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“Well now,” sighed John Plumtree as he pondered the team composition for this weekend’s game, “this is going to be tough!”Wow, but haven’t the Sharks done well? I’m sure few of us, having cast an eye over the ragtag bunch of names available at the start of the Currie Cup, would ever have anticipated that they’d be sitting pretty at the top of the table by the time the Springboks returned. Sure, there have been some pretty diabolical implosions from a lot of other teams along the way, not to mention the fact that Province have spanked us soundly both home and away. That said, it’s been a pretty successful campaign so far.
Plumtree will be the first to tell you, though, that the team has won nothing yet, a lesson learned all too painfully in the Super 14. Top spot on the log means nothing three quarters of the way through the round-robin phase and although it would take a truly astounding capitulation to see the Sharks miss out on a home semi from here, it’s by no means impossible, nor without precedent.
The challenge, of course, is to make the right changes in the right way in order to not disrupt the winning momentum, while ensuring that we ease our Bok players back in time for the play-offs. Only JP Pietersen is currently out injured, meaning that Plumtree should, in theory, have no fewer nine Springbok players at his disposal this weekend to add to his squad.
Before the Bulls game, I would have suggested that we bring in reinforcements in theo front row for this weekend and leave the rest of the team as is. Then again, Deon Carstens and Pat Cilliers did a fantastic job against an (admittedly pathetic) Bulls front row that it would seem unfair to drop them. Certainly Beast Mtawarira and John Smit probably shouldn’t be rushed into action at this stage, but Jannie du Plessis must be just aching to get get some game time, so I’d start him, at least, against a potent Cheetahs pack. Johann Muller, too, should come back in and I’d be quite happy to see Ryan Kankowski and Bismarck du Plessis used as bench options, just for insurance.
Replacing Juan Hernandez at pivot just isn’t an option at the moment and as much as I hate to say it, Ruan Pienaar is going to have to make do with a bench spot this week as well, although I wouldn’t hesitate in brining Adi Jacobs in for Andries Strauss and Odwa Ndungane for Chris Jordaan.
The most important bit of continuity, though, is to make sure that Stefan Terblanche continues to wear the captain’s armband.
Here’s the team that I would pick this week:
1 Carstens, 2 Burden, 3 J du Plessis, 4 Sykes, 5 Muller, 6 Botes, 7 Deysel, 8 Daniel, 9 McLeod, 10 Hernandez, 11 Mvovo/Murray, 12 Swanepoel, 13 Jacobs, 14 Ndungane, 15 Terblanche (capt)
16 B du Plessis, 17 Cilliers, 18 van den Berg, 19 Kankowski, 20 Kockott, 21 Pienaar, 22 Murray/Strauss
rob you could have added the captain conundrum to your article. who to pick. johan muller who has won a currie cup, but has a poor rapport with referees and has the inability to lift the teams spirits half way through a game as we saw in the reds and cheetahs games during the s14 and the wp games. we have the captain extraordinaire that has a RWC and two tri nations trophies. and we have 100% stefan that seems to get more than the other two out of the backline. and like john smit he doesn’t pee the referees off like muller does. my view would be to keep stefan there as he has got the team so far and deserves the credit.
my next question is kockett or charl? and the answer is simple charl. charl is getting better by the game while rory is getting greedier. on saturday i saw jmh and the backline get more quality ball from charl than from rory. i actually can’t remember any decent ball rory gave to the backline. but i do remember rory trying to score on his own everytime he got the ball. then i compared rory to jano vermaak and it was chalk and cheese. if you are going to go it alone then you need to know when and how to finish it off. i would like to see rory dropped for a while.
the beeld this morning said ruan will play scrumhalf for the rest of the season
@willa (Comment 3) : I wouldn’t mind that option, and he can always shift to 10 later in the game if needed.
I wouldn’t mind seeing Smit on the bench as well, give him 5 minutes at the end of the game, just for his leadership.
We can’t undo what we achieved on the weekend against the Bulls this Saturday.
