Star Springboks loosehead Ox Nche is is back for the Sharks' clash against the Bulls.
Image: Backpagepix
Sharks coach JP Pietersen says his team’s chief aim against the Bulls on Saturday in Pretoria is to eliminate the sloppiness that caused their demise last week against the Lions.
The Sharks had gone into that URC match in a confident mood after their kicking game caught out the Stormers in both Cape Town and Durban last month. But the fired-up Lions never gave the Sharks a chance to get their game going by harrying them into errors.
“What we identified after the Lions game was that there were 22 unforced errors,” Pietersen said. “We were sloppy. We didn’t win the territory battle and only had 39 percent of the territory.
"Unfortunately, there were a lot of turnovers and knock-ons. This was an occasion where one plus one equals two — we can eliminate the opposition entries into our area if we are better at limiting turnovers and better in our overall execution.”
The Sharks have suffered a significant setback with the revelation that fullback Aphelele Fassi is not only out of the Bulls game but could miss a long period of rugby because of a shoulder injury. Pietersen said they are still determining the extent of the problem.
“Shoulder injuries are not my field of expertise, and I am waiting to see if the injury requires surgery or rehabilitation. If it is rehab, he will be out for a minimum of six weeks; if it is an operation, then he will be out for longer. I will have clarification soon.”
Junior Springbok star Jaco Williams shifts from wing to fullback. Williams has been a revelation since getting his chance a few matches ago. He is just 20 but oozes confidence, and Pietersen has no qualms about him taking over from Fassi.
“Jaco is primarily a fullback, so the position will be no problem for him,” the coach said. If Williams does run into problems, Pietersen has the option of moving starting fly-half Jordan Hendrikse to full-back and bringing Siya Masuku on from the bench.
After naming his team, Pietersen explained why there are not as many Boks back in the side as the public expected — there is still no Siya Kolisi, Grant Williams, or Ethan Hooker because of Springbok protocols.
“Siya, Grant and Ethan are all resting, but we do have Ox (Nche) and André (Esterhuizen) back after they rested last week. We were always going to play André in this game as he is our captain and is an important member of the team. It is good to have Ox back, too.”
Veteran wing Makazole Mapimpi has been recalled, and it will reassure Williams to have the Springbok stalwart’s experience close by. The Sharks can empty the tank at Loftus Versfeld because they have a three-week break after this game. Their next match is a URC fixture against Munster in Durban on Saturday, 21 March 2026.
Sharks team to play Bulls
15 Jaco Williams 14 Edwill van der Merwe 13 Jurenzo Julius 12 Andre Esterhuizen 11 Makazole Mapimpi 10 Jordan Hendrikse 9 Jaden Hendrikse 8 Phepsi Buthelezi 7 Vincent Tshituka 6 Tino Mavesere 5 Emie van Heerden 4Jason Jenkins 4 Corne Rahl 3 Vincnet Koch 2 Eduan Swart 1 Ox Nche.
Bench: 16 Fez Mbatha 17 Phatu Ganyane 18 Hanro Jacobs 19 Corne Rhal 20 Thomas Dyer 21 Ross Braude 22 Siya Masuku 12 Yaw Penxe.
* Mike Greenaway is a senior rugby reporter at Independent Media and contributor on our Last World on Rugby podcast on our YouTube channel, The Clutch