Following this weekend’s URC game, the Sharks will welcome back a host of Springbok stars, and so they will be desperate to ensure they bank another win before that.
An unpredictable Benetton side stands in their way, but recent results suggest the Sharks should feel pretty confident about claiming another important victory.
Benetton v Sharks
Date: Saturday, 12 October
Venue: Stadio Monigo, Treviso
SA Time: 16h00
Referee: Sam Grove-White
TV: SuperSport
FOLLOWING THE SHARKS’ URC LIVE SCORING BELOW:
The Sharks will be targeting their second victory on tour after losing by a narrow six points in their opening match against Connacht and then bouncing back with a tenacious effort against the Dragons last week to come away with a valuable 33-30 victory.
These results will certainly boost their confidence against a desperate Benetton side, who are currently languishing at the foot of the log after playing to a 30-30 draw against the Scarlets at home in their opening match before going down 42-10 against Glasgow away and 35-5 against log-leaders Leinster in Italy last week.
The coastal team’s confidence will be compounded by the fact that they have scored 28 more points in their two matches to date to Benetton’s three, while their defence has also been superior with 66 points conceded to Benetton’s 97.
They will, however, be mindful of the fact that they suffered defeats in their last two outings against the Italians on their home patch – the last by a single point in May – with the Durbanites’ only victory against the Italians in Durban in 2022.
Sharks: 15 Jordan Hendrikse, 14 Eduan Keyter, 13 Jurenzo Julius, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Siya Masuku, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Phepsi Buthelezi, 7 Vincent Tshituka (captain), 6 James Venter, 5 Gerbrandt Grobler, 4 Jason Jenkins, 3 Ruan Dreyer, 2 Fez Mbatha, 1 Trevor Nyakane.
Replacements: 16 Dylan Richardson, 17 Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18 Hanro Jacobs, 19 Corne’ Rahl, 20 Emmanuel Tshituka, 21 Bradley Davids, 22 Lionel Cronje, 23 Francois Venter.
What is your score prediction?
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