Yes, yes – I know there’s a Currie Cup game against WP this weekend (who the hell scheduled that!) and that as Sharks supporters we expect our team to win every time we start… and so on and so forth. My view, though, is that it would be ridiculously unfair to expect any of the boys who just stepped off a plane back from Sydney last night to play in Cape Town on Saturday.
Now, you know that I hate losing and would never entertain the idea of “throwing” a game in the Currie Cup. What I am suggesting, instead, is to send the strongest team we have available that doesn’t include the Super Rugby squad down to the Cape. That team will be weakened and will be up against it, but there’s no reason they can’t win there. Even if they don’t, I feel it will be better for the Sharks squad as a whole if the big boys arew given a week off.
Let’s not forget that a large chunk of the touring squad will not be available anyway; nine of the squad of 23 (plus a tenth in Frans Steyn) have been called up to the Bok squad and should be expected to sit out all of the Currie Cup. The balance, I feel, should be left at home to rest and recuperate, apart from those scant few for whom no replacement could possibly be found. That latter group should be used off the bench, at most.
There are some men in that 23 who, while jet-lagged, can hardly be suffering from too much rugby; I’m thinking about Craig Burden, Steven Sykes, Jean Deysel, Riaan Viljoen, Paul Jordaan and Odwa Ndungane, who have only played bit parts for the Sharks aver the last five weeks. Jacques Botes and Meyer Bosman are others whose names could factor into that equation, although their workloads over the entire Super Rugby season has arguably been a fair bit harder.
For the Sharks, there’s a core of players who have been on the fringes of the Super Rugby squad all season long who must now be itching to get some game time – guys who are too old for under 21 rugby this year – and it’s from these ranks that Saturday’s squad should be drawn, for the most part. It’s vital, to my mind, that we start to develop this next tier of players through meaningful game time and we as fans need to accept that there will be some hiccoughs – and by that I mean losses – along the way as we do so.
I think it’s also key not to raid the under 21 ranks more than is unavoidable at this stage, but my view is that the need to rest our big guns is a more pressing one than the desire to leave the under 21s un-raided. With that in mind, here’s my suggested 22 for this weekend’s game:
15 Gouws Prinsloo
14 Sbura Sithole
13 Paul Jordaan
12 Meyer Bosman
11 Rosco Speckman
10 Fred Zeilinga
9 Cobus Reinach
8 Tera Mtembu
7 Brynard Stander
6 Francois Kleinhans
5 Peet Marais
4 Jandre Marais (captain)
3 Julian Redelinghuys
2 Kyle Cooper
1 Dale Chadwick
16 Monde Hadebe
17 Nick Schonert
18 Steven Sykes
19 Jean Deysel
20 Conrad Hoffmann
21 Riaan Viljoen
22 Odwa Ndungane
Agree with everyone except maybe Zeilinga. Bosman at 10 for us maybe?
@Original Pierre (Comment 1) : Marginal call… as it is, I’m not too happy with needing to start Meyer and Paul, but I think the latter is young enough to cope. Not a huge amount of other options unless Joubert is actually fit. Would be better to leave Meyer out altogether, but can’t see it as a real option.
Perhaps Conrad Hoffmann at flyhalf? Or failing that, pick Gouws there and let Tjop or Odwa start at fullback?
I have a question . As they rugby championship only starts next week . Will the players in the Boks squad be allowed to play Currie Cup this coming weekend ?
No place for Bootsie even on the bench?
But I agree completely most of the squad needs a deserved rest. I’m pretty sure that the remaining guys will step up and give the WP a decent challenge.
@Zibbie (Comment 3) : The Boks are apparently already training in Cape town.
@Zibbie (Comment 3) : FUCK NO! Seriously, why on earth would we want them to do that?
@JarsonX (Comment 4) : go read the article again, for flips sake.
I’m INTENTIONALLY leaving him out because he needs a rest!
