Former Southern Kings flyer Makazole Mapimpi heads an impressive trio of players who will be making their first appearances as members of a Cell C Sharks match day squad in Saturday’s Vodacom Super Rugby opener against the Emirates Lions.
Mapimpi, who was playing in the GuinnessPRO14 for the Cheetahs not that long ago, is joined in the starting team for the Johannesburg match by Robert du Preez. The latter is of course the man who helped dismantle the Sharks’ Currie Cup chances when he was wearing the blue and white hoops of Western Province last year but he is now a welcome addition to the team coached by his father of the same name.
There are in fact only two Du Preez’s in the Sharks 23 and flyhalf Robert is the only member of the clan in the starting team. It will be recalled that flanker Jean-Luc was injured in last year’s Currie Cup final while No 8 Daniel, like some of the other Sharks Boks, is making a delayed start to the season by playing off the bench in the Emirates Airlines Park clash.
Talking of the bench, the reserves could be the Sharks strength in this clash. One player who the Lions will know well is their former teammate Akker van der Merwe. The hooker, nicknamed the Angry Warthog by Supersport in-studio analyst Nick Mallett, is now set to perform the same role as he did at his former union, that of an impact sub who can dramatically change the course of a game with his presence.
Van der Merwe is the third member of the trio of newcomers, and he is joined on the bench by Bok prop Beast Mtawarira, as well as three players who played a big part in last year’s Currie Cup challenge – Michael Claassens, Curwin Bosch and Kobus van Wyk.
The latter’s relegation to the bench is a surprise as he was in the starting team in the warm-up fixtures, with Sbu Nkosi playing off the bench. Presumably Nkosi, who spent part of the off-season recovering from the injury that kept him out of the domestic decider, did enough in the pre-season games to force his way into the side at the expense of Van Wyk.
As anticipated, Lwazi Mvovo makes up the rest of the back three as the fullback, while the bulky presence and sheer forcefulness of Andre Esterhuizen edged out Marius Louw in the battle for the No 12 jersey.
Cameron Wright will be making his first Super Rugby appearance for the Sharks since returning from his stint overseas and a lot will be expected of him as the starting scrumhalf in the absence of the injured Louis Schreuder. There have been rave reviews about Wright’s form in the pre-season and with scrumhalf being a position of weakness in South Africa at present, he is a player that national mentor Rassie Erasmus might well take note of in the early weeks of the season.
Talking of the national coaches, most of whom will be at the Johannesburg game running their eye over the talent, Thomas du Toit will be playing at tighthead as per the request of the anticipated Bok forwards coach Pieter de Villiers.
Cell C Sharks team: 15.Lwazi Mvovo, 14.Sbu Nkosi, 13.Lukhanyo Am, 12.Andre Esterhuizen, 11.Makazole Mapimpi, 10.Robert du Preez, 9.Cameron Wright, 8.Keegan Daniel, 7.Jacques Vermeulen, 6.Philip van der Walt,5. Stephan Lewies, 4.Ruan Botha (captain), 3.Thomas du Toit, 2.Franco Marais, 1.Juan Schoeman. Replacements:16. Akker van der Merwe, 17.John-Hubert Meyer, 18.Beast Mtawarira, 19.Hyron Andrews, 20.Daniel du Preez, 21.Michael Claassens, 22.Curwin Bosch, 23.Kobus van Wyk.
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