No 8 Nick Hatton will captain the Sharks as one of 12 starting XV changes for Saturday’s EPCR Challenge Cup opener against Lyon at the Stade de Gerland.
He will pack down in a back row with Manu Tshituka and Matt Romao who, along with fullback Zekhethelo Siyaya, retain their spots from last week’s derby defeat by the Stormers.
Props Hanro Jacobs and Phatu Ganyane are set to pack down either side of hooker Ethan Bester, while Deon Slabbert and Stephan Lewies form a new-look second row.
There is also a return to action for Springboks Jordan Hendrikse and Jaco Williams, the former partnering veteran scrumhalf Ivan van Zyl and the latter linking up with Ziyaya and fellow winger Lili Bester.
In the midfield, the on-loan Suleiman Hartzenberg gets his first outing in the No 13 jersey alongside Murray Koster.
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Esethu Mnebelele, Cameron Dawson, Nemo Roelofse, Emile van Heerden, Tino Mavesere, Bradley Davids, Gianni Lombard and Jurenzo Julius will be relied on to make an impact off the bench.
JP Pietersen’s men are looking to build on their strong form in the first three rounds of the URC.
Adding to the Durbanites’ motivation, they are the only South African club to have won the Challenge Cup, and will draw inspiration from having advanced to the round of 16 last season.
Lyon, meanwhile, are in the middle of the Top 14 table after three wins in six matches and coming off three successive defeats.
SHARKS – 15 Zekhethelo Siyaya, 14 Jaco Williams, 13 Suleiman Hartzenberg, 12 Murray Koster, 11 Lili Bester, 10 Jordan Hendrikse, 9 Ivan van Zyl, 8 Nick Hatton (c), 7 Manu Tshituka, 6 Matt Romao, 5 Deon Slabbert, 4 Stephan Lewies, 3 Hanro Jacobs, 2 Ethan Bester, 1 Phatu Ganyane.
Bench: 16 Esethu Mnebelele, 17 Cameron Dawson, 18 Nemo Roelofse, 19 Emile van Heerden, 20 Tino Mavesere, 21 Bradley Davids, 22 Gianni Lombard, 23 Jurenzo Julius.
LYON – 15 Gabin Lorre, 14 Alfred Parisien, 13 Josiah Maraku, 12 Adrien Seguret, 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Paddy Jackson, 9 Baptiste Couilloud (c), 8 Maxime Gouzou, 7 Liam Allen, 6 Dylan Cretin, 5 Janse Roux, 4 Mickael Guillard, 3 Matteo Nocera, 2 Camille Chat, 1 Thomas Gallo.
Bench: 16 Mathis Sarragallet, 17 Hamza Kaabeche, 18 Thomas Marceline, 19 Marvin Okuya, 20 Lilian Baret, 21 Sanele Nohamba, 22 Léo Berdeu, 23 Thibaut Regard.
Photo: Steve Haag/Gallo Images
The post Hatton leads rejigged Sharks into Lyon’s den appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
No 8 Nick Hatton will captain the Sharks as one of 12 starting XV changes for Saturday’s EPCR Challenge Cup opener against Lyon at the Stade de Gerland.
The post Hatton leads rejigged Sharks into Lyon’s den appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
