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Highly rated fullback Perfect Fassi go back to Sharks team for their Currie Cup clash against the Cheetahs on Sunday.
The 22-year-old has been out of action for four months after undergoing shoulder surgery, but will start on the bench in Bloemfontein this weekend.
Fassi has been a revelation in Durban and was considered one of the form players in South Africa, sparking interest in the Springboks, before the coronavirus pandemic hit in March.
Sharks coach Sean Everitt has made four changes to his side, giving John Hubert-Meyer a close head start and welcoming Ruben van Heerden into the second row.
Among the running backs, there are also two changes with scrum half Jaden Hendrikse earning his first start for the side, while Jeremy Ward replaces Marius Louw in center.
“We were disappointed with the performance against the Lions, but we will attribute it to a bad day at the office and the guys are really motivated to rectify it this weekend,” Everitt explained.
“The guys still showed a lot of effort, but the truth is that we couldn’t fire a single shot and we never got out of the first gear. But funny, with 15 minutes to go, we had a chance to get a win the bag, but overall the performance did not deserve a victory. “
Everitt admitted that the Sharks’ focus will be more on themselves than the opposition for Sunday’s game.
“There were a lot of things that we didn’t do well against the Lions and those were the things that determine the results in games and we should focus on that rather than the opposition,” he said.
“We know what’s coming from the Cheetahs, they need to win their last three games to be in contention at the time of the knockout stage, so we have no illusions about what they will bring.
“It’s a challenge for us, but the players are certainly ready.”
The start is at 16:30.
Teams:
Cheetahs
15 Clayton Blommetjies, 14 William Small-Smith, 13 Dries Swanepoel, 12 Frans Steyn, 11 Rosko Specman, 10 Reinhardt Fortuin, 9 Ruben de Haas, 8 Jeandré Rudolph, 7 Oupa Mohoje, 6 Andisa Ntsila, 5 Reniel Hugo, 4 Carl Wegner (captain), 3 Khutha Mchunu, 2 Marnus van der Merwe, 1 Boan Venter
Substitutes: 16 Louis van der Westhuizen, 17 Cameron Dawson, 18 Conraad van Vuuren, 19 Victor Sekekete, 20 Chris Massyn, 21 Tian Meyer, 22 Howard Mnisi, 23 Rhyno Smith
Sharks
15 Manie Libbok, 14 Sbu Nkosi, 13 Lukhanyo Am (captain), 12 Jeremy Ward, 11 Yaw Penxe, 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 7 Henco Venter, 6 Dylan Richardson, 5 Aston Fortuin, 4 Ruben van Heerden, 3 John-Hubert Meyer, 2 Kerron van Vuuren, 1 Ox Nche
Substitutes: 16 Fezokuhle Mbatha, 17 Khwezi Mona, 18 Michael Kumbirai, 19 Hyron Andrews, 20 Thembelani Bholi, 21 Grant Williams, 22 Werner Kok, 23 Aphelele Fassi
