Vincent Tshituka will lead the Sharks at lock against Cardiff. Steve Haag Sports
The imminent Six Nations tournament has given the Sharks something of a reprieve in that eight first-choice Cardiff players have been called up to the Wales squad ahead of Saturday night’s match at the Cardiff Arms Park.
Coach John Plumtree will say “Fair is fair” because he has 18 of his best players in Durban as he contemplates this United Rugby Championship fixture.
It is a vital match as the Sharks look for a response to their Champions’ Cup annihilation in Bordeaux last week while also wanting to consolidate their healthy position on the URC log.
The Sharks are in fifth place while Cardiff are in a lofty third. This is an amazing position for a Welsh team because their teams are usually cellar dwellers.
In any case, they are likely to descend the ladder because they can ill afford eight top players going to the national team and the much-chastised Sharks should hit back after the disgrace in France.
The man tasked with leading the Durban fightback is an unlikely hero in Vincent Tshituka.
The man from the Congo, who was high schooled at Northcliff in Johannesburg, is a fantastic player and one day will play for the Springboks, now that his passport is sorted out.
So too will his younger brother, Manu. The latter has been exceptional on the flank for the Sharks and was arguably his team’s best player against Bordeaux.
He continues at blindside flank and his elder “boet” must accept the unfamiliar role of lock.
That is because the Sharks have virtually no other locks available, such is their injury crisis in the position after the last man standing, Corne Rahl, was concussed last week.
Plumtree said Tshituka will give the second row a good crack.
"It's good for him to be playing lock and loose forward," Plumtree said.
"The props have a lot of respect for him playing in that position, especially in terms of what he can do at scrum time.
"It's good for him to play both roles and, being an explosive jumper, he also understands the role he's occupying.
"He's a better seven than he is a four, and because of the injuries we have, we need him there."
After losses to Toulouse and Bordeaux in the Champions Cup, Plumtree says his players need a big response in the URC.
"We've got to be hungry and, even though we've got a bit of break coming up, we need to empty our tanks after what happened in Bordeaux," Plumtree said.
"We need to make sure our mental and physical batteries are full for this one, but we have a good plan in place.
"It's a case of the boys going out and executing the plan."
Sharks team
15 Jordan Hendrikse, 14 Yaw Penxe, 13 Jurenzo Julius, 12 Ethan Hooker, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Siya Masuku, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Nick Hatton, 7 Emmanuel Tshituka, 6 Phepsi Buthelezi, 5 Jason Jenkins, 4 Vincent Tshituka (captain), 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu.
Substitutes: 16 Ethan Bester, 17 Ruan Dreyer, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Deon Slabbert, 20 Jeandre Labuschagne, 21 Jaden Hendrikse, 22 Francois Venter, 23 Lukhanyo Am.
Related Topics: