There have been some late injury changes to the Sharks side named to face the Rebels at Kings Park tonight.
Both Willem Alberts and Ryan Kankowski have failed late fitness tests, necessitating a back row reshuffle. Khaya Majola now starts at open side flank in his Super Rugby debut, with Renaldo Bothma moving to the back of the scrum. Etienne Oosthuizen will play blind side flank.
In the final change, Jean Deysel moves onto the bench as loose forward cover.
Kick off is just after 7pm.
Sharks: 15 Lwazi Mvovo, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 JP Pietersen, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Sibusiso Sithole, 10 Lionel Cronje, 9 Stefan Ungerer, 8 Renaldo Bothma, 7 Etienne Oosthuizen, 6 Khaya Majola, 5 Marco Wentzel (captain), 4 Mouritz Botha, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis , 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements: 16 Franco Marais, 17 Matt Stevens, 18 Lourens Adriaanse, 19 Lubabalo Mtyanda, 20 Jean Deysel, 21 Conrad Hoffmann, 22 Fred Zeilinga, 23 Heimar Williams.
Rebels: 15 Mike Harris, 14 Dom Shipperley, 13 Sefanaia Naivalu, 12 Mitch Inman, 11 Tom English, 10 Jack Debreczeni, 9 Luke Burgess, 8 Scott Higginbotham (captain), 7 Colby Fainga’a, 6 Sean McMahon, 5 Lopeti Timani, 4 Luke Jones, 3 Laurie Weeks, 2 Pat Leafa, 1 Toby Smith.
Replacements: 16 Tom Sexton, 17 Cruze Ah-Nau, 18 Paul Alo-Emile, 19 Cadeyrn Neville, 20 Scott Fuglistaller, 21 Nic Stirzaker, 22 Jordy Reid, 23 Bryce Hegarty.

Willem Sort of expected .. Ryan?? Injured, AGAIN?
If they win tonight, this might just be the spark to set off the new era.
@Morné (Comment 2) : I know you said Rebels by 15… I picked the exact opposite on SB.
Not the strongest Sharks team in the world but we expect any Sharks team to be good enough to beat the Rebels home or away.
Don’t let the standards drop tonight boys. Play for pride and our proud history.
#Iamveryworriedtonight
@SharksRTB (Comment 3) :
I will be very happy if they win (with all the shit they had to deal with in the last 4 months), but also surprised, because when you analyse this on current form, fitness and (forced) selections, the Rebels should have this with room to spare.
Why don’t they just start with deysel! Gosh these people
@Poisy (Comment 6) : maybe he’s not fit?
@robdylan (Comment 7) : Than why even put him on the bench? what happens if we have an early injury and we need him? There is never a valid excuse to play with an injured player! A person’s health and well being is more important than a game of rugby
GREAT run by Sbura!!!
Bothma seriously needs to learn to catch a ball! How many times have we seen him drop the ball? Too many.
Great break by Sithole.
A knock by Bothma spoils a very promising situation!
Our scrum is looking strong early on…
Bothma runs strongly off the back but we concede a penalty at the breakdown…
Oh my word, Owen Nkumane…are we going to have to listen to this all game long?
Sithole is looking seriously good!!
Bismarck tidies up well…the Sharks set up a few phases and then kick…
JP almost intercepts!
Still 0-0 after 8 minutes…
Beast needs some treatment…please don’t let Stevens have to play for 70 minutes…
Beast is limping but looks ok…phew!
Scrum reset…
Sharks concede a free kick for moving off the mark early…
Kick and chase works for the Sharks there…Rebels knock it and the Sharks have a put in…
Solid scrum by the Sharks and a good run from the backs, but good cover defence…
Nice pass by Lionel Cronje!
Ungerer so quick!!
The Sharks get a penalty after getting to 5m out…
Sharks kick for the corner…
Rebels penalised again and they put it into the corner again…
The Rebels steal the Sharks throw in!!!! Argh!!
The Sharks lose ANOTHER lineout a minute later! Come on man!!
Sharks are getting in their own way, nerves?
Good to see Majola get a crack…hope he has a good game. Beast down again…
Hope he’s ok…
Sharks very much on top but not scoring!
Lionel Cronje with a charge down and the Sharks get a penalty for picking up in an offsides position…
This time the Sharks take a shot…
Cronje nails it and it is 3-0 after 17 minutes…
The Sharks dealt with that kickoff well…Sithole is looking good tonight…
Mouritz Botha kicks away turnover ball…what the hell?!
Oh boy…Matt Stevens has to play 60 minutes…this can’t be good…
Lovely chase by Ndungane…
Esterhuizen did VERY well to bring Harris down safely there! Well done…
Kick turnover ball away – by a lock????
Jeepers there is one Rebel who but chirps the ref…with such an irritating voice!
Odwa does well again and the Sharks turn it over…good run by Sithole again, but it goes into touch…
Sithole and Mvovo looking good. Just that last pass not working.
3-0 after 22 minutes…
Mvovo knocks it…argh! Concentrate boys!!!
@Bokhoring (Comment 44) : Yes it’s the gameplan. Get the ball and kick it away, no matter who you are. That’s the rule don’t you know the first rule of South African rugby?
Rebels run it up well…still taking it through the phases…
Up to the 22…then a knock on…that is the 11th knock on in 24 minutes!!! My word!
Bismarck has a bit of a shiner it looks like…
The Sharks have only been in the Sharks 22 for a few seconds from the kickoff…
Stevens has looked quite ok so far…back line move from their 22, but a pointless kick by Odwa at the end of it…
The Sharks do well to clean that situation up, but Ungerer with a very poor kick straight out…
Lots of mistakes
As Butch just said: Sharks runners not running with much purpose…
Holy fuck this is boring
@Bokhoring (Comment 57) : Looooots!!!
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 59) : Very booooring!!
Odwa contests the kick very well…but now they go way back for handbags!!
TMO to check Bothma…
Once-proud union..
Weeks with a red card surely…THREE PUNCHES to Jannie…
Make that four punches…
Jannie slapped back of Weeks head for obstruction, Weeks punched repeatedly…
Red for a yellow – not a bad exchange.
Jannie will get yellow…Weaks will get red…
And Weeks is incensed and objects…what the hell?!
Good restraint from Jannie not to retaliate
This suddenly is exciting … thanks jannie
The quicker the du Plessis bugger off the better for Sharks rugby in the near future
Dirty Dups can take their toys and fuckoff now already.
Domkrag 🙄
Sharks get a penalty straight in front that Ungerer takes quickly…and the Sharks knock it again!!! Oh my hat!!
@Bokhoring (Comment 71) : Ja…
I hate what these Sharks have become under this regime. No discipline, no plan and no urgency. I hate it. Watch, another yellow at least is coming.
This is the biggest and most boring shit I have ever seen…..and again Jannie’s discipline is up to shit. Pity that prop didn’t knock his lights out. So glad him and his brother is [email protected] off….
Odwa is off for good…Heimar on…
Cronje chips and the Rebels knock…then the Sharks knock…what’s that? 573 knocks so far?
Sharks have an attacker ng scrum after all that…
Big scrum and Sithole scores!!!!
Sitole is by far our best back … try
Sithole is a beast!
Man, Sithole gets better every game. He’d be a super star in another team
Wow!! Great strength by Sithole…tackle 5m out and carried a couple of Rebels over the line!
Sithole with another great run and offload but Heimar knocks it!
TMO to check for a Rebels try…oh dear!
True to form almost piss away a try straight after scoring. 🙄
At the scrum from which Sithole scored Esterhuizen packed down at flank! I knew Jake had a plan back then?
Sithole jou yster!
JP has kept it up…jeepers, that is well done…
Sithole jou doing! Why he doesn’t get the starting berth on Centre is beyond me. JP skulking in the background while the wing comes in and does the heavy lifting.
