JP Pietersen wants Suleiman Hartzenberg to make his case at centre for the Sharks

Sharks coach JP Pietersen has handed Suleiman Hartzenberg a fresh chance to show what he can do in midfield, with the former Stormers player selected at centre for Saturday’s EPCR Challenge Cup clash against Lyon. Pietersen’s message is simple: Hartzenberg must use the opportunity, and the match in France gives him a proper platform in a position the coach feels suits him better.

The Sharks arrive in Lyon with a heavily changed side. Pietersen has rested his frontline Springboks for the trip, and the matchday squad includes 12 changes from the starting XV that lost to the Stormers in Cape Town. No 8 Nick Hatton will lead the team from the base of the scrum at the Stade de Gerland, while Hartzenberg is set to line up alongside Murray Koster in midfield.

For Pietersen, the key point is not just giving Hartzenberg game time, but giving him the right kind of game time. The coach said Hartzenberg was used on the wing at the Stormers, but believes he is a centre-wing rather than a wing-centre, which is why the Sharks want to back him in his preferred role. Pietersen described him as a talented player who communicates well, leads well and understands the game, adding that he already has more than 50 caps for the Stormers.

That background matters because the Sharks are trying to get more out of a player they believe has clear upside. In plain terms, Pietersen is not simply filling a spot. He is using the Lyon trip to find out how Hartzenberg performs closer to where he feels most comfortable on the field. Centre play asks different questions from wing play, especially in how a player handles traffic in the middle of the park, connects with teammates and helps shape attacking patterns.

The Sharks’ selection has also prompted questions about experience and how well the pieces fit together after so many changes, but Pietersen pushed back on the idea that the team is thin on know-how. He pointed out that several players have already played between 50 and 100 games for the Sharks, and highlighted Emile van Heerden and Stephan Lewies as examples of players with strong experience. Van Heerden was the Sharks’ Player of the Year last season, while Lewies has played extensively for both Harlequins and the Sharks.

Pietersen also stressed the value of continuity in the loose trio, naming Manu Tshituka, Hatton and Matt Ramao as a unit that has spent plenty of time together, including through pre-season. That, he said, gives the team a base of cohesion even with so many changes elsewhere. In other words, the Sharks are not presenting a scratch side with no rhythm; they are leaning on combinations that already know one another.

The context around the match adds another layer. The Sharks are the only South African club to have won the Challenge Cup, and they reached the round of 16 last season after missing out on the Investec Champions Cup playoffs. Against that backdrop, the trip to France is more than just another rotation opportunity. It is a chance for fringe players and adjusted combinations to show that the squad can still compete strongly in Europe.

For Hartzenberg, the assignment is especially straightforward. Pietersen has given him the position he wants and the backing to prove he belongs there. For the Sharks, the hope is that a reshuffled side can still function with purpose, and that the centre pairing of Hartzenberg and Koster can help deliver a performance that justifies the coach’s faith.