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The coastal derby between the Sharks and Stormers will be the only United Rugby Championship match played on Saturday as a result of a postponed match from the opening round.
The match, which begins at 14:00 at Hollywoodbets Kings Park in Durban, will be crucial for both sides as they seek to secure their positions in the top eight of the standings in the coming weeks.
Here are the two lists of teams:
Sharks – 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Marnus Potgieter, 13 Ben Tapuai, 12 Rohan Janse van Rensburg, 11 Thaakir Abrahams, 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Cameron Wright, 8 Phepsi Buthelezi, 7 Henco Venter, 6 James Venter, 5 Gerbrandt Grobler, 4 Hyron Andrews, 3 Carlu Sadie, 2 Kerron van Vuuren, 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu.
Dan Jooste 16, Dian Bleuler 17, Hanru Jacobs 18, Reniel Hugo 19, Sikhumbuzo Notshe 20, Bradley Davids 21, Lionel Cronje 22, and Yaw Penxe.
15 Clayton Blommetjies, Stormers 14 Suleiman Hartzenberg, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Seabelo Senatla, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Herschel Jantjies, 8 Marcel Theunissen, 7 Junior Pokomela, 6 Deon Fourie (captain), 5 Gary Porter, 4 Ruben van Heerden, 3 Neethling Fouche, 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Brok Harris.
Subs: 16 Andre-Hugo Venter, 17 Ali Vermaak, 18 Sazi Sandi, 19 Ben-Jason Dixon, 20 Willie Engelbrecht, 21 Keke Morabe, 22 Paul de Wet, 23 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
In 2023, Springboks will spend over three months away from home.
The Stormers are presently in second position in the standings, 16 points behind log-leading Leinster, while the Sharks earned their way into the top eight with a 22-19 victory against Edinburgh in Scotland last weekend. The KZN side now has 33 points after 11 matches.
With five rounds remaining in the regular round-robin stages, a victory for the Durbanites may propel them into the top six in the standings.
The teams have been very evenly matched in terms of victories, but the KwaZulu-Natalians will be mindful of the Capetonians’ superior offensive and defensive records this season.
However, the Sharks have won four of their last five home games in the league, which will give them confidence heading into the match. However, due to the fierce rivalry between the two clubs, the game is certain to be a nail-biter.
The Stormers launched a powerful second-half charge and were granted two penalty tries – one of which came after the final whistle – to salvage some points in Durban in the corresponding matchup last season.
A week later, though, while playing at home, the Capetonians prevailed by a score of 20-10, and they will attempt to repeat that performance this weekend in the competition’s lone encounter.
»Team rosters and match start time for the Sharks-Stormers match«