JP loads Sharks bench as Eben faces his old team for first time

It might seem almost unbelievable given that he has been at the Hollywoodbets Sharks for several seasons now, but Saturday’s Vodacom URC coastal derby against the DHL Stormers in Cape Town will be the first time ever that Eben Etzebeth faces the team he started his career with.

Etzebeth was a Stormers stalwart up until 2019, having made his debut back in 2012, the same year he played his first ever game for the Springboks, before making his way to the Sharks via a stint in France with Toulon.

Etzebeth was selected for the festive season derby in early 2024 but was forced to withdraw on the eve of the game.

If he makes it onto the field at DHL Stadium, it will be the first time he will play against the Stormers.

Sharks coach JP Pietersen has selected him into the starting team, along with fellow first-choice Boks Ox Nche and Ethan Hooker, after they played off the bench in the win over Leinster last week.

The team announcement press release says the selection reflects the respect the Sharks have for the Stormers, meaning they have effectively gone full strength for this game, as have their opponents.

The news you have been waiting for 📰 The Hollywoodbets Sharks are locked in for Saturday’s coastal derby against the DHL Stormers in Cape Town 🦈⛈️ Andre Esterhuizen captains the side as the Sharks go in search of a third straight @Vodacom #URC win. 📍 DHL Stadium 🗓️ Saturday, 10 October ⏰ 16:00 #SharksRugbyClub #BlackWhiteForever #HollywoodbetsSharks #STOvSHA — Sharks Rugby Club (@SharksRugby) October 8, 2026

However, there is more than just that to the selection when it comes to reflecting a recognition of what they are up against - for the first time this season Pietersen has gone with a six/two bomb squad type split between forwards and backs on the bench.

Which is probably necessary against a Stormers team that goes deep when it comes to forward and has made a habit over the last year or so of being at their physically most imposing late in games.

Nick Hatton captained the side from No 8 in the opening URC game against the Ospreys but this time plays off the bench, with Phelpsi Buthelezi moving to No 8 and the physical youngster Matt Ramao, a member of the 2025 Junior Bok world championship winning team, playing at openside flank.

EXPERIENCED BENCH

Jason Jenkins, a capped Bok, is joined by a veteran Sharks forward in Stephan Lewies, who is back in Durban after a highly successful stint with the Harlequins in England. 

Vincent Koch, the backup tighthead, has won two World Cups, so the Sharks’ impact squad is selected to fight fire with fire against the Stormers’ replacements.

In both cases their is a Junior Bok World Championship winning captain in the reserve mix - the Sharks have the 2026 SA under-20 captain Esethu Mnebele on their bench, with the captaincy having been passed onto him this year because Riley Norton was first selected to the senior Bok squad and then injured.

Norton is on the Stormers’ bench for the DHL Stadium game, with both players having moved down from first team roles the previous week, although these days it is never entirely accurate to talk about movement from the starting group to the finishing group as a player being dropped.

Rugby is a 23-man game these days and both squads reflect it.

Eduan Swart comes back for Mnebele as the starting hooker, and the greater continuity that could entail may have had something to do with that selection.

Hooker comes in for Lili Bester on the left wing after playing well off the bench last week, while Luan Giliomee, now with the Vodacom Bulls, has been replaced by an equally capable youngster in Zekhethelo Siyaya.

There is plenty of experience and leadership on the bench if you factor in Ivan van Zyl, the former Bulls and Saracens scrumhalf who has also played for the Boks, into the reserve mix alongside Koch, Lewies and Hatton.

Former Lions utility back makes his debut for the Sharks as the only outside back on the bench.

Hollywoodbets Sharks team: Zekhethelo Siyaya, Edwill van der Merwe, Jurenzo Julius, Andre Esterhuizen, Ethan Hooker, Vusi Moyo, Jaden Hendrikse, Phepsi Buthelezi, Manu Tshituka, Matt Ramao, Darrien Landsberg, Eben Etzebeth, Thomas du Toit, Eduan Swart, Ox Nche.

Replacements: Esethu Mnebele, Cameron Dawson, Vincent Koch, Jason Jenkins, Stephan Lewies, Nick Hatton, Ivan van Zyl, Gianni Lombard.