Sharks look to get their first win in URC vs Zebre

The Hollywoodbets Sharks will be looking to end their four-week Vodacom United Rugby Championship European tour on a positive note when they take on Zebre Parma on Friday evening.
It’s been a difficult month for a young Hollywoodbets Sharks team, starting their campaign overseas and taking on two Irish powerhouses of rugby in the opening fortnight, before a trip to London to play Ospreys last week.  
The average age of 23, underlines that this young side is still growing, and change does take time to adopt. A heavy injury toll that includes hooker Kerron van Vuuren, locks Gerbrandt Grobler, Reniel Hugo and Le Roux Roets, loose forward Vincent Tshituka, flyhalf Curwin Bosch and scrumhalf Francois Hougaard has also played a role. Given this injury toll and the missing Springboks, this tour experience and the learnings from it, will hold this young team in good stead moving forward.

Tomorrow evening, the Hollywoodbets Sharks will be looking to make it three from three against their Italian opponents. The inaugural season of VURC action delivered a 38-6 win for the Hollywoodbets Sharks at Hollywoodbets Kings Park, while the last edition in the 2022/23 season brought about a much closer result, Zebre going down 37-42 at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi in Parma, the venue for Friday’s clash.

Head coach John Plumtree has been fortunate to be able to mostly retain the same starting line-up and looking to build continuity, making just two changes.
George Cronje starts at eighthman, swapping jerseys with last week’s incumbent Sikhumbuzo Notshe, while Boeta Chamberlain has come into the starting line-up in place of Curwin Bosch.
It is all about ending the tour on a high and these young men will certainly be up for the challenge.

Hollywoodbets Sharks
1. Ntuthuko Mchunu
2. Dylan Richardson
3. Coenie Oosthuizen
4. Corne Rahl
5. Emile van Heerden
6. James Venter
7. Phepsi Buthelezi
8. George Cronje
9. Cameron Wright
10. Boeta Chamberlain
11. Aphiwe Dyantyi
12. Rohan Janse van Rensburg
13. Francois Venter (c)
14. Werner Kok
15. Aphelele Fassi

Replacements
16. Daniel Jooste
17. Khwezi Mona
18. Hanro Jacobs
19. Hyron Andrews
20. Sikhumbuzo Notshe
21. Zee Mkhabela
22. Lionel Cronje
23. Marnus Potgieter

Players not available for selection due to injury:

•    Bongi Mbonambi - knee
•    Curwin Bosch - concussion
•    Eduan Keyter - knee
•    Francois Hougaard - knee
•    Kerron van Vuuren - knee
•    Le Roux Roets - knee
•    Muller du Plessis - knee
•    Nevaldo Fleurs - knee
•    Reniel Hugo - shoulder
•    Vincent Koch - knee
•    Vincent Tshituka - chest wall