Sharks v W Force: Teams

The Sharks have been forced to make one change to their line-up for the visit of Western Force.

Jacques Botes returns to the back row after Willem Alberts was ruled out the final match of the season, with scrum-half Charl McLeod coming in on the bench.

And having started the season with a run of five defeats, coach John Plumtree wants to finish the season on a high.

"It's about making sure we arrive for the occasion; it is about us pitching," said Plumtree.

"Coming off the two big derbies against the Bulls and Stormers, there was a lot of expectation on us. The challenge is making sure we get up again.

"There are some internal reasons why we want to win and the players need to take on the responsibility. Fronting up is key."

Pek Cowan and Ben Whittaker have been recalled to the Western Force front-row for the trip to Durban.

Ben McCalman also comes into the second row for the clash, while Brett Sheehan gets the nod at scrum-half.

And coach John Mitchell is expecting a tough encounter against the Sharks.

"We're coming up against what we feel will be a physical pack and a physical night of rugby," said Mitchell.

"Not only do we have to meet that head on but also find a way to outsmart them."

David Hill has been ruled out with an ankle injury so Mark Bartholomeusz comes into the starting XV, with Dane Haylett-Petty named on the bench.

Sharks: 15 Patrick Lambie, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Stefan Terblanche, 12 Riaan Swanepoel, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Ruan Pienaar, 9 Rory Kockott, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Jean Deysel, 6 Jacques Botes, 5 Alistair Hargreaves, 4 Steven Sykes, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 John Smit (c), 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements: 16 Craig Burden, 17 Patric Cilliers, 18 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 19 Keegan Daniel, 20 Charl McLeod, 21 Andy Goode, 22 Andries Strauss.

Western Force: 15 James O'Connor, 14 Nick Cummins, 13 Mitch Inman, 12 Ryan Cross, 11 Cameron Shepherd, 10 Mark Bartholomeusz, 9 Brett Sheehan, 8 Richard Brown, 7 David Pocock, 6 Matt Hodgson, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Ben McCalman, 3 Tim Fairbrother, 2 Ben Whittaker, 1 Pek Cowan.
Replacements:16 Nathan Charles, 17 Matt Dunning, 18 Sam Wykes, 19 Tom Hockings, 20 Justin Turner, 21 Sam Harris, 22 Dane Haylett-Petty.