Sharks have to stay focused

As the Sharks prepare to embark on their five-week quest to Australasia on Sunday evening they would want to do so in the best possible way.

And that could only be achieved if the men in black and white put on a regal display of rugby tonight when they host the Reds at the Absa Stadium.

The game could be billed as the chumps of the Super 14 versus potential champs, but the Sharks would be the first to ward off any unnecessary hyperbole about the match, as they could be given a rude jolt back to reality should the Reds snatch a win.

Last year the coastal outfit were merrily sailing along at around the same point of their campaign when the Brumbies harpooned the Sharks with a surprise win in their backyard.

The Reds have pretty much been written off all week and when Wallaby scrumhalf Sam Cordingly cried off with a calf injury all fleeting hope of an upset had supposedly dissipated.

But, then again the Sharks are coming off their bye week, which means the home team could be slightly rusty as they get back into the thick of Super 14 action.

And if there is even a modicum of complacency and the players' focus has already shifted to the tour to the Antipodes, this Achille's heel could hand victory to the Queenslanders.

Interestingly coach Dick Muir has talked up the visitors' chances all week in a bid to keep his charges on red alert.

While the Sharks would be satisfied that they are undefeated, there's no question that they haven't been playing vintage rugby.

The Sharks performed brilliantly in the first half of their intense clash with the Blues, when they chalked up a 19-0 lead, but in the second half wilted as the Aucklanders slunk back into the game like slow poison, eventually losing 22-17.

Today though, the Sharks are expected to show they are more than a side capable of winning "ugly".

The pack has been the cornerstone of the team's success, but in cooler conditions expect Frans Steyn and Frederic Michalak to unleash the high octane back division, who have been quiet thus far.

With the humidity all but gone and rain hopefully staying away the Sharks will fancy their chances of freeing up the likes of JP Pietersen and Odwa Ndungane to have a crack as the home side goes all out for the bonus-point win.

For some time now the Sharks have wanted to click out of second gear and against the Reds there is the palpable feeling that they are going to slide straight into third and fourth gear as they race away to a handsome victory.

The Natal Wildebeest will again have two Springboks in their line-up when they play the Xerox Lions in a Vodacom Cup match in the curtain-raiser.

Wing Henno Mentz and prop Deon Carstens, who have both been included in the Sharks squad for their tour to Australasia, will start in a side with a number of players who have Super 14 experience.

The Lions have picked Jody Rose, younger brother of Earl who played flyhalf in the Lions' earlier Super 14 matches, at inside centre.

The Lions have handed the captain's armband to flanker Roland Bernard in the absence of Wilhelm Koch, who has been drafted into the Super 14 squad for the overseas leg of their campaign.

Wildebeest: Danie Dames, Henno Mentz, Riaan Swanepoel, Andries Strauss, Lwazi Mvovo, Tiaan Marx, Scott Mathie, Warren Whiteley, Jean Deysel, Skholiwe Ndlovu, Nikolai Blignaut, Alistair Hargreaves (capt), Robbie Harris, Skipper Badenhorst, Deon Carstens. Reserves: Jody Jenneker, Patric Cilliers, Schalk van Jaarsveld, Michael Rhodes, Charl McLeod, Luzuko Vulindlu, Scott Spedding.

Lions: Michael Killian; Galiel Markus, Trekker van Tonder, Jody Rose, Colin Lloyd; Arno Coetzee, Straatkat van Zyl; RW Kember, Francois Uys, Roland Bernard (capt), Wilhelm Stoltz, Varkhond Grobler, Eland Gert Muller, Gavin Williamson, Wayne Swart. Reserves: Torrie Meyer, Gert-Andries van der Westhuizen, Alten Hulme, Gerhard Human, Clinton de Klerk, JJ Pienaar, Bernardo Botha/Heinie Gordon.

Teams

Sharks: 15 Stefan Terblanche, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Waylon Murray, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 JP Pietersen, 10 Frans Steyn, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Keegan Daniel, 6 Jacques Botes, 5 Johann Muller (captain), 4 AJ Venter, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai "Beast" Mtawarira

Reserves: 16 Craig Burden, 17 Brendon Botha, 18 Albert van den Berg, 19 Steven Sykes, 20 Epi Taione, 21 Rory Kockott, 22 Frederic Michalak

Reds: 15 Chris Latham (captain), 14 Clinton Schifcofske, 13 Morgan Turinui,12 Berrick Barnes, 11 Peter Hynes, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Ben Lucas, 8 Leroy Houston, 7 David Croft, 6 John Roe, 5 James Horwill, 4 Van Humphries, 3 Dayna Edwards, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Greg Holmes Reserves: 16 Sean Hardman, 17 Rodney Blake, 18 Ed O'Donoghue, 19 Poutasi Luafutu, 20 Will Genia, 21 Charlie Fetoai, 22 Digby Ioane

Super 14 Weekend programme

Friday

Hurricanes (3) 13 Crusaders(17) 20

Waratahs (20 23 Cheetahs(7) 19

Western Force (11)16 Stormers(20) 32

Saturday

Chiefs v Highlanders

Hamilton, 6.30am TV: SS 1/CSN from 6.15am

Blues v Bulls

Auckland 08:35. TV: SS1/M-Net from 8.30am

Sharks v Reds

Absa Stadium, Durban, 5pm. TV: SS1/M-Net from 4.430pm

How they stand

P W D L F A B Pts

Crusaders 7 7 0 0 248 73 5 33

Sharks 5 5 0 0 96 60 1 21

Blues 6 4 0 2 188 113 4 20

Hurricanes 6 4 0 2 121 98 319

Force 7 4 0 3 147 154 3 19

Stormers 7 3 0 4 134 125 6 18

Waratahs 6 4 0 2 106 105 1 17

Brumbies 6 3 0 3 129 145 3 15

Chiefs 6 3 0 3 144 170 1 13

Reds 6 2 1 3 131 148 2 12

Bulls 6 2 0 4 116 192 0 8

Lions 6 1 1 4 98 166 1 7

Cheetahs 7 0 0 7 132 218 6 6

Highlanders 5 0 0 5 82 105 4 4