Franco Marais will start at hooker in the only change to the Sharks team for their Currie Cup clash with the Golden Lions in Johannesburg on Saturday.

Coach Gary Gold has stuck largely with the team that lost 37-27 to Western Province last weekend, bar the one change in the front row – where Marais replaces Monde Hadebe to earn his first start this season.

Hadebe drops to the bench, which also sees the return of flank Dan du Preez following a short injury lay-off.

Prop Gerhard Engelbrecht believes the team needs a comprehensive effort from the forwards to succeed against the Lions.

'This weekend will need a collective team effort from us. It’s not so much that we aren’t performing, but we need to work together,' he admitted. 'We’re making small individual errors; everyone makes the effort, but not always all at once.

'This Lions team has been together for 18 months now, they’re a good solid unit while we’ve only been together for a couple of months, but we’ll get there.'

Sharks – 15 Odwa Ndungane, 14 Wandile Mjekevu, 13 Paul Jordaan, 12 André Esterhuizen, 11 Sibusiso Sithole, 10 Joe Pietersen, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Philip van der Walt, 7 Jean-Luc du Preez, 6 Francois Kleinhans, 5 Marco Wentzel (c), 4 Etienne Oosthuizen, 3 Gerhard Engelbrecht, 2 Franco Marais, 1 Thomas du Toit.
Subs: 16 Monde Hadebe, 17 Dale Chadwick, 18 David McDuling, 19 Dan du Preez, 20 Michael Claassens, 21 Heimar Williams, 22 Garth April.

Photo: Steve Haag/Gallo Images