The Sharks team to face the Reds has been announced, with a few forced and unforced changes seen. Most notably, Charl McLeod claims the scrumhalf jersey from Fred Michalak, who gets to sit on the bench and cover both the halfback positions.
In the front row, Jannie du Plessis claims his jersey back from Wiehahn Herbst in a straight swop, while Anton Bresler comes in for the injured Ross Skeate, with Jandre Marais getting a call from Vodacom Cup action to sit bench.
The loose trio of Coetzee, Alberts and Daniel remain in place, with Botes always making an impact off the bench.
McLeod is the only change to the backline, and we should see Lambie and the outside backs getting better quality ball from the base of the scrum.
The Sharks
1. Dale Chadwick
2. Bismarck du Plessis
3. Jannie du Plessis
4. Steven Sykes
5. Anton Bresler
6. Marcell Coetzee
7. Willem Alberts
8. Keegan Daniel (Captain)
9. Charl McLeod
10. Patrick Lambie
11. Lwazi Mvovo
12. Tim Whitehead
13. JP Pietersen
14. Odwa Ndungane
15. Riaan Viljoen
Replacements:
16. Craig Burden
17. Wiehahn Herbst
18. Jandre Marais
19. Jacques Botes
20. Frederic Michalak
21. Meyer Bosman
22. Louis Ludik

This team looks good! 😀
Good changes. Hopefully we keep up the tempo and run the Reds off their feet!!
I like that we’re rotating our players. Hope Burden gets 25-30 minutes this weekend. He needs the game time!!
this is a good side. Hoping to see a really strong showing from Jannie and Anton
Very happy with the team. Now please give Burden at least 15min against the Reds.
@robdylan (Comment 3) : The position I’m the happiest with is 9. Glad McLeod is starting again.
Glad to see Ruth didn’t make the 22!! 😆
Good side, but a few guys have to improve for our forwards to dominate. Chadwick hasn´t taken the step up and Sykes and Daniel aren´t playing to their potential. We need all forwards to fire on all cylinders against the Reds.
Looks like heavy rain on saturday. Does that help us or them?
@rhineshark (Comment 7) :
How do you derive that Chadwick has not stepped up?
@jako (Comment 8) : Don’t think that will swing the pendulum in anyone’s favour. I do think that dry weather will suit us more, though. Meaning we have a better chance of winning the game if its dry imo.
@Ben (Comment 10) :
I dont think it will rain, to be very honest..
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 11) : That’s good.
Good team this. Said on the Jordaan thread I thought McLeod would start. Pleased he is. Good to see Jannie back too, hope he has a good game.
@jako (Comment 8) : Don’t take the weather forecast serious, they hardly get it spot on.
@jako (Comment 8) : Looks like heavy rain every Saturday and then it doesn’t. 🙂
The last time we played the Reds at the Tank in 2010 we beat them. Hoping we carry on from there…. 😎
Most important we keep the discipline and every player plays to their potential and the ref blows a fair game, we will beat them.
Go Sharks… 🙂
@Puma (Comment 13) : @KSA Shark © (Comment 14) : Weather forecasters have the nicest jobs. They sit their and think sh*t out the whole day and they don’t get fired if they were wrong!
Good team this. Sharks should be backing themselves to win this one. Would’ve liked to see Jordaan instead of Ludik on the bench but that might be a rotation thing and Ludik is always solid. As long as we keep the penalties to a minimum we can win it.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 14) : Hope not
@vanmartin (Comment 17) : What rotating players 10min at a time? Don’t think so. I think they want Jordaan to get some game time be we go overseas.
@vanmartin (Comment 17) : agree. def good enough side picked. It will all depend on the penalties me thinks
@Ben (Comment 19) : Sorry meant to say before we go overseas.
@Ben (Comment 16) :
They sure do have a easy job Ben. I have been doing a small extention to my house and can tell you, I have been looking at the weather for 3 months everyday now and they have hardly ever got it right. So really hoping they have it wrong again for Saturday.
@Puma (Comment 22) :
Good team. I hope the forwards man up against a good Reds pack. Very happy that McLeod is starting. It should give Lambie that extra second to execute.
@Pokkel (Comment 24) : Still on your Donkey Driven Laptop? 😆
@Ben (Comment 25) :
@Pokkel (Comment 26) : Not that far behind after all! 😆
And a BIG Happy Birthday To Culling Song today! 😀
Geluk my maat! Sien jou later by die Whisky Club!
Thats a pretty solid team. Come on Plum use that entire bench wisely! Lets hope a crowwill arrive and the rain will stay away. As much as I think rain will favour the Sharks I want to see a high paced game to prepare the Sharks for the overseas leg of the compo.
@Pokkel (Comment 28) : serious, Happy Birthday CS…!!!!
this is a gimme for the Sharks, bonus points guaranteed.
@Megatron (Comment 31) : You’ve been scarce. what’s up Mega?
@Ice (Comment 6) : LOL
The Sharks squad is looking strong and without the likes of Beast and Deysel you guys are sitting pretty imo.
Im wondering if the long injury lay off of Ludick has effected his confidence. On form he is a handy player to have around ..I hope you comes good.
Reds though will provide a stern challenge all the best !
Excellent team, Sharks by 13!
@vanmartin (Comment 17) : Discipline is key here. With the Reds kickers they can just keep bombing us with highballs and let us play and wait for us to give away penalties in our own half.
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 9) : He hasn´t impressed me as anything more than an average scrummager, he often loses the ball when he carries it up and his defense is poor. Maybe the stats show something different, but this is my perception purely from watching the games.
this is a very good team. we are going to score more tries with charl on 9. mark my words.reds be afraid,be very afraid
With Deysel not being fit yet will he still be going on tour?
@Danman110 (Comment 39) : I think he will.
@Pokkel (Comment 32) : sharks not winning too many games so nothing for me to comment on
@Ben (Comment 40) : So Coetzee should at least get a rest against the Brumbies.
@rhineshark (Comment 37) : He is still young and has a lot to learn. He has been thrown in at the deep end and needs to learn the ropes.
Happy for Jandre, hope he gets some time on the field. Will be a great confidence booster for him. He will not let the team down.
@Ben (Comment 19) : Yeah, you’re right – the rotation suggestion was probably not that well thought through 😳
@vanmartin (Comment 45) : 😆
@FS Shark (Comment 44) : congrats! Great opportunity
@robdylan (Comment 47) : check all my cool stars 🙂
@robdylan (Comment 48) : Lucky…
@robdylan (Comment 48) : ooohhhh!
@lostfish (Comment 43) : Sure, maybe I´m being a bit harsh considering.
Has anyone seen the series ‘Deadliest Warrior’ on SonyMax? (This is rugby related)
For those that haven’t, they use a sim program to create a battle between warriors from different eras and locations to see who would’ve won if they could ever face off, I was wondering if we could find a sim like that, but for rugby instead of war.
I for one would love to see the ’95 Sharks vs. the ’07 Sharks
Sorry for Jordaan not being in the team… But I guess that gametime is the main reason behind that?