Building a Lead – Featured Durban Blog MyZA

Building a Lead:

The Cell C Sharks Under 21s will want to go all out to secure victory against the Golden Lions Under 21s at Emirates Airline Park on Friday afternoon in their bid to maintain a top four finish in the SA Rugby Under 21 Championship.

Now into the second round, the top four teams have put some distance between themselves and the chasing pack with five points separating Western Province in fourth place and the Lions fifth with 11 points.

The Blue Bulls continue to lead the table on 25 points, but Free State are close behind with 22 followed by the Cell C Sharks Under 21s on 18.

Head coach Mike Vowles will be asking his charges to show the same kind of determination and ruthlessness they displayed in last week’s victory over the Leopards while the Lions will be mindful of the gap they need to close if they have any hopes of making the semi-finals.

Wing Caleb Dingaan was in particularly good form in the 73-28 win, scoring four tries with contributions from Cullen van der Merwe, Jaden Hendrikse (2), Henry Chamberlain (who also converted none), Sicelo Tole (2) and Muller du Plessis in a comprehensive victory that heralded 11 tries to the four from the Leopards.

Vowles has the good fortune of being able to name an unchanged starting XV for this match with the only changes to last week’s side coming on the bench where James Scott and JJ van der Mescht are in for Cole Haggard and Lunga Ncube respectively.

The away match at Emirates Airline Park kicks off at 1pm on Friday.

Cell C Sharks Under 21s

1. Sean Barnes
2. Cullen van der Merwe
3. Francois Klopper
4. Dylan Weideman
5. Emile van Heerden
6. Adam Mountford (Captain)
7. Jeandre Labuschagne
8. Evan Roos
9. Jaden Hendrikse
10. Boeta Chamberlain
11. Caleb Dingaan
12. Murray Koster
13. Henk Cilliers
14. Sicelo Thole
15. Muller du Plessis

Replacements
16. Donovan Grant
17. James Scott
18. Tiaan de Jager
19. JJ van der Mescht
20. Ntsika Fisanti
21. Xavier Swartbooi
22. Le Roux Malan
23. Asanda Khunene

The post Building a Lead appeared first on Sharks Rugby.

One Change for Pumas:

The Cell C Sharks team named to play the Phakisa Pumas in Nelspruit in an important Currie Cup clash on Saturday afternoon is almost entirely unchanged from the team that defeated Western Province in round two.

There’s been a week’s bye, but that only meant a break from playing as the team continued to put in the hard yards on the training field in their quest to maintain the form that provided the foundation for such an important win in round two.

Following up on the result against Western Province with a successive victory will only enhance the reigning champion Cell C Sharks’ efforts to emulate the heroics of the successful 2018 competition when they defeated Western Province in the final at Newlands.

But there is no focus on the outcome, rather the performance and the coaching staff and players have been hard at work over the last week – despite the bye – in preparing for Saturday’s round three match against tricky opposition that has yet to register a win but which deserves plenty of respect.

Head coach of the Cell C Sharks Sean Everitt has, like the last match, kept the side together and again has made just one change, this time amongst the forwards where Phepsi Buthelezi will start at flank with Jacques Vermeulen shifting to the bench.

“The team is in a super-excited mood and keen to get the campaign back on track after the break and following a good finish against Western Province two weeks ago,” explained Everitt in the build-up to the match.

“It’s important that we keep the momentum going into the next round against the Pumas who we’re expecting to prove to be difficult opponents so we’re going to have to be on top of our game on Saturday to be able to get the result.”

Cell C Sharks