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Cape Town - As they prepare to face Western Province at Newlands, Sharks coach Robert du Preez says they need to build on their solid start in this year’s Currie Cup Premier Division.
The Durbanites currently top the standings after four wins from as many matches.
There were wins over the Pumas (33-10, Nelspruit), Griquas (46-24, Durban), Boland (41-20, Wellington) and Blue Bulls (26-19, Durban).
But this weekend they face a tough challenge against a desperate Western Province outfit, who have already lost two matches.
“The attitude and character shown by our players to get the win against the Blue Bulls will definitely give them an added boost ahead of this weekend’s match,” Du Preez said after naming his team on Thursday.
“Four wins from four matches is a healthy position to be in at this stage of the competition, but we know that we need to keep improving each week to retain our position at the top of the table.
“We are up against another quality team this weekend that are always a difficult prospect at home. We need to stick to our structures and concentrate on our execution.”
Du Preez made just one change to the team that defeated the Blue Bulls. It comes amongst the backs where Lwazi Mvovo is replaced by S’bura Sithole on the wing after the former was recalled to the Springbok touring squad.
Saturday’s clash is scheduled for 17:10.
Teams:
Western Province
15 Cheslin Kolbe, 14 Werner Kok, 13 Johnny Kotze, 12 Huw Jones, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Robert du Preez, 9 Jano Vermaak, 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 7 Kobus van Dyk, 6 Stefan Willemse, 5 Chris van Zyl (captain), 4 JD Schickerling, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Scarra Ntubeni, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg.
Substitutes: 16 Neil Rautenbach, 17 Alistair Vermaak, 18 JP Smith, 19 Jan de Klerk, 20 Jurie van Vuuren, 21 Dewaldt Duvenage, 22 EW Viljoen
Sharks
15 Curwin Bosch, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 S'bura Sithole, 10 Inny Radebe, 9 Stefan Ungerer, 8 Philip van der Walt, 7 Jean-Luc du Preez, 6 Keegan Daniel (captain), 5 Ruan Botha, 4 Etienne Oosthuizen, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Franco Marais, 1 Juan Schoeman
Substitutes: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 John-Hubert Meyer, 18 Jean Droste, 19 Jean Deysel, 20 Michael Claassens, 21 Heimar Williams, 22 Rhyno Smith
