The Suzuki Griquas are delighted to have the exciting Hanru Sirgel back in the mix following his stint at the Lions.

Last week Sirgel was named in the starting XV for the match against the Pumas, and on Friday he will be starting 8th-man again against the Sharks in Kimberley during round two of the Currie Cup.

The loose-forward has an all-round solid game both on attack and in defence and is an inspirational figure in the team.

The Peacock Blues are already blessed with a fantastic loose-forward department and Sirgel’s return just adds a lot more punch.

Hanru Sirgel - Morgan Piek

The Griquas forwards coach and former Springbok, Franco van der Merwe, told OFM Sport that the explosive Sirgel brings a lot to the party and he inspires players on the field by leading by example.

“He plays a big part in the pack and obviously the team as well,” said Van der Merwe.

“He's a guy that works hard off the ball, but the moment he gets the ball, he's just one of those players that never goes down on the first hit or goes backwards.

“It’s either he goes a bit forward or he puts a dent into the defence line and that just gives you momentum.

“To have someone of his experience, just the way he thinks about the game as well. You have to be really well prepared and have good reasons why you're doing things because he's going to question it.

“That keeps us on our toes as well. I think it just brings a bit of confidence to the players around him as well by the way he carries, the way he defends and works, he's got that double effort every time and it puts him in a very high bracket.

“The way he plays and what he can bring to the team is quite a lot.”

Friday’s game at the Suzuki Stadium in Kimberley kicks off at 15:00.

Griquas - 15 Cameron Hufke, 14 Marcqiewn Titus, 13 Sango Xamlashe, 12 Mnombo Zwelendaba, 11 Sako Makata, 10 Lubabalo Dobela, 9 Thomas Bursey, 8 Hanru Sirgel, 7 Marco de Witt, 6 Stephan Smit (captain), 5 Albert Liebenberg, 4 Athenkosi Khetani, 3 Janu Botha, 2 Janco Uys, 1 Leon Lyons

Replacements - 16 Gustav du Rand, 17 Eddie Davids, 18 Cebo Dlamini, 19 Dylan Sjoblom, 20 Derik Pretorius, 21 Carl Els, 22 Bobby Alexander, 23 Zinedine Robinson

Sharks - 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Yaw Penxe, 13 Muller du Plessis, 12 André Esterhuizen, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Lionel Cronje, 9 Bradley Davids, 8 Nick Hatton (captain), 7 Phepsi Buthelezi, 6 Tino Mavesere, 5 Reniel Hugo, 4 Coetzee le Roux, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Dan Jooste, 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu

Replacements - 16 Kerron van Vuuren, 17 Abraham Reyneke, 18 Khwezi Mona, 19 Reinier Viljoen, 20 Jannes Potgieter, 21 Tiaan Fourie, 22 Murray Koster, 23 Eduan Keyter

Morgan Piek OFM Sport