@Baldrick (Comment 4) : @willa (Comment 3) : i also thought about that, but i was thinking jmh at 12 ruan at 10. that way you can mix and match like carter and donald did.
gOOde arti
wonderfuLL thing- the paSSage of time!
Yip CoachPlum do have a nice problem.
Most of the $harks- including those with the boKKe played reaLLy weLL.
the 4 + 1 aDDitions from the boK team wiLL seriously strengthen a more than capable pack. ADDing Kankofski to Deysel and an ever improving Daniel and yes the ChEEtahs are in for a serious match come Saturday.
Backline I believe wiLL pose more problems – to get the balance right.
Both teams should get their fair share of the baLL- the game wiLL depend on how the fairies utilise it and if JLP can match the aCCuracy of the $harks at the posts!
If the same chEEtah team( in spirit that is) CoachDrotsky also have a capatancy iSSue to sort- rock up at the $harkTank- expect one of the beTTer games this season.
Why not get Kankowski back immediatly, not like he got much gametime.
@try time (Comment 2) : No question….Charl…or Ruan?
@try time (Comment 5) : to be honest it didnt even cross my mind, charl is looking good, and rory will wake up again,but i have no idea where to put ruan
@Pokkel (Comment 7) : OK maybe a question, but Rory isn’t in it.
@Pokkel (Comment 7) : the problem is plum doesn’t see the obvious.
@Pokkel (Comment 9) :
i think the biggest problem is where to put adi. if jmh moves to centre ruan at 10, swannie to 13. we then have three good centres sitting on the bench. it must be great to be plum now. unless he makes the wrong call and we lose.
What a weekend though. Boks beating the AB’s in New Zealand and the Sharks beating the Bulls at Fortress Loftus. It was ALL good.
the cheetahs backline leaked badly on saturday. maybe it would be a good idea to start with an all out attack backline. charl, ruan, jmh, adi. then the wings mvovo and odwa?.
@Pokkel (Comment 13) : even better was cheetahs beating wp at the death to keep our home final hopes alive
So you guys dont nEEd Frans Steyn?
@try time (Comment 15) : ok not better but definately as good. it was a good saturday. and that feeling definitely has carried through to today.
@wiLLem (Comment 16) : what good would it do the sharks to have a player thats mind is on packing. lets get our 2010 s14 squad ready.
@wiLLem (Comment 16) : @try time (Comment 18) : Doesn’t matter what your opinion about Frans….that 1st kick was awesome..I honestly thought that we were only taking the kick to gain some territory
@Pokkel (Comment 19) : the other 2 kick weren’t to bad either..
The Bok win was made even more difficult by some really dodgy decisions by the ref. The first 2 penalties against the Boks that were both converted were shocking.
@Pokkel (Comment 19) : i was actually pleased he decided to move to fullback. pity it was after he signed to move to france. barritt was benched last year so plum could get combo’s going, only fair frans gets the same treatment. it’s not like we really need him at the moment.
@try time (Comment 21) : actually frans took brad’s place after brad signed with saracens.
@try time (Comment 21) : I was also very happy to see him at fullback especially in those conditions. The Sharks won’t miss him to much I think although that big boot can come in handy in a close game..
rob , chances are keegan daniel wont play the comming weekend
his hand was in a sling after the game and he couldnt even sign for fans
so expect kanko to play
we had a brillaint after match party with the team and all was there but mvovo , so i am not sure if he had to go to a hospital for tests ??
OK I sEE Frans has packed aLL ready!
So BruSSOw can at least steal in his half!
Morning All!
Read this earlier:
“JJ Harmse
Pretoria – Frans Steyn will jet off to Paris later this week to join French club Racing Metro and will not be involved in the Sharks’ Currie Cup campaign.
“No, Frans is not coming back. It’s a pity. He showed in Hamilton again what an incredible contribution he can make in a game,” Sharks coach John Plumtree said after his side’s 29-23 win over the Blue Bulls at Loftus Versfeld.
