Willem Alberts and Jannie du Plessis have been excluded from the Sharks' 26-man squad for the pre-season match against Toulon at the Stade Mayol next Thursday.
Both Alberts and Du Plessis have been working their way back to fitness and will remain behind to continue with their rehabilitation. Thomas du Toit is another to miss the match against the French and European champions through injury, while Frans Steyn has yet to return from his Japanese duties.
The match will be the first opportunity to see the likes of Mouritz Botha, Renaldo Bothma, Paul Perez and Waylon Murray in action for the Sharks.
'This match will provide us with the ideal opportunity to test combinations as we look to conclude our preparations ahead of the start of the Super Rugby tournament,' said Gary Gold, the Sharks director of rugby. 'We are expecting a highly competitive match against Toulon and are looking forward to the encounter.'
The match will be televised on SuperSport 1 from 9:50pm.
Sharks squad:
Forwards – Bismarck du Plessis, Dale Chadwick, Etienne Oosthuizen, Kyle Cooper, Lourens Adriaanse, Tera Mtembu, Marcell Coetzee, Marco Wentzel, Matt Stevens, Monde Hadebe, Mouritz Botha, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Renaldo Bothma, Beast Mtawarira.
Backs – André Esterhuizen, Cobus Reinach, Conrad Hoffmann, Fred Zeilinga, Heimar Williams, Lwazi Mvovo, Odwa Ndungane, Pat Lambie, Paul Perez, S’bura Sithole, SP Marais, Waylon Murray.
Photo: Steve Haag/Gallo Images