Try cannot be awarded…held up…
Another knock brought that about! Jeepers but it is poor!
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 89) : Frustrating…
Oh…Naivalu knocks a shocking pass with an open line….
Penalty Rebels…they choose the scrum…
Durban dew looks heavy tonight
I want Bothma to stay. The boy has fire in his veins!
Sithole has been super n the last few weeks!
Higginbotham scores…
Great defense again Cronje
Lionel can’t tackle. 🙄
Good defence initially but then Cronje got run over by Higginbotham…
Poor tackle attempt from Cronje lets in the Rebels
Hahaha Butch James commenting on people tackling high.
This game is F’ing awful.
Tough conversion is over and it is 10-7 at halftime…
Bothma for me has been quite dusappointing … he runs away from support and gives away stupud penalties and tackles to high
Looking at that punch up in slow motion you have to say that Jannie did VERY well not to hit back once the punches started landing in his face…
Guys I missed some of the first half. But from replay it looks like their prop was punching Jannie. How is it Jannie got sent off?
Butch mentions that the Sharks tackles are way too high. Not sure if it is planned.
Cronje now been run over too many times in the last two weeks.
@byron (Comment 109) : The last penalty he gave away was pretty daft…dived right over there…
Jannie gave him a friendly pat
@byron (Comment 109) : He tries very hard, but not a very intelligent player.
@coolfusion (Comment 111) : Jannie got a yellow for a slap to the back of the guy’s head to start it all off…their guy got red for all those punches…fair enough…
Did their guy get carded? Or is this sanzar justice again where aus and nz get away with murder? If it was bissie it would have been 8 weeks straight.
@Bokhoring (Comment 116) : Agreed, way too many unforced errors.
Wow, Sithole has been good…
@pastorshark (Comment 117) : Sorry didn’t wait for a response. Yep red seems fair, plus some time in banishment like we always get.
@coolfusion (Comment 118) : He was red carded dude.
@coolfusion (Comment 121) : Yup…
Luckily the Rebels are kakker than us.
Sithole is about the only shining star in the Sharks team tonight.
Jannie being calm collected and disciplined this season…what’s happening? Am I high?
@pastorshark (Comment 120) : Excellent.
@Ben (Comment 119) : Way, way, waaaaaay too many!
@pastorshark (Comment 120) : @Ben (Comment 127) : Move him to 13 already. FFS!
@Bokhoring (Comment 116) : Spot on. The problem is that we don’t know how to use intelligent players, so we prefer dof bruisers with talent.
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 124) : This is true…
better get a bucket – this is fugly
@Ben (Comment 129) : Agreed…
@robdylan (Comment 132) : And to think that I left our village food market and some cold beers to watch this!!
@pastorshark (Comment 134) : It’s quarter past one in the morning and I’m watching this. 🙄
@pastorshark (Comment 117) : I actually thought Jannie would also get red…
@pastorshark (Comment 134) : Get your priorities right! 😛
Geez, but there is nobody who does “hangdog” quite as well as Gary Gold 🙂
I like Bothma sure he has some rough edges but so much heart…he will become great mark these words. PIETERSEN PIETERSEN? Absent sir!
@Ben (Comment 135) : Oh boy…
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 137) : I thought I was…I now see the error of my ways!!
You see the jannie love tap in virtually every match
@robdylan (Comment 138) : Mr Whatthefuckhaveigotmyselfinto
Mvovo very lucky not to get blown for that ball he so clearly dropped!!
@pastorshark (Comment 141) : 😆
Rebels attack as the Sharks are back to 15…
Yawn a try
That boys fast
Mvovo intercepts and is in at the corner!!
Well done, Mvovs…
The conversion is juuust wide…15-7 after 44 minutes…
Deysel on for Oosthuizen…
Sharks finally collect a kickoff cleanly, drive it up well and earn the penalty…
@pastorshark (Comment 152) : Thank goodness.
