Sharks suffer Eben Etzebeth blow for crunch Bulls URC clash

The Sharks will go into battle without their Springbok talisman Eben Etzebeth in their second row for Saturday's United Rugby Championship semifinal against the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld.

Etzebeth was a training-field casualty this week and his place goes to Corne Rahl who will partner Emile van Heerden.

Though Rahl brings energy and vitality, Etzebeth's absence is a huge blow to the Sharks who will hope to match and even top the Bulls' physicality on their home patch.

Etzebeth is not the only high-profile absentee from the Sharks team, as fellow Boks Grant Williams, Jason Jenkins and Trevor Nyakane are also on the casualty list.

There is the wide belief that the Sharks will need all their Bok hands on deck to meet success at Loftus Versfeld but the reality is they have learnt to roll with the punches against the Bulls this season.

Last December the Sharks prevailed 20-17 over the Bulls in Durban, while their February clash in Pretoria ended 29-19 in favour of the visitors.

As resourceful as the Bulls have been to win their last seven URC clashes, they earlier in the season struggled to match the Sharks who can seamlessly switch through the gears and play at a higher tempo.

That area of the Sharks' game makes them a particularly difficult adversary playing on Loftus Versfeld's harder surface.

The Sharks, in the URC and Currie Cup, have averaged about 30 points across their last eight games at Loftus.

And while the Sharks have won admirers for their transitional play and devastating exploration of the wide open spaces, it is their ability to stand their ground in the scrum that could in large part determine their destiny in the capital.

The Bulls, mostly through their immovable tight head Wilco Louw, have emasculated opposing scrums this season and the presence of an all-Springbok Sharks front row will likely draw more snort and grunt from the hosts.

The Bulls' 60 scrum penalties is the highest tally in the competition and they boast a success rate of 94% on their feeds in this campaign, while the Sharks have a success rate on their ball of 89%.

The Sharks have committed 45 scrum offences this season, while the Bulls have fallen on the wrong side of the referee 31 times.

Though both teams have found ways to win tight matches this season, both will lament their inability to maintain focus and intensity across 80 minutes.

The Sharks in particular have displayed Jekyll and Hyde characteristics which have seen them fall short of their potential.

This weekend's captain Siya Kolisi is all too aware of their shortcomings.

“The most important thing is finding a way to win when things aren’t going well. I’ve been in a team where we played amazing rugby and we still lost. You can have that, or you can have what we’re going through. But the ultimate goal is to play the kind of rugby we know we’re capable of playing.”

Bulls coach Jake White made only one change to his starting line-up that defeated Edinburgh last weekend by recalling Springbok flyhalf Johan Goosen, which means Keagan Johannes is now on the replacements’ bench.

Sharks Team: 

Aphelele Fassi; Ethan Hooker, Lukhanyo Am, André Esterhuizen, Makazole Mapimpi; Jordan Hendrikse, Jaden Hendrikse; Siya Kolisi (captain), Vincent Tshituka, James Venter; Emile van Heerden, Corne Rahl; Vincent Koch, Bongi Mbonambi, Ox Nche.

Substitutes: Fez Mbatha, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Hanro Jacobs, Deon Slabbert, Phepsi Buthelezi; Bradley Davids, Jurenzo Julius, Yaw Penxe

Bulls Team:

15 Willie le Roux, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 David Kriel, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Sebastian de Klerk, 10 Johan Goosen, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Cameron Hanekom, 7 Ruan Nortje (Captain), 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 JF van Heerden, 4 Cobus Wiese, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels.

Replacements: 16 Akker van der Merwe, 17 Simphiwe Matanzima, 18 Mornay Smith, 19 Jannes Kirsten, 20 Marco van Staden, 21 Zak Burger, 22 Keagan Johannes, 23 Devon Williams

Referee: Andrew Brace

Assistant referees: Sam Grove-White, Adam Jones.

TMO: Mike Adamson

Kickoff: 6.15pm