Sharks coach John Plumtree has made three changes to his backline for Friday night’s Vodacom URC meeting with the Dragons in Newport, while keeping the same pack that fronted up against Glasgow.
Jean Smith takes over at flyhalf, with Jaden Hendrikse reverting to his familiar role at scrumhalf and Ross Braude providing cover from the bench.
In midfield, Lukhanyo Am shifts in one channel to inside centre, opening the way for the promising Jurenzo Julius to slot in at No 13.
The final switch sees Edwill van der Merwe wear the No 15 jersey in place of the injured Yaw Penxe, with PK Sobahle named on the wing.
WATCH: Edwill on fire in first Sharks outing
Plumtree has backed continuity up front, with Vincent Tshituka again leading a pack bristling with energy.
Loose forward Phepsi Buthelezi said there is belief that the Sharks can sharpen up after their round-one defeat to Glasgow.
“Having looked back at the game, we know we could have been better in certain aspects, which was disappointing from our side and definitely something we’re going to look to improve on this week,” Buthelezi explained from camp in Newport.
“But there were a lot of positives and even though we’ll never be happy with a loss, we must look to take those positives into the Dragons game.
“It’s really simple from our side: we want our fans to see a proud and hardworking Sharks team that’s going to go out and work hard for one another and show pride in the Sharks jersey. Something we’ve spoken a lot about during the pre-season was working hard for the badge and that’s what we want to show on Friday night.”
PHEPSI: Sharks desperate to restore pride
SHARKS – 15 Edwill van der Merwe, 14 PK Sobahle, 13 Jurenzo Julius, 12 Lukhanyo Am, 11 Christie Grobbelaar, 10 Jean Smith, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Vincent Tshituka (c), 7 Emmanuel Tshituka, 6 Phepsi Buthelezi, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Deon Slabbert, 3 Ruan Dreyer, 2 Fez Mbatha, 1 Simphiwe Matanzima,
Bench: 16 Eduan Swart, 17 Cameron Dawson, 18 Cebo Dlamini/Lee-Marvin Mazibuko, 19 Bathobele Hlekani, 20 Nick Hatton, 21 Ross Braude, 22 Francois Venter, 23 Hakeem Kunene.
Your Hollywoodbets Sharks team for tomorrow night
Read full team release article on https://t.co/6vDSUC54KF@vodacom #URC #DRAvSHA pic.twitter.com/0B8jRwVVom
— The Sharks (@SharksRugby) October 2, 2025
Photo: Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images
The post Sharks abandon Jaden experiment appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.