Big skip pass from Cronje to Williams…Sharks now penalised though…
The Rebels will take a 57m shot! Wow…
Ref got that one wrong
Wow…it had the distance but just to one side…
Wow, our ball retention is rubbish…either slow or untidy or both…
Deysel with a good steal earns a penalty…
An inside center … so thats what they are supposed to do … try
What a brilliant try by Heimar!!
This try equals Fekitoa’s against us for individual brilliance. 😎
Heimar at inside centre, beats plenty of defenders and then has pace to burn! Wow!! When last have we seen that by the Sharks?
Williams scores a great try. Now that is a smart player.
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 163) : Finally!!
Now Jannie backchats the ref and the Sharks are marched back 10…
Jannie now warned…
Deliberate knockdown ref …. hes played that on the floor … both legitimate ref
JP with a good break there…two linebreaks in 3 minutes…wow!
Wentzel steals a lineout but another error follows…
Haha Heimar try must be try of the series. How many defenders did he beat? He ran all corners of the field. Like a jackrabbit!
Sharks scrum penalised…
Ja Heimar at inside center please coach and sbura at 13. Esterhuizen just does not have that level of awareness.
Sharks kick it through and pit pressure on…good tidying up by Rebels…
22-7 after 58 minutes…
Higginbotham scores again! That was good…not great defence, but great running!
Horrible defense.
Higginbottom waltzes through some pisspoor tackling from the Sharks
Soft try poor defense! We are letting them back in.
That makes it 22-14 after 60 minutes…
If the Aussies don’t make Higginbotham their 8 and captain then I’ll be confused.
Jannie replaced…
Sithole is a strong boy!
Ja and still our defensive coach hotel has a job. After this he will probably go join eskom where he can continue getting paid for NOT delivering.
Meant to say horak
Majola steals that at the breakdown…he’s been quite good…
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 182) : Yup…
Seriously what is horak teaching them that the other coaches can’t what is his value? Cut the deadwood we don’t need him
All teams in the comp can do the scrummie running short for the flip to a big forward except guess who?
Break in play…
Great kick by Cronje…
Sharks maul again and earn the penalty…
Warning for the Rebels for side entry at maul time…so Sharks kick for the corner…
This time they defend the maul well…good handoff by Cronje, but ultimately ANOTHER knock! Ag kak!!
Botma really has poor hands
Great…Matt Stevens at flyhalf…just nit a good idea!!
I can’t just hear Matt Stevens say I’m getting too old for dis shit….
@Bokhoring (Comment 196) : 🙄
Stevens gets crunched…and Mvovo drops the kick…oh dear!
Mvovs has had an off day
Come on Mvovo. Schoolboy stuff!
Solid scrum this time…
How did the Rebels save that!! Oh my word…
That ball is just jumping loose all over the place really sloppy play, both sides!
Knock by Rebels…great chance Sharks…double knock! COME ON!!
To be fair to Stevens, that was not a knock…came off his knee…
Sharks need to score now to close out the game
Great position for the Sharks…can they make something of this?
This ref has ignored alot abd missed even more
Stevens is taking strain…reset…
@Bokhoring (Comment 208) : And get a bonus point…
Knock on number 1273…but the Sharks get a penalty…
If I was tech support I’d recommend a reboot
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 214) : Oh my word!! That grown men cannot catch a ball!!!
Kicking at goal now! Are you fucking kidding me??? 🙄
The Sharks go the conservative route and take the 3 points…25-14 after 73 minutes…
@pastorshark (Comment 215) : I have no words bud!
Great run by Mvovo…but the Sharks just can’t round chances like that off…oh boy!!
Rebels score…we are so crap!!!
Useless!
Ugh…no I have had enough. I’m sure we will win but this is just too ugly. This isn’t rugby this is fumbling can anyone catch a ball? Turning off now. The reels player bounced that ball like a basket ball and no knock on?
That pebalty syddenly look pretty important hey
No support at a ruck on attack and the Rebels score on the other side
Why was bothma playing fullback
Huge break Sharks…how could they not score?! Turnover Rebels…try time…just bloody useless!!
