Sharks back Burden to tame Strauss

All eyes will be on the clash of the hookers at Kings Park tomorrow as the Sharks Craig Burden, standing in for Bismarck du Plessis, goes up against Cheetahs captain Adriaan Strauss, right.

One of the more intriguing match-ups in the Sharks versus Cheetahs match tomorrow will be at hooker where the understudy to Bismarck du Plessis at the Sharks, Craig Burden, will be up against Du Plessis’s understudy at the Springboks, Adriaan Strauss, who is also captain of the Cheetahs.

The clash at Kings Park is the two sides’ final Super Rugby match of the regular season.

Du Plessis has a suspect knee and is being rested (he will play off the bench) but the Sharks will lose nothing in having Burden starting the game. The former Maritzburg College pupil was sensational when he twice deputised for the injured Du Plessis during the Sharks’ Super Rugby tour earlier this year, scoring two fine tries.

Strauss, who played off the bench behind Du Plessis in the recent Test series against England, would have relished the chance of going head-to-head with him but he would do well not to underestimate the burly Burden.

Wearing the famous black and white, thousands of supporters from Durban and around the country got behind the Sharks and revelled in their team’s thrashing of the Bulls last weekend. The same level of support will be asked for again tomorrow in another must-win encounter for the Sharks.

Ticket sales have been steadily increasing.

Sharks spokeswoman Megan Harris said yesterday that the union was happy with the sales so far and expected them to increase further today.

“We also found that our special of two tickets for the price of one was a huge hit, and people are still trying to get hold of them as there is a limited number,” she said.

“The team spirit has picked up due to the crowd response last week and the players are hoping for the same support.”

The Shark Cage, which stocks official Sharks gear, has seen increased foot traffic over the past week, with sales of warmer and waterproof clothing doing especially well.

Metro police spokesman Eugene Msomi said that the police were aware of the importance of the match and that it would bring about increased traffic.

He said that they had an operation in place for such a big game and would ensure that people were safe and that traffic incidents were kept to a minimum.

He said that one of the biggest challenges was to ensure that parking facilities were arranged and managed efficiently.