Cheetahs v Sharks: Teams

Michalak: Playing for Sharks

The Sharks need a win to keep their play-off hopes alive as they face their bogey team the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.

Ryan Kankowski and Willem Alberts have both been recalled by the Sharks, but their biggest news in their team selection is the inclusion of fan favourite Frederic Michalak, who this week agreed a short-term contract.

Most of the changes in selection come in the forward pack where Gerhard Mostert and Alistair Hargreaves swap positions at lock, with Mostert getting a second start of the campaign and Hargreaves getting a break after having started 10 of his 11 games this season.

The loss of Jean Deysel and the return of Kankowski from injury sees the number eight back in position, with Keegan Daniel and Alberts completing the back-row. Jacques Botes this week will come on as a reserve.

Amongst the backs, as expected, Charl McLeod replaces the injured Conrad Hoffmann at scrum-half in the only change.

Cheetahs

The Cheetahs may be out of contention but they are enjoying a good season by their standards and are looking to make this campaign their most successful in Super Rugby.

A four-match winning run was ended by the Bulls last week, as was there slim chances of making the knockout stages, but they will not be rolling over against their South African rivals.

Naka Drotske's Cheetahs have five wins so far in the bag so far this season and are on a par with their 2006 and 2010 achievements.

They do have injury problems though with flanker Kabamba Floors suffering a major knee injury which could keep him out for the rest of the year.

Floors joins an increasing list of injured Cheetahs players who include Wilhelm Steenkamp (knee), Philip van der Walt (knee), Andries Strauss (groin), Waltie Vermeulen (concussion) and Heinrich Brussow (hamstring).

The Cheetahs have lost three locks and six loose forwards to injury so far this year.

Drotske said the loss of Jean Deysel due to a suspension was a bad blow for the Sharks but they still had to keep an eye on the coastal team's athletic forwards.

"We will have to ensure that we keep the likes of Bismarck du Plessis and Willem Alberts behind the gain line," he said.

Cheetahs: 15 Hennie Daniller, 14 Riaan Viljoen, 13 Robert Ebersohn, 12 Corne Uys, 11 Philip Snyman, 10 Sias Ebersohn, 9 Sarel Pretorius, 8 Davon Raubenheimer, 7 Ashley Johnson, 6 Johan Wessels, 5 Martin Muller, 4 Francois Uys, 3 WP Nel, 2 Adriaan Strauss (c), 1 Coenie Oosthuizen.
Replacements: 16 Ryno Barnes, 17 Lourens Adriaanse, 18 Izak van der Westhuizen, 19 Pieter Myburgh, 20 Tewis de Bruyn, 21 Naas Olivier, 22 Riaan Smit.

Sharks: 15 Louis Ludik, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Stefan Terblanche, 12 Meyer Bosman, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Patrick Lambie, 9 Charl McLeod, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Keegan Daniel, 5 Gerhard Mostert, 4 Steven Sykes, 3 Eugene van Staden, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 John Smit (capt).
Replacements: 16 Tendai Mtawarira, 17 Wiehahn Herbst, 18 Alistair Hargreaves, 19 Jacques Botes, 20 Frederic Michalak, 21 Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 22 Adrian Jacobs.