Bismarck du Plessis has recovered from a shoulder injury and will lead the Sharks against the Lions at Kings Park on Saturday.
Du Plessis missed the Sharks' opening loss to the Cheetahs after failing a late fitness test. Pat Lambie led the side in his absence, but the Sharks struggled up front, with the loss of Tendai Mtawarira further compounding matters.
Mtawarira will miss the next few weeks due to a calf strain, with Dale Chadwick taking his place in the front row. Elsewhere in the pack, Lubabalo Mtyanda will get his first Vodacom Super Rugby start since joining on loan from the Pumas, while the loose trio remains unchanged.
Coach Gary Gold has made just one change among the backs, with the experienced Odwa Ndungane replacing S'bura Sithole on the wing.
'Apart from those injury-enforced changes, we have tried to keep the team as consistent as possible, so that players have another opportunity to get the wrongs of the past weekend right,' said Gold.
The Sharks bench will also be boosted by the selection of Junior Springboks Thomas du Toit and André Esterhuizen, who missed last weekend's defeat to the Cheetahs.
Sharks – 15 SP Marais, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Waylon Murray, 12 Heimar Williams, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Patrick Lambie, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Tera Mtembu, 7 Renaldo Bothma, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 4 Lubabalo Mtyanda, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis (c), 1 Dale Chadwick.
Subs – 16 Kyle Cooper, 17 Thomas du Toit, 18 Matt Stevens, 19 Marco Wentzel, 20 Jean Deysel, 21 Conrad Hoffmann, 22 Fred Zeilinga, 23 André Esterhuizen.
Photo: Sabelo Mngoma/BackpagePix
