The Southern Kings may be without the services of captain Luke Watson when they make their second appearance in Super Rugby.

The Kings, who made history when they marked their debut in Super Rugby with an impressive 22-10 win over the Western Force in Round Two, will play the Sharks in Port Elizabeth on Saturday - after having a bye last week.

The Springbok loose forward, Watson, one of only three internationals in the side, is having trouble with a throat injury sustained ion the encounter with the Force.

Kings Director of Rugby Alan Solomons told this website that he remains "hopeful" that Watson will pass a fitness test later this week.

Solomons, who is set to unveil his team on Tuesday, for the encounter with last year's beaten finalists, admitted that the injury remains a concern.

"He has a lot of bad bruising an inflammation in the throat," Solomons told this website.

"We have to wait to see how that pans out, but that is a concern - hopefully he'll be alright.

"Luke will come into the mix, in terms of naming our team, but we will make a final decision on him later in the week.

"He may well be right to play and we remain hopeful," Solomons added.

The Kings boss said nobody else that played against the Force is an injury concern.

That means the team is unlikely to change much for the visit by the Sharks.

"At this particular point [in the competition], a measure of consistency in selection is important - that is a factor going forward."

Andries Strauss, who took over the captaincy when Watson left the field against the Force, is likely to wear the skipper's armband against his former team - the Sharks.

By Jan de Koning