Durban - The Sharks have announced an unchanged starting line-up for their Super Rugby clash against the Bulls on Saturday.
The Durbanites have turned a corner somewhat this season with a win over the Blues and a one-point loss to the Hurricanes bringing the curtain down on their Australasian tour.
Saturday's clash against the Bulls is massive in terms of the South African playoff race, with the Sharks in second just four points ahead of the Bulls in fourth.
While there is no movement in the starting line-up, the Sharks are boosted by the return of loose forward Dan du Preez, who has recoevered from a long injury lay-off to take his place on the bench.
"Over the past two weeks, we really started to click as unit on-field and we want to carry that momentum going into our next two matches, before the break," head coach Robert du Preez said.
"This is going to be a typical local derby match and it’s important that we stick we to our plans and execute them accurately on the day.
"It’s always a special feeling to play in front of our home fans and we are happy to be back home."
Kick-off on Saturday is at 17:15.
Teams:
Sharks
15 Curwin Bosch, 14 Sbu Nkosi, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Robert du Preez, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Tera Mtembu, 7 Jean-Luc du Preez, 6 Philip van der Walt, 5 Stephan Lewies, 4 Ruan Botha (captain), 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 1 Tendai Mtawarira
Substitutes: 16 Akker van der Merwe, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 John-Hubert Meyer, 19 Tyler Paul, 20 Daniel du Preez, 21 Cameron Wright, 22 Marius Louw, 23 Kobus van Wyk
Bulls
15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Johnny Kotze, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Burger Odendaal (captain), 11 Divan Rossouw, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Ivan van Zyl, 8 Hanro Liebenberg, 7 Thembelani Bholi, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Lood de Jager, 4 RG Snyman, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Pierre Schoeman
Substitutes: 16 Jaco Visagie, 17 Lizo Gqoboka, 18 Frans van Wyk, 19 Jason Jenkins, 20 Roelof Smit, 21 Andre Warner, 22 Manie Libbok, 23 Duncan Mathews
