Sharks look to honour Siya Kolisi milestone in clash against Edinburgh

The World Cup-winning captain is named on the bench after recovering from a calf injury, in what could be his final appearances for the club. 

The Sharks, currently sit 11th on the URC standings, 11 points behind the play-off places, with three league phase matches remaining.

Having also played alongside him, Pietersen describes Kolisi as both a great player and an exceptional human being.

"He's a special man, a special human. That's the way he talks, and he lights up this room. And to bring up his 50th game, he's obviously had a bit of a struggle to get there with his little niggles he has," said Pietersen.

"And it just shows the resilience of the man, not to give up and stay in the fight. And, yeah, we want to make it special for tomorrow. That's the small thing we can do as a group to give him a great day."

"So we'll fight for him. And, yeah, I played with him. He's a great human being, inspirational, always putting the team first. And just the way he talks and the way he dresses - humble. It's just beautiful to give somebody our fight, to see where it comes from now to play 50 games for the Sharks. It's going to be special."

Pietersen has made two injury-enforced changes to the starting line-up that lost 21-17 to the Ospreys last week.

With Le Roux Malan ruled out, skipper André Esterhuizen shifts to outside centre alongside Siya Masuku, forming a new midfield combination.

Veteran wing Makazole Mapimpi comes in for the injured Ethan Hooker.

The coach adds the short turnaround between matches has influenced the limited changes.

Ethan Hooker suffered a dislocated shoulder against the Ospreys last week when Luke Morgan dived onto the 22-year-old Springbok after he grounded the ball for a try.

Hooker is now expected to undergo surgery back home, and Pietersen says there is still no clear timeline for his return.

He also confirmed that the team has accepted that no further action will be taken following the controversial incident.

Pietersen is expecting a physical and “niggly” encounter against Edinburgh, coached by his former coach during his playing days at the Sharks, Sean Everitt.