The match starts at 15h05 and will televised live on SuperSport 1.
Cell C Sharks loose forward Philip van der Walt has been ruled out of selection due to a shoulder niggle. His place on the flank has been handed to Jacques Vermeulen. As a result of this change, Tyler Paul takes over from Vermeulen on the bench.
Robert du Preez’s side got the better of the Emirates Lions in their previous outing and the Durbanites will be determined to build on that momentum and give their faithful something good to cheer about before they embark on their final two away games.
The Hurricanes have won four of their previous six encounters with the Cell C Sharks, including the last two meetings between them.
However, the Durbanites will be buoyed by their recent performances against New Zealand sides – they ended on the winning side in all four of such home fixtures. They have shown strong defence in each of those games, and only conceded more than 15 points on one such occasion.
From a ‘Canes perspective, they will they would want to add to their previous three wins on the road.
What they said:
Cell C Sharks midfielder Lukhanyo Am reckons their last home game will present them with an opportunity to end off on a high in front of the Durban faithful: “The (recent Australasian) tour did us a huge favour as far as team morale goes. But the Hurricanes will be a tough challenge – it’s a game where we will really need to step up.”
The teams:
Cell C Sharks: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Sbu Nkosi, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Louis Schreuder (captain), 8 Dan du Preez, 7 Jean-Luc du Preez, 6 Jacques Vermeulen, 5 Ruan Botha, 4 Ruben van Heerden, 3 Coenie Oosthuizen, 2 Kerron van Vuuren, 1 Mzamo Majola. Replacements: 16 Craig Burden / Cullen Collopy, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 Hyron Andrews, 20 Tyler Paul, 21 Cameron Wright, 22 Robert du Preez, 23 Kobus van Wyk.
Hurricanes: 15 Jordie Barrett, 14 Wes Goosen, 13 Matt Proctor, 12 Ngani Laumape, 11 Ben Lam, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 TJ Perenara (captain), 8 Reed Prinsep, 7 Ardie Savea, 6 Vaea Fifita, 5 Kane Le’aupepe, 4 James Blackwell, 3 Jeff To’omaga-Allen, 2 Asafo Aumua, 1 Toby Smith. Replacements: 16 Dane Coles, 17 Fraser Armstrong, 18 Ross Geldenhuys, 19 Isaia Walker-Leawere, 20 Du'Plessis Kirifi, 21 Gareth Evans, 22 Richard Judd, 23 James Marshall.
Head to head:
Played: 22
Sharks won: 11
Hurricanes won: 10
Draws: 1
Sharks points: 549
Hurricanes points: 587
Average score: 26-27
Match information:
Date: Saturday, 1 June
SA time: 15h05
Venue: Jonsson Kings Park, Durban
Referee: Nic Berry
Assistant referees: AJ Jacobs, Divan Uys
Television Match Official: Willie Vos
TV: SuperSport1
