Sharks to beef up for Bulls friendly in Ballito

Cape Town - Sharks stars who missed the pre-season clash against the Lions in Cape Town will get a run in Saturday's friendly against the Bulls.

The Sharks picked a team with a nice mixture of experience and youth for the Superhero Sunday clash at Cape Town Stadium but coach Robert du Preez has indicated that he'll be looking to give players who missed the outing a run this weekend.

The Sharks lost 19-14 to the Lions and this weekend's match against the Bulls will be their final one before opening their Super Rugby campaign against the Sunwolves in Tokyo on February 16.

"We'll use a squad of 30 players (against the Bulls), and we want to give the bulk of the game time to those players who will be travelling to play the Sunwolves. So it will be an opportunity for the likes of Andre (Esterhuizen), Rob (du Preez), Coenie (Oosthuizen), Ruan (Botha) and Beast (Mtawarira) to feature," Du Preez said, as quoted by SA Rugbymag.

The Sharks also have two injury concerns, with prop Thomas du Toit pulling out before the Lions game due to an ankle injury and wing Makazole Mapimpi injuring his hamstring. More on their availability will be known later in the week.

Du Preez said he was happy with the team's efforts against the Lions.

"There were 11 youngsters who played for the Sharks for the first time, and that was good to give them some exposure and confidence."

Saturday's clash against the Bulls will be played in Ballito (14:00 kick-off).

The Black Panthers will be on the prowl once again this weekend when #OurSharks take on @CaptainAmerica's Vodacom @BlueBullsRugby in a pre-season game at Ashton College Ballito.

Book your tickets now at the Sharks Cage or Ashton College Reception. R20 for Adults & R10 for Kids. pic.twitter.com/SJmbGZFXyq

— The Sharks (@TheSharksZA) February 4, 2019