SIYA Masuku will line-up for the Sharks this afternoon in the Currie Cup match against the Bulls at Kings Park. | Shutterstock
The last match of the final round of the round-robin games takes place this afternoon at Hollywoodbets Kings Park, where the Sharks and the Bulls will have a warm-up for their rematch in the semi-finals later this month.
The log points in the Durban game are inconsequential and the semi-finals will be the Lions hosting the Cheetahs and the Sharks travelling to Pretoria.
On Friday, the Lions smashed the struggling Griffons 62-5 in Johannesburg.
Bulls coach Phiwe Nomlomo has picked nine Bulls stars who featured in the final of the United Rugby Championship in June for the trip to Durban.
He said: “I think it’s good news that the URC derbies scheduled for September 21 have been moved because it’s good for the Currie Cup. It creates that feeling of strong teams playing against each other at the end of the competition.
“We looked at some options for URC warm-ups and it didn’t quite work out that way. We have also adjusted our plans slightly with the South African derbies being postponed.
“This Sunday (today) is the game earmarked for URC players to get time on the pitch because we are already certain of a home semi-final.”
“It’s a dress rehearsal for next week, but we have to focus on Sunday (today) first because we want to put in a strong performance.”
For the Sharks, Springbok Makazole Mapimpi and Challenge Cup final hero Siya Masuku have been selected by coach John Plumtree.
Blockbusting centre Andre Esterhuizen (ankle) is in the final week of rehabilitation, but fellow backs Marnus Potgieter, Diego Appollis, and Yaw Penxe are on a long-term casualty list.
“We want to finish the Currie Cup strong,” Plumtree said,” but we also have to be aware of the fact that some of the guys haven’t played much recently,” he said.
“We’re actually in a good position where we’ve already qualified for the semi-finals, so the result of the last league game doesn’t matter too much. Of course, we want to win our home games, but we are already in next week’s knock-out round.
“Some guys have had nice long breaks now. The fact that you haven’t seen someone like Siya Masuku play for a long time is a good thing because everyone should get a chance to focus on their conditioning, take a vacation, rest and then start again firing for a big season.
“It’s quite a unique situation that you play a pre-season game for the URC while you’re still busy with a competition.”