Sharks team v All Blacks: Ma’a Nonu primed for debut as Springboks return for midweek clash
Ma'a Nonu (pictured) will make his Sharks debut when they face the All Blacks next week
All Blacks legend Ma’a Nonu will make his debut for the Sharks off the bench when his new employers take on New Zealand in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.
Nonu arrived at the Durban outfit earlier this week following his high-profile switch from Top 14 outfit Toulon, and will now make his debut off the bench when they face the All Blacks on Tuesday (August 11).
Elsewhere, head coach JP Pietersen has named a mixed 23-man group, made up of players from the Sharks’ URC pre-season squad.
Ma’a Nonu primed for Sharks debut as JP Pietersen names 23-man squad to face All Blacks
Zekhethelo Siyaya starts at full-back for the Sharks, with Donovan Don and Litelihle Bester named on the wings. Jurenzo Julius and Murray Koster form the centre pairing, while recent Springbok debutant Vusi Moyo starts at fly-half.
He is joined by Bradley Davids in the halves.
Nick Hatton will captain the side from number eight, with Manu Tshituka and Phepsi Buthelezi starting on the flanks. Emile van Heerden and Hendre Stassen form the lock pairing, while World Cup winner Vincent Koch joins Eduan Swart and Nemo Roelofse in the front-row.
Nonu is the headline name on the replacements list, but he is joined by Liam van Wyk, Rambo Kubekha, Simphiwe Ngobese, Vincent Tshituka, Matt Romao, Ivan van Zyl and Luan Giliomee on the bench.
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The team announcement comes just hours before the Greatest Rivalry series gets underway in Cape Town, with the All Blacks taking on the Stormers.
Dave Rennie is expected to make changes to his match-day squad for the clash against the Sharks in Durban, but will name his side later this week.
Sharks team v All Blacks in full
Sharks: 15 Zekhethelo Siyaya, 14 Donovan Don, 13 Jurenzo Julius, 12 Murray Koster, 11 Litelihle Bester, 10 Vusi Moyo, 9 Bradley Davids, 8 Nick Hatton (c), 7 Manu Tshituka, 6 Phepsi Buthelezi, 5 Emile van Heerden, 4 Hendre Stassen, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Eduan Swart, 1 Nemo Roelofse
Replacements: 16 Liam van Wyk, 17 Rambo Kubekha, 18 Simphiwe Ngobese, 19 Vincent Tshituka, 20 Matt Romao, 21 Ivan van Zyl, 22 Luan Giliomee, 23 Ma’a Nonu
Venue: Kings Park, Durban
Kick-off: 19:00 (local SAST), 18:00 (UK), 19:00 (France), 03:00 (12 August, AEST), 05:00 (12 August, New Zealand), 14:00 (Argentina), 02:00 (12 August, JST), 13:00 (EDT)
Referee: Matthew Carley (RFU)
Assistant Referees: Karl Dickson (RFU) and Hollie Davidson (SRU)
TMO: Mike Adamson (SRU)
FPRO: Andrew Jackson (RFU)