“I think it’s a pity that a player goes overseas so early in his career, but we have to respect his reasons. I would have liked to see him in a Sharks jersey for much longer.”
Steyn is expected at his new club on September 20 and is likely to make his home debut against Montpellier the following weekend”
So Francois is no longer in contention! ne less haedache for Plummers!
@Me2 aka Mama Shark (Comment 26) : yes he was a headache. he kept on getting in the way of his talent. instead of settling where experienced coaches expected, he had to fight and insist on new positions where he ultimately failed. so three years were wasted, in finding that full back is his best position. i hope this overseas trip will hone his skill and he can come back a better product.
Well if the Sharks could see beyond their own little pond….Jon Smit and Beast should be allowed two to three weeks of peace and quiet without having to train or play….
@Worcestershire Sauce (Comment 28) : We will so they are ready to SMASH the WP front row in the semi’s or finals
@Worcestershire Sauce (Comment 28) :
sEE “beyond”….
eish!
Whats your opinion on that penaltry try Sauce?
@Pokkel (Comment 29) : Unless of course Bryce Lawrence, Nigel Owens or Wayne Barnes are reffing the final
In which case WP will win at a canter.
Great news on the Argies to join SANZAR “4″ nations in 2012!
@try time (Comment 2) :
To be quite frank – Charl irritated me somewhat this weekend..he nearly lost the ball a couple of times as he was either bitching and not keeping hes’ eye on the ball (and it was nearly stolen) or he was taking his time ( abit long) behind the scrums – also not keeping the ball in eye..
I thought Rory distribution was much quicker at times andthat he played fairly well when he came on the field. – also a few weeks of the bench for him I think will do hes’ game good.
Well done to the Sharkies – a win at Roftus is just so much more satisfactory!!
Great Boks – Well done to Frans Verstaan on good performance of he’s last game for SA in a while.
@wiLLem (Comment 30) : I didn’t watch the game….But it was no doubt a travesty favouring the home team by a poor ref
@Worcestershire Sauce (Comment 31) : The WP front row are going to stuggle now that Jack left and I hear Anton van Zyl is injured….
When is Tiaan Liebenberg back? Now that boy can play.
@Worcestershire Sauce (Comment 28) : they wont beable to
there has been so many injuries with the sharks front row its been scary
talking to pat cilliefrs after the game he said the injury he has been carrying a month now will be looked at this comming week
even carstens told me his injury is just hanging there , and they tried holding out till the boks got back
so the team this comming weekend could look very differently
i think the front row could be
beast burden jannie with bismark and carstens on the bench
@wiLLem (Comment 32) : Indeed. I noticed it was a conditional inclusion with no mention of the conditions…..sounds like an out for SANZAR.
@Worcestershire Sauce (Comment 34) :
hehehe
We wiLL take it- usuaLLy we are on the recieving end of those caLLS!
@Pokkel (Comment 35) : I suspect you are right…Jack is going to be a big loss.
@sharks_lover (Comment 36) : Beast and Smit need a break…the Currie Cup doesn’t mean anything in the grand scale of things – the Sharks need to do whats best for SA rugby not there quest for silverware.
@wiLLem (Comment 32) :
i think its a shitty idea..
@Worcestershire Sauce (Comment 37) :
As usuaLL the conditions wiLL be ruBBery untiLL the coRRect show of moNNy be flashed!
I think its great- might have some iSSUes on slEEp depravity for tEams and consumers-eish I mean customers- but it should provide gOOde entertainment!
@SuperGirl Ice Babe(Wingat because I CAN!) (Comment 40) :
Why Madam
Then you can lOOk at Hendandez in his dynamiteDud’s and his ArgyJumper!
@wiLLem (Comment 38) : It sounded like a cracker of a game though….sorry i missed it.
Congrats to the Sharks on Saturday! I’m rather impressed by the depth you guys have and
by the lack of it by the Bulls.
One positive was that our (pathetic) front row had their best game of the season in the scrum imo. But unless something change drasticly, I see red lights when our big guns retire one day.
