Cape Town - The Sharks have their Super Rugby destiny back in their own hands after the Rebels lost to the Reds on Friday.
It makes Saturday's clash against the Stormers absolutely crucial for coach Robert du Preez and his charges.
The Rebels, who went down 37-23 to the Reds in Brisbane, are in 8th position on the overall log of the competition and are holding onto the final wildcard playoff spot.
They have 35 points from 15 matches, and their final assignment in regular season is a trip to Dunedin to take on the Highlanders next weekend.
The Sharks, meanwhile, are on 32 points from 14 matches and have two matches left against the Stormers and the Jaguares in Durban next weekend.
A win for the Sharks in Cape Town, without a bonus point, would take them ahead of the Rebels and into 8th spot heading into the final weekend.
The Stormers, meanwhile, are out of playoff contention.
Saturday's match between the Stormers and the Sharks kicks off at 17:15.
Teams:
Stormers
15 Dillyn Leyds, 14 JJ Engelbrecht, 13 EW Viljoen, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Raymond Rhule, 10 Jean-Luc du Plessis, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (captain), 6 Kobus van Dyk, 5 Jan de Klerk, 4 Cobus Wiese, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 JC Janse van Rensberg.
Substitutes: 16 Ramone Samuels, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 JD Schickerling, 20 Juarno Augustus, 21 Herschel Jantjies, 22 Josh Stander, 23 Craig Barry.
Sharks
15 Curwin Bosch, 14 S’bu Nkosi, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Robert du Preez, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Daniel du Preez, 7 Jacques Vermeulen, 6 Philip van der Walt, 5 Ruan Botha (captain), 4 Tyler Paul, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Akker van der Merwe, 1 Juan Schoeman
Substitutes: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Beast Mtawarira, 18 John-Hubert Meyer, 19 Hyron Andrews, 20 Wian Vosloo, 21 Cameron Wright, 22 Marius Louw, 23 Kobus van Wyk