Pit the Bulls against the Sharks anywhere, anytime and you can bet that you are in for a mind-boggling struggle of strident proportions.
And that is exactly how it is going to be on Saturday evening when the Bulls, oddly enough in a position to be called the underdogs on this rare occasion in spite of beefing up their side with released Springboks, venture into the Shark Tank to resume this year’s intriguing Currie Cup rugby battle.
The first round this year went firmly to the Sharks at Loftus when they ran the Bulls ragged for a 37-28 victory.
Now the Sharks are riding high in pursuit of a home semifinal and even a final in Durban on October 14.
But beware, the Bulls are more than dangerous when cornered. And this side desperately needs points to keep their close neighbours, the resurgent Lions, out of the hunt for a spot in the top four.
Small wonder then that coach Pote Human has made no fewer than eight changes to his side and brought in Springbok heavyweights Wynand Olivier, Akona Ndungane, Pedrie Wannenburg and man of the day, Pierre Spies.
In a counter move, the Sharks have welcomed back Springboks JP Pietersen, Butch James, Ruan Pienaar, AJ Venter, Johann Muller, BJ Botha and Solly Tyibilika to their side. AJ Venter will captain the side.
Of interest will be the clash of the Ndungane twins. One has Bok colours. The other — Odwa — playing for the Sharks, is not too far off from that honour either. And of course, there is always the forgotten man, Brent Russell, as the Sharks’ assault weapon — who could come off the bench at any given time.
Indeed, it is a game of Test-match proportions. For the Sharks a win will go a long way towards them realising their dream of a possible Currie Cup final.
For the Bulls, five points gained will surely see off the late challenge of the Lions. A loss could be devastating to their plans. — Sapa
Teams:
Sharks: JP Pietersen; Odwa Ndungane, Waylon Murray, Bradley Barritt, Adrian Jacobs; Butch James, Ruan Pienaar; AJ Venter (captain), Jacques Botes, Warren Britz; Steven Sykes, Johann Muller; BJ Botha, Bismarck du Plessis, Kees Lensing. Substitutes: Jody Jenneker, Deon Carstens, Ryan Kankowski, Solly Tyibilika, Scott Mathie, Francois Steyn, Brent Russell.
Bulls: Johan Roets; Akona Ndungane, JP Nel, Wynand Olivier, Marius Delport; Derick Hougaard, Heini Adams; Pedrie Wannenburg, Hilton Lobberts, Pierre Spies; Francois van Schouwenburg, Danie Rossouw; Rayno Gerber, Gary Botha (captain), Jaco Engels. Substitutes: Adriaan Strauss, Danie Theron, Adriaan Fondse, Derick Kuhn, Neil Powell, Morne Steyn, Stefan Basson.