This game is coming at a very bad time for the Rebels and a great time for the Sharks. The reason for me saying that is because the Rebels finally won their first game and now they are playing one of the form teams of the first 3 rounds. The Sharks on the other hand just suffered their first loss and this will be a great game to get their season back on track immediately. The Sharks have made a couple of changes from the last game and they brought back star players two. Bosch is back and they have their first choice props in the form of Ox and Thomas. The Rebels on the other hand have lost allot of their key players in their win against the Waratahs. The likes of Matt Tomua and Reece Hodge will miss out on this game which will weaken their backline immensely. The Sharks will look to set up a better set piece than last week and let their very dangerous runners loose at the defense. To be honest I am not sure what to expect from the Rebels this week. The players that usually run their attack are not playing and I am not sure what the new guys would bring. That might work in the favor of the Rebels because the Sharks will not know what to expect defensively and will have to adapt quickly if the Rebels also play the ball wide like the Hurricanes did.
Key mach-ups:
Isi Naisarani vs James Venter: I know that I am always going on about this young flanker James Venter, but I believe that he has a huge career ahead of him. Isi Naisarani on the other hand already has already started his international career and will only go from good to great in the near future. These two will be immense in the game with Naisarani running the ball as much as possible. James will make a lot of tackles and will be a menace at the breakdown as well. This is going to be a very good battle because of what form these two are in.
Dane Haylett-Petty vs Aphelele Fassi: These two are going to battle it out and would want to show that they are able to outplay the other and stamp their mark the game. Although Dane has not made one of his great runs yet this season and has not looked as dangerous as he has in the past. Fassi on the other hand this season looked more dangerous than any other player in this years Super rugby. Fassi who has been in my team of the week for 3 weeks in a row now will want to show that he can keep his form going and even improve as a defensive fullback. Dane is going to be very secure under the high ball like he always is and with his big boot will want to drive the Sharks back deep into their own half.
Teams:
| Starting XV | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dane Haylett-Petty | 15 | Aphelele Fassi |
| Andrew Kellaway | 14 | Madosh Tambwe |
| Campbell Magnay | 13 | Jeremy Ward |
| Bill Meakes | 12 | Andre Esterhuizen |
| Marika Koroibete | 11 | Makazole Mapimpi |
| Andrew Deegan | 10 | Curwin Bosch |
| Ryan Louwrens | 9 | Sanele Nohamba |
| Matt Gibbon | 1 | Ox Nche |
| Steven Misa | 2 | Kerron van Vuuren |
| Jermaine Ainsley | 3 | Thomas du Toit |
| Ross Haylett-Petty | 4 | Ruben van Heerden |
| Matt Philip | 5 | Hyron Andrews |
| Michael Wells | 6 | James Venter |
| Richard Hardwick | 7 | Tyler Paul |
| Isi Naisarani | 8 | Sikhumbuzo Notshe |
| Bench | ||
| Anaru Rangi | 16 | Craig Burden |
| Cameron Orr | 17 | Mzamo Majola |
| Ruan Smith | 18 | John-Hubert Meyer |
| Gideon Koegelenberg | 19 | Le Roux Roets |
| Angus Cottrell | 20 | Henco Venter |
| Robert Leota | 21 | Louis Schreuder |
| Frank Lomani | 22 | Marius Louw |
| Tom English | 23 | Lwazi Mvovo |
My Prediction:
Even though the Rebels have won their last home game I don’t think that they will be able to get a win over the Sharks. The Sharks are going to want to come back and show that they are still one of the best teams to play against and I believe that they will win by about 15 points.
Rugby dissect 
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