jerseys, and encourage all spectators coming to the game to "go pink".
The Sharks:
Louis Ludik, Odwa Ndungane, Stefan Terblanche (Captain), Andries Strauss, Lwazi Mvovo, Patrick Lambie, Charl McLeod, Ryan Kankowski, Willem Alberts, Keegan Daniel, Alistair Hargreaves, Steven Sykes, Eugene van Staden, Craig Burden, Patric Cilliers.
Replacements: Kyle Cooper, Wiehahn Herbst, Michael Rhodes, Jacques Botes, Rory Kockott, Andre Pretorius, Riaan Swanepoel.