Deysel takes the ball up and gets tackled. NO Sharks supporting player within a 10m radius! WTF!!!!
Wow we are pathetic.
Bothma just can’t collect…almost away…
Rebels have shot at this…
We don’t want the bonus point!
Poor finishing by JPP
JP that was just useless!!! Great kick by Cronje…try time all the way…JP knocks it…
@Ben (Comment 231) : We don’t want the game…
Oh my word!!!
@Seth101 (Comment 234) : True.
@Ben (Comment 231) : We don’t want the win!!!
How did JP not score there?!
Higginbotham has enough brains and skills for an entire team
Sharks penalised!!!
Just bloody frustrating…
How much time left?
Bonus point try is pointless anyway
Sharks have it…and get a penalty…
@vanmartin (Comment 242) : 1 minute…
Will we go for the BP or kick it out?
Final whistle…25-21…
Congrats on the win Sharks, but that was piss poor.
What a yawn fest. Most boring game of rugby this year
Wow there was a lot of crap in all that…
Sharks win a scrappy game by 4 points playing 15 vs 14 for 40 minutes.
Wish I could put my hand on what’s missing. Unfortunately, I only have two
@Poisy (Comment 249) : Did you not watch the game against the Force?!
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 252) : A winning team.
I still don’t know how JP didn’t score at the end there! Wow…
Sithole was definitely the best Shark followed by Williams. Majola looked pretty promising. Old Odwa was full value while he was on. Mvovo spoiled some good runs and the intercept with dropping too many balls. The rest were pretty poor.
@Seth101 (Comment 254) : That wasn’t what was missing today…the winning team was there…just not a whole lot else…
I don’t hate myself enough to write a full report now.
Will do it in the morning
Higginbotham MOTM…could have been Sithole too…
@robdylan (Comment 258) : Good luck…
@pastorshark (Comment 257) : ‘winning’ 😉
@Seth101 (Comment 261) : Yeah, I hear you…
@pastorshark (Comment 259) : He pretty much scored or created all the Rebels tries and really carried his 14 men through the game.
Sharks were lucky they only had 14 men that 2nd half..
Guys in studio not buying the rebuilding phase Marco mentioned after game – cant blame them tbh.
@Bokhoring (Comment 263) : Fair enough…but Sithole was very good too…
@RedSharkUtd82 (Comment 264) : I think he meant trying to build something out of this rubbish season that can give them something to go forward with…it will pretty much be rebuilding after this season…
@robdylan (Comment 258) : why bother
@pastorshark (Comment 266) : Maybe – down to personal interpretation I guess.
So how do we rebuild this team … blank canvas … who do we keep and who do we buy?
@byron (Comment 269) : Stevens and Jp are first on the list to go imo.
Was it just me or was Wentzel’s closing comment about the fans turning up but not the supporters, pretty fuckin out of line considering how poor that was!!!
No look…I don’t begrudge it Higginbotham at all…just saying Sithole was also really good…
@neilster (Comment 271) : It was the other way around…the supporters turned up and not the fans…but ja, I hear you…
@neilster (Comment 271) : I thought Wentzel got it spot on – those that pitched, after this bad season, are the supporters. I think it was an appropriate thing to say and acknowledges those that pitch up to support their team, regardless of where they find themselves on the log.
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 274) : There is a subtle difference between a martyr and a masochist
And what about the rest of us who live far away? Are we not supporters? Are we not taking abuse too? No I think his comment showed little class. He should have been a little harder on the teams performance that is something he and the coaches CAN talk about and CAN control. The affections of the people is a by product for being excellent no a right to demand.
@neilster (Comment 271) : now this,an insult from a player who would not have even made it as water boy in the great Sharks teams of the past,what a mess,in fact Marco the reason that the rinky dink gets emptier weekly is due to the insult you call rugby that you dish up ,what an utter rubbish game ,how much lower can you drag this once mighty franchise