Sharks name their team to take on the Crusaders

Mar 24 • General News, Super Rugby • 1071 Views • Comments Off on Sharks name their team to take on the Crusaders

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Date	: Saturday, 26 March 2016
Time	: 17h15
Venue	: Growthpoint KINGS Park
Referee	: Jaco Peyper
Assistant Referees	: Jaco van Heerden, Cwengile Jadezweni
Television Match Official	: Johan Greeff

15. Willie le Roux
14. JP Pietersen
13. Paul Jordaan
12. Andre Esterhuizen
11. Lwazi Mvovo
10. Joe Pietersen
9. Cobus Reinach
8. Philip van der Walt
7. Jean-Luc du Preez
6. Marcell Coetzee
5. Stephan Lewies
4. Etienne Oosthuizen
3. Coenie Oosthuizen
2. Franco Marais
1. Tendai Mtawarira (C)

Replacements
16. Kyle Cooper
17. Juan Schoeman
18. Lourens Adriaanse
19. Hyron Andrews
20. Daniel du Preez
21. Michael Claassens
22. Garth April
23. Odwa Ndungane

Notes:
Quotes from Director of Rugby, Gary Gold.

“We have a huge amount of respect for the Crusaders team, who have consistently set the benchmark in the history of this competition. It is not only their style of play that is impressive, but also the quality of players they produce. The core of their team is made-up of world class All Blacks and the fact that they have played together for such a long time, and know each other so well makes them a formidable outfit.

“This is obviously the first of the five New Zealand teams we will be playing in 2016 and will be our toughest challenge to date. It will give us a clear benchmark of the progress we’ve made. We understand the magnitude of this game and if you want to succeed in this competition you need to beat the best.”

“Our focus is on ourselves and our processes and we have worked really hard in the lead-up to this match. It is important to us to restore pride in our performance and gain back the faith of our supporters. I really want to commend the character and fortitude shown by our players in the 2^nd half against the Bulls, which is indicative of the great team spirit and determination that surrounds our team currently.
“It will be an absolute privilege for this new generation team to play against a top New Zealand team like the Crusaders, who have some of the best players in the world, and we are ready to raise the level of our performance on Saturday. There’s going to be great crowd at Growthpoint KINGS PARK, and we certainly intend to give them reason to cheer and to sustain our strong start to the season.”

Interesting Facts

The Cell C Sharks have won 21 of their last 25 matches when hosting a team from outside of South Africa;
The Cell C Sharks remain the only team yet to concede a second half try this season;
The Cell C Sharks remain unbeaten in their last seven fixtures (W6, D1), a win ordraw against the Crusaders would equal the team’s longest unbeaten run in Super Rugby history.

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