@SuperGirl Ice Babe(Wingat because I CAN!) (Comment 40) : Why?
@Worcestershire Sauce (Comment 43) :
Yip
that backline of Province was cOOking on gaz!
Franscois Louw was seriously gOOde- Luke Watson as weLL- Province pack has come along nicely of late!
@Worcestershire Sauce (Comment 39) : why do the sharks always have to be the one solving boks rugby??
why is it always sharks players having to play out of position when boks needs grow? like ruan and frans ??
you forget the sharks pay their salaries
i dont see wp players having to play all kinds of positions
, i know what you mean and hell of course they need a rest , but sharks have needs to
@sharks_lover (Comment 47) :
I can give you an “unwanted” opinion on that!
@wiLLem (Comment 48) :
@wiLLem (Comment 42) :
Coz I think certain things shoudl be left inchanged…It’s been a special tournament and now they want to bring in someone else…we all know that this is basically like a mini-worldcup!!
I cannot actuall ecxplain other than some stuff should stay the same.
Just now the six nations becomes tha 12 nations – it’s just silly.
Hernandez Schmandez.. I think I will be seeing enough of him in the Sharks Jersey..
i know because they have more talent lol , fact is poor ruan now taking lots of crap and is being said to be out of form , and he aint
he just got pushed into a position and it didnt work out for him not his fault at all
@sharks_lover (Comment 51) :
BriLLiant Player that….
Hope he can rebound sOOn
Just not this wEEkend!
@SuperGirl Ice Babe(Wingat because I CAN!) (Comment 50) : pssssssssssssssssst ysblook tannie
the after party on saturday was brillaint, we gave the players a good feast lol
@sharks_lover (Comment 47) : I understand that – but you not actually going to get any benefit out of playing them into the ground….So the benfit is going to be zero to anyone.
@wiLLem (Comment 52) : lol willem oh he will
you know he is that good , btw i am happy for the cheetahs to be back , us sharks for the most, also support our b team (FS )
@sharks_lover (Comment 55) :
Ja Ja
Just as long as we dont beat you!
Which haPPens aLL to oft for your liking!
@sharks_lover (Comment 53) :
Did you strip for them??
Glad you enjoyed – it must heva been very festive!!
@wiLLem (Comment 56) :
@SuperGirl Ice Babe(Wingat because I CAN!) (Comment 57) : eish ek drink en ice raak dronk
I`m guessing Frans won`t be available for us anymore?
I`d go with : Stefan Captain!, Odwa, MURRAY, Juan Hernandez, Ruaan, Adie or Mvuvu, Charl, Kankowski, Deysel, Muller, Sykes, Botes, Jannie, Burden, Carsten. Subs : Bismarck, Our World Cup winning Captain if available, Pat Cilliers as well cause we`re playing Cheetahs and you know Naka will replace the whole front row again, Albert, Keegan, Rory and Monty.
Lots of options there . . .
greetings from Lisbon
everyone behave rob’s watching.
The Cheetahs are coming to get you…………………
@Loosehead (Comment 62) : this game has that “banana peel” feeling. I remember the Super 14 only too well
@Loosehead (Comment 62) : The Cheetahs are coming to get you………………… a place in the semi’s!
@try time (Comment 64) : Spear tackle, banned for 4 weeks for that comment.
@robdylan (Comment 63) : We always play well against our ex players.
Is that Wahl?
@Loosehead (Comment 65) : not again. i am the schalk/bakkies of this site.
@Worcestershire Sauce (Comment 66) : correct
@Worcestershire Sauce (Comment 66) :
The face only a mother could love!!
@wpw (Comment 69) : the original hardman
@robdylan (Comment 63) : Every game has that bananapeel feel about it Mr Glass Half Empty. You might do well to remember your apprehension prior to the Bulls game and your delight thereafter!
