The Natal Sharks suffered a body blow on Thursday when captain Mark Andrews was ruled out of Saturday's Bankfin Currie Cup final against Western Province in Cape Town.

The lock underwent a fitness test on his troublesome calf in a gymnasium on Thursday morning in a rainy Durban, after which it was decided to send him for a scan. The scan showed Andrews has not fully recovered from the injury that also kept him out of last Saturday's semifinal against the Lions.

Philip Smit will run out at lock again and John Smit resumes in the captaincy role. Andrews' absence is a massive setback for the Sharks. He is widely respected by opponents for his immense physical presence and ultra competitive attitude. As catcher of the ball from kick-offs Andrews has few peers and as a lineout man he is one of the best in the business.

However, Smit filled Andrews and Albert van den Berg's boots with aplomb this season and he would not be out of his league on Saturday. Smit made his name as a flank for Griquas, but since his move to the second row has proved to be a tough competitor.

Smit is an inspirational leader who has the respect of his teammates. He led the SA under-21 team to the world crown a few years ago and is widely tipped to be a future Springbok captain.

Sharks coach Rudolf Straeuli on Thursday played down the loss of Andrews to the Sharks chances of winning the trophy. "We went through the same thing last week, so it's nothing new. He failed the fitness test and if he cannot play he cannot play. We must just accept it and carry on with the job," said Straeuli.

"Yes, we will miss his experience, but we won the semi without him. Mark in any case only played two Currie Cup games for us this season. He is our captain and his absence is a setback, but like the previous few weeks we will just carry on."

Straeuli said Smit is a natural leader and lock Philip Smit is a player who has prove his worth over a few seasons. The Sharks will field exactly the same starting line-up and bench that did duty against the Lions last weekend.

Straeuli said the two teams are evenly balanced, but that Province now have the edge in the absence of Andrews. "The teams are evenly matched, but I think WP now have more Springboks in their side than us. It still will be an interesting game," the wily coach said.

Andrews is now in danger of missing the Springboks end-of-year tour to the United Kingdom and the United States too. Straeuli, however, said he didn't know the detail about the injury and was waiting on the result of the scan.

Natal Sharks: Justin Swart, Deon Kayser, Andre Snyman, Trevor Halstead, Stefan Terblanche, Gaffie du Toit, Craig Davidson, Shaun Sowerby, AJ Venter, Warren Britz, Philip Smit, Albert van den Berg, Etienne Fynn, John Smit (capt), Ollie le Roux. Substitutes: Lukas van Biljon, Deon Carstens, Charl van Rensburg, Warren Brosnihan, Dave von Hoesslin, Herkie Kruger, Rodger Smith.