Cell C Sharks head coach Sean Everitt made four changes to the side that beat the Rebels last weekend, most of them rotational.
While Am is back in the team this weekend, in place of Jeremy Ward at outside centre, the trio of Makazole Mapimpi, Tyler Paul and James Venter will not face the Reds as a result of rotation.
The experienced Lwazi Mvovo replaces Mapimpi, with looseforwards Dylan Richardson and Henco Venter set to start on either side of the scrum. In the final change to the team, Louis Schreuder is back at scrumhalf for Sanele Nohamba.
Meanwhile, the Reds have made two changes to their starting team – Harry Hockings gets his first start of the season at lock alongside Izack Rodda, while Angus Scott-Young is back in the starting XV after being rested last week, with Lukhan Salakaia-Loto moving to the bench.
The Reds gained the upper hand in the last two meetings between these side, and the Queenslanders will be looking to build on their impressive recent home record against South African opposition – they have won six on the trot against teams from the Republic playing in Brisbane.
However, the Cell C Sharks – the last SA team to beat the Reds at Suncorp Stadium back in 2015 – will be determined finish their four-match tour on a high by clinching their third win in Australasia.
What they said:
Reds head coach Brad Thorn said: “We've got a tough opponent in the Cell C Sharks. They're on the last leg of their tour and will be looking to finish strongly. It's great to be at home again this week. We love playing in front of our Queensland fans. We look forward to another good crowd on Saturday night."
Cell C Sharks head coach Sean Everitt said: “We were pleased with the improvement in our set-piece against the Rebels and that made the world of difference. The team is displaying a lot of energy on the field and the excitement they show is rubbing off on one another and we’ve managed to put in some good performances along the way.”
The teams:
Reds: 15 Jock Campbell, 14 Chris Feauai-Sautia, 13 Hunter Paisami, 12 Hamish Stewart, 11 Henry Speight, 10 James O’Connor, 9 Tate McDermott, 8 Harry Wilson, 7 Liam Wright (captain), 6 Angus Scott-Young, 5 Harry Hockings, 4 Izack Rodda, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Alex Mafi, 1 JP Smith. Replacements: 16 Ed Craig, 17 Harry Hoopert, 18 Josh Nasser, 19 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 20 Fraser McReight, 21 Scott Malolua, 22 Isaac Lucas, 23 Filipo Daugunu.
Cell C Sharks: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Madosh Tambwe, 13 Lukhanyo Am (captain), 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Sikumbuzo Notshe, 7 Henco Venter, 6 Dylan Richardson, 5 Hyron Andrews, 4 Ruben van Heerden, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Kerron van Vuuren, 1 Ox Nche. Replacements: 16 Craig Burden, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 John-Hubert Meyer, 19 Le Roux Roets, 20 Phepsi Buthelezi, 21 Sanele Nohamba, 22 Marius Louw, 23 Jeremy Ward.
Head to head:
Played: 23
Reds won: 13
Cell C Sharks won: 10
Reds points: 545
Cell C Sharks points: 551
Average score: 24-24
Match information:
Date: Saturday, 29 February
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
SA time: 10h15
Referee: Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Graham Cooper (Australia), Jordan Way (Australia)
TMO: James Leckie (Australia)
TV: SuperSport1
