Sharks coach Fynn: players need to stand up against experienced Bulls

Sharks Currie Cup coach Etienne Fynn has challenged his players to stand up and be counted against the Bulls, who selected a number of their United Rugby Championship (URC) regulars for the domestic clash on Wednesday.

The Bulls will welcome their bitter rivals to Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria (8pm). The Pretoria side picked six players who featured against Munster in the international competition on Saturday to start in their Currie Cup meeting with the Sharks.

The Bulls are due to entertain Scarlets of Wales in the URC in Pretoria on Friday.

For Wednesday's match, the Pretoria-based franchise went for URC stars such Morne Steyn, Madosh Tambwe, Lionel Mapoe, Harold Vorster and Arno Botha.

“It’s clear that the Bulls have gone out and picked the strongest available team and they are clearly targeting this game,” said Fynn on Tuesday. “That’s what it's about. It’s about competing, and our players will want to measure themselves against the best the Bulls can offer.

“If you take the other side of a coin, if you take a young Murray Koster who comes up against Harold Vorster, it's an opportunity for Koster to stand up and be counted. It works both ways.

“The late [Cheetahs prop] Dougie Heymans once told me when he was in his early 30s that, ‘Just this past weekend I was playing club rugby and I got taught a lesson'.

“So you just have to bring it every weekend, whether you’ve played 100 senior games or are just a young player in his third game. You bring it and get counted.”

The Bulls also have flyhalf Chris Smith on the bench while the match marks a return for Cyle Brink from a hamstring injury as he starts at blindside flank.

Despite the Bulls being Currie Cup title holders, their fixtures against the coastal side are always the talk of the town because of the great rivalry between the franchises.

Fynn said the Bulls have selected a more experienced side.

“The Bulls are the Bulls and they are at Loftus, so they won’t stray far from their DNA and they have evolved in their game, that’s clear,” Fynn said. “In terms of preparation we have been as complete as we can. Ultimately, it’s about being there and performing against them on their own field. Yes, they have some great players but so do we.”

The Cheetahs and Sharks are the only teams that are yet to lose a match in the Currie Cup and they’ve both played four matches so far.

Teams —

Bulls: 15. Kurt-Lee Arendse, 14. Canan Moodie, 13. Lionel Mapoe, 12. Harold Vorster, 11. Madosh Tambwe, 10. Morne Steyn, 9. Keagan Johannes, 8. WJ Steenkamp, 7. Arno Botha (captain), 6. Cyle Brink, 5. Janko Swanepoel, 4. Walt Steenkamp, 3. Kowie Roos, 2 .Schalk Erasmus, 1. Lizo Gqoboka.

Substitutes: 16. Johan Grobbelaar, 17. Gerhard Steenekamp, 18. Jacques van Rooyen, 19. Ruan Nortje, 20. Elrigh Louw, 21. Marco Jansen van Vuren, 22. Chris Smith, 23. Cornal Hendricks.

Sharks: 15. Inny Radebe, 14. Yaw Penxe, 13. Marnus Potgieter, 12. Murray Koster, 11. Curwin Gertse, 10. Tito Bonilla, 9. Cameron Wright, 8. Celimpilo Gumede, 7. Thembelani Bholi, 6. James Venter (captain), 5. Hyron Andrews, 4. Emile van Heerden, 3. Wiehahn Herbst, 2. Fez Mbatha, 1. Dian Bleuler.

Substitutes: 16. Dan Jooste, 17. Braam Reyneke, 18. Lourens Adriaanse, 19. Jeandre Labusagne, 20. Ntsika Fisanti, 21. Sanele Nohamba, 22. Jordan Chait, 23. Ethan Fisher.