Fit and firing Notshe set loose on Leinster as he aims to recover 2020 Sharks form

Sikhumbuzo Notshe could have and should have closed the door on Jasper Wiese if a knee injury got in the way last year.

That knee injury meant Notshe, who was shining for the Sharks in Super Rugby, missed out on the British & Irish Lions series.

He's quietly mended at the Sharks and with his United Rugby Championship (URC) start against Leinster on Saturday, the Springbok loosie is expected to display all his wares.

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They'll come in handy as Leinster (albeit with a weakened side), lost to the Sharks in Durban last year, but were shocked at home by the Bulls in the tournament's semi-final.

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Sharks coach Sean Everitt said the time was going to come at some point to give Notshe a starting run after two appearances from the bench.

"Notshe had a few games in the Currie Cup and got in a few URC games, but the pre-season helped a lot to get to where he was," Everitt said.

"It's given him a lot of confidence and the time off the bench he has been getting, along with the pre-season friendlies have really helped his cause.

"It's good that we give him a start, so we've just made a rotational switch."

While Nevaldo Fleurs is set for his URC debut from the bench, Everitt has trusted the four loose forwards who have done duty in the past two weeks.

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James Venter, Dylan Richardson, Notshe, and Phendulani Buthelezi will have the task of taming Leinster on Saturday while Siya Kolisi and Vincent Tshituka bubble under.

"We've been playing the last two games with that trio, so we could say it's a horses for courses