Wright to debut for Sharks

07 August 2014 - 15:06 By Sapa
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Cameron Wright of the Sharks during the Absa U/19 match between The Sharks and Toyota Free State at Growthpoint Kings Park.
Cameron Wright of the Sharks during the Absa U/19 match between The Sharks and Toyota Free State at Growthpoint Kings Park.

Cameron Wright is the only uncapped player named in an experienced Sharks line-up for their opening Currie Cup encounter against Griquas in Kimberley on Saturday.

The 20-year-old will start at scrumhalf for the defending champions, who are without most of their senior players away on Springbok duty, and other veterans of the Durban franchise who have moved on.

However, the starting XV is still a formidable one, boasting several experienced heads like wing Odwa Ndungane and flanker Jacques Botes, mixed among players who were an integral part of the Currie Cup-winning team -- namely flyhalf Fred Zeilinga, fullback SP Marais and recently-capped Bok lock Stephan Lewies.

Midfield pair S'bura Sithole and Paul Jordaan were also called up to the national squad as recently as June, while new captain Tera Mtembu starts at eighthman.

"We're very excited ahead of our Currie Cup campaign," coach Brad Macleod-Henderson said.

"We have a tough start playing Griquas away in Kimberley and everyone knows it's not an easy place to go and get a result but the guys are looking forward to it.

"But we've had a good week's training, there has been great energy, a lot of young guys, everyone is looking forward to playing -- especially those who haven't played as much rugby as they would have liked this year -- so it's a great opportunity and everyone is very excited."

Macleod-Henderson is the head coach for the campaign as director of rugby Jake White takes up a more observatory role following the Super Rugby competition where the Sharks reached the semi-finals.

"We're really looking forward to the challenge. It's a tough competition, back-to-back week after week and a couple of our competitors have had a fair bit more time to prepare than us, but that's one of the consequences of being the most successful South African franchise in Super Rugby this year."

New signing Lionel Cronje, who joined from the Brumbies last week, is on the bench, where there are three other possible debutants -- JC Astle, Hanco Venter and former England prop Matt Stevens, who joined the union on a two-year deal back in February.

With Saturday being Women's Day, the Sharks also announced that each member of the team will have the name of the most significant female in their lives displayed on the back of their respective jerseys.

The Sharks team: SP Marais, Odwa Ndungane, S'bura Sithole, Paul Jordaan, Tonderai Chavhanga, Fred Zeilinga, Cameron Wright, Tera Mtembu (captain), Etienne Oosthuizen, Jacques Botes, Stephan Lewies, Marco Wentzel, Lourens Adriaanse, Kyle Cooper, Thomas du Toit.

Replacements: Monde Hadebe, Dale Chadwick, Matt Stevens, JC Astle, Francois Kleinhans, Hanco Venter, Lionel Cronje.

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