@robdylan (Comment 70) : Wahl Bartmann was a Jean Deysel wannabe
@robdylan (Comment 70) : Hi Rob …. Plumtree sure has a difficult task this week as to whom to play and where
@sharks_lover (Comment 73) : yes… hence the article, really
@Baldrick (Comment 71) : yes yes. But on paper, we should beat the Cheetahs by 100… I always get worried when it seems that one-sided
taking injuries into account does the backline look like this??
15 stefan
14 odwa
13 adi
12 swannie
11 murray/jordaan
10 hernandez
09 ruan
with subs … jordaan or murray , cockott or maccleod , stauss
or does he go with
15 stefan
14 odwa
13 adi
12 hernandez
11 jordaan / murray
10 ruan
09 cockott
reserves
mccleod swannie and murray
hell there could be quite a few more permutations , but i cant see the likes of ruan being benched
also cant see mvovo or keegan and cilliers playing the comming weekend
@robdylan (Comment 74) : sarcasm suits you well
@sharks_lover (Comment 77) : i’m working on it…
@wpw (Comment 69) : +1
@Worcestershire Sauce (Comment 80) : @wpw (Comment 69) :
Seems like something you two ar quite familiar with!!
Centre Jaco Pretorius picked up a knee injury against John Plumtree’s men and captain Derick Kuün is recovering from a hard blow to the head, but there is a change that both will be eligible for Saturday’s match in Wellington.
a stukkie out of an article posted on BB site…wonder if it is small change or pocket change they are talking about…
@SuperGirl Ice Babe(Wingat because I CAN!) (Comment 81) :
Can someone say ‘ouch’
@wpw (Comment 83) :
Howzit Wes!!
GEEZ!!! Won’t say we beat the Bulls on Loftus this Saturday – thsi place is a cemetry!!
@SuperGirl Ice Babe(Wingat because I CAN!) (Comment 85) : Ons het n bietjie werk om te doen Vandag….dis n blou Maandag
@Pokkel (Comment 86) :
Virrie Bulle, ja!!
Ek gee lesse in multitasking, hoor…
I really hope Plumtree doesn’t play Ruan in yet another position, he should play 10 or cover 10 from the bench. Hernades and Ruan are the guys for that position for the super 14 next year. It would be futile to play ruan 9, we have enough good players for that position.
It should be
McLeod, Ruan, Hernandez, Swannie and Adi, Kockett, Dumond for the bech.
Isn’t it about time for the annual Shark choke? Or will you wait for the semi’s?
@sharks_lover (Comment 76) :
I feel a “that was my team except for x, y, z, etc.” post coming on in the coming days.
@“Loose”head (Comment 89) :
Het jou kop uitgehak?
@Loosehead (Comment 89) : Already had our quota! Against Province…so no more
Congratulations to the $harks and their suPPorters
A deserved win in a weLL contested CC Game.
The deciding moment for me was the change of pace of Kankofski in his own half that could not be matched by a scambling ChEEtah defence.
The fact that this moment happened within the first quarter of the game is indicative of the competitiveness of the game.
The $harks domination of the breakdown-coupled to the ChEETah weakness in the line out ( two against three + jumpers) and the goalkicking woes were the reason why the leSSon in ScruMMing 101 that was handed to a $hark frontrow that barring Burden- had aLL represented SA at test level in 2009- could not be capitalised on.
Burden however is surely a special player- any backline fairy that can convert to hOOker and do the job as weLL as he does, even a $hark or maybe especiaLLy so- nEEds to be shown respect.
All in aLL the $harks are playing to expectation and budget. WiLL be diFFicult to stop them from becoming Champs again if they continue to play at this level.
ChEEtahs have a mountain to climb to get into the semi’s- not because of this loSS but because of that 4 wEEks in the begiNNing- which is aLL to their own doing.
Share a thought though for our feLLow Country Cuzins the Griquas, who continious to play seriously gOOde rugby!
I wiLL visit again when our teams play against each other.
@wiLLem (Comment 93) :
That will be next year dude cos there’s no way you guys are making the semis!!!