JP Pietersen has laughed off the war of words between the owners of the Sharks and Sale Sharks as “amusing banter”, but insists that on the pitch, the war will be real.
Sharks boss Marco Masotti took a dig at Sale on social media, suggesting they rebrand themselves as “Sale Tuna”, prompting his Sale counterpart to thank him in the media for motivating his team. “It is just banter from both sides, hyping up the game,” Pietersen smiled.
“We are worried about playing the game, not what is said off the field. If you look at the way Sale play, they thrive on physicality, while we South Africans have physicality in our blood. We are here to win the game.”
The freezing temperatures in Manchester on Saturday evening might not be enough to cool tempers on the field, with the strong South African representation in the Sale side adding a juicy flavour to the encounter.
Sale have four former Sharks in centre Marius Louw, fly-half Rob du Preez, flanker Jacques Vermeulen, and lock Hyron Andrews, while former Stormer Ernst van Rhyn joins Vermeulen in the loose trio. “We know those guys well,” Pietersen smiled. “Jacques and Marius are highly physical guys. Technically, we know how to handle them.”
Pietersen noted that while the match will be played at around zero degrees, and there is a possibility of snow, Manchester has escaped the worst effects of Storm Goretta. “The weather is extremely cold, especially after what we were experiencing in Durban, but the good news is that the storm is not severe in our region. We are preparing for snow, but the game will go ahead.”
Pietersen shrugged off the suggestion that the Sharks had written off this game after making 13 changes to the side that lost to the Lions last week.
“We are here to win this game. The message is clear. If you look at the log situation of our pool, this is a massive opportunity — if we get the result and then get another result next week (at home against Clermont), we can qualify for the Round of 16. Sale are in a similar position, so it will be a great contest tomorrow.”
Pietersen’s team is similar to the youthful combination that lost heavily to Toulouse in Round 1. That team showed plenty of pluck, and five weeks later, they are expected to show improvement.
“First of all, we have a strong leader in Nick Hatton, who is a Durban boy born and bred. He has been phenomenal in the way he is leading the team,” Pietersen said.
“Also, he has Vincent Tshituka and Francois Venter to help him, and Vincent Koch has massive experience. There are some exciting selections, too. I can’t wait to see how Jurenzo Julius goes at 12, closer to the ball. Then there is Ross Braude playing at 9; he has a lot of potential.”
From that trip to Toulouse, front-rowers Lee-Marvin Mazibuko and Eduan Swart remain, with Swart getting the start at hooker. Corne Rahl partners Emile van Heerden in the second row, having made his return from injury last week.
Hatton forms a lively back row with Zimbabwe international Tinotenda Mavesere and Emmanuel Tshituka. The backline is completely changed from last week, with Braude at scrum-half partnering Siya Masuku. Le Roux Malan starts on the wing, with Julius paired with Venter in the midfield. Yaw Penxe and Hakeem Kunene complete the back three.
Sharks team for Sale Sharks:
15 Hakeem Kunene, 14 Yaw Penxe, 13 Francois Venter, 12 Jurenzo Julius, 11 Le Roux Malan, 10 Siya Masuku, 9 Ross Braude, 8 Nick Hatton (c), 7 Manu Tshituka, 6 Tinotenda Mavesere, 5 Emile van Heerden, 4 Corne Rahl, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Eduan Swart, 1 Lee-Marvin Mazibuko.
Bench: 16 Ethan Bester, 17 Phatu Ganyane, 18 Mawande Mdanda, 19 Vincent Tshituka, 20 Matt Romao, 21 Ceano Everson, 22 Jean Smith, 23 Marnus Potgieter.
