The men from Durban will travel to Kimberly to face off against the Suzuki Griquas on Friday with their latest signings included in the match-day squad ahead of making their highly-anticipated debut.
During the season, the Hollywoodbets Sharks made some powerful statement signings by bringing back the likes of Andre Esterhuizen and Trevor Nyakane to South African shores.
This time it will be for the Black & White instead of the green and gold as the Hollywoodbets Sharks squad eye a much-improved performance from last week’s nail-biting loss to the Fidelity ADT Lions.
It will be Trevor’s debut for the Sharks on Friday as he makes up just one of five Springboks in the match day 23 for the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV.
💥Carling Currie Cup Team Release💥
— The Sharks (@SharksRugby) July 11, 2024
Your starting Hollywoodbets Sharks XV for tomorrow sees two of our new signings 🙌
Read full team release article on https://t.co/Cp6lcKZa0F#CarlingCurrieCup #GRIvSHA pic.twitter.com/2AvpTSF4xL
Another Springbok who makes the starting lineup is Ntuthuko Mchunu who takes over from Abraham Reynecke as loosehead prop, while Nyakane comes in at tighthead.
There is a welcome return for Phepsi Buthelezi coming in for Jannes Potgieter at blindside flanker that signals the final change among the forwards.
Springboks Makazole Mapimpi and Andre Esterhuizen swap out in the back line with Jaco Williams and Diego Appolis respectively.
Aphelele Fassi completes the lineup of Bok reinforcements, replacing Hakeem Kunene at fullback.
Speaking ahead of Friday’s encounter, head coach JP Pietersen was looking forward to seeing how his team will now fare with the new additions added to the team.
“We took a lot of positives out of last week’s game against the Lions, but we were disappointed as we felt we could have won that game. However, that’s all part of the learning, lots of youngsters put their hands up which is a massive positive for the union and shows we’re moving in the right direction with this young talent,” says JP Pietersen.
As much as the game comes in thick and fast for the coastal outfit, JP Pietersen will be cautious of the backlash that awaits them in Kimberly.
“They’ll want to bounce back, they’ve had a good year and they’re a confident team, and as a group, we know this is going to be a physical battle in Kimberley, but it’s an exciting challenge for us and we’re also confident going into this match”, says JP Pietersen.
Hollywoodbets Sharks team:
15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Yaw Penxe, 13 Muller du Plessis, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Lionel Cronje, 9 Bradley Davids, 8 Nick Hatton (captain), 7 Phepsi Buthelezi, 6 Tino Mavesere, 5 Reniel Hugo, 4 Coetzee Le Roux, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Daniel Jooste, 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu.
Replacements:
16 Kerron van Vuuren, 17 Abraham Reynecke, 18 Khwezi Mona, 19 Reinier Viljoen, 20 Jannes Potgieter, 21 Tiaan Fourie, 22 Murray Koster, 23 Eduan Keyter/Jaco Williams