@robdylan (Comment 6) :
hahah
im actually asking more from a Lions perspective . Not use to loosing players to Bok call up and all that 
@Zibbie (Comment 8) : who are you okes going to run at flyhalf?
@Zibbie (Comment 3) : geez dude
@robdylan (Comment 9) : there’s a plea on another thread to you.. And you’re ignoring us
So Rob, I see you intend to manage Craig Burden much the same way as Plum then
Not even a bench spot!?
@Zibbie (Comment 8) :
@Culling Song (Comment 12) : had the same thought..
@robdylan (Comment 7) : I’m pretty sure that Bosman got just as much game time if not more, but he is starting in your squad.
@Culling Song (Comment 12) :
@JarsonX (Comment 15) :
That is just to keep a certain Joubert player out of the team
But seriously though, I think this is wishful thinking..
Plum’s job can still not be 100% safe, so he will be hoping to go down to Cape Town and winning another game, which would require the big guns to hold out one more week before they can rest against the Lions at home
@JarsonX (Comment 15) : because there is no obvious replacement for him… unless you can come up with one?
@Franshark (Comment 11) : where?
I do suspect though that we will see significant substitutes from half time, if not the entire bench..
@robdylan (Comment 19) :
The SuperBru thread..
@Culling Song (Comment 12) : haha… fair enough.
I expect Burden to start from next week! But I’d rather not take a jetlagged player if I have an alternative… we have 2 good hookers waiting in the wings, so let’s use both.
PSdT still injured?
@robdylan (Comment 22) :
Rob..
I don’t know if this has been covered elsewhere, but have the Sharks announced a captain in Keegan’s place for the Currie Cup?
Do you have any theories?
BTW who has been working with the remainder of the squad – the ones too old for u’21 – who did not travel to NZ for the final? I mean it must be rough for the coaching staff to go from S15 final to 1st CC game in 6 days – I am talking from a planning and preparation angle
@FireTheLooser (Comment 23) : he had ankle surgery after the Cheetahs game, so I’m assuming he’ll be out for a bit.
@JarsonX (Comment 15) : Bosman 592 minutes. Botes 574 minutes. You have a point, but only just!
I’d say leave Paul Jordaan out of the squad until that hamstring is properly healed up. We should manage him more carefully as he could be one of our key players in the Currie Cup.
@robdylan (Comment 9) :
Sounds like it might be Butch . I would like to see Coetzee maybe get a run there .
The better question might be : Who will be the coach . haahha
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 24) : Either Burden, Deysel or Botes would be my guess.
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 24) : the Sharks haven’t said a word about the Currie Cup yet… we’ll be lucky if we get a team announcement this week
My info is that Deysel will be captain.
@Franshark (Comment 10) :
Like i said . More asking with regards to Lions . Elton Jantjies and Pat Cilliers .
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 24) : Tera Mthembu?
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 24) : I think it will be Deysel, didnt Plum hint at that in one of his interviewas?
Bloody keyboard
interviews…
@Zibbie (Comment 29) : you think butch will be sticking around after the lions docked him big money for his reckless tackle in the match before they toured?
@Megatron (Comment 36) :
dont think so no . apparently he is still around till October . Dont think much longer after that
@Zibbie (Comment 37) :
But nothing official . this is just hearsay .
Yip, I’m with you here Rob, and as far as I’m concerned the Super Rugby squad should be given a decent amount of rest and phased in slowly.
Wow guys Kyle is out till October and Brynant has played 30 min since vodacom cup so doubt those 2 will be playing this week.
@skull (Comment 40) : is Kyle still out? Because of the neck thing? Damn, I thought that was a minor one.
Brynardt is a bit of a long shot – I know that. Maybe Deysel can start. Do you know if any other loose forwards are in the mix?
@Bokhoring (Comment 25) : I’ve also been wondering about that. I know I’ll get shot down for this, but I was kind of hoping that Straeuli might have stepped in to coach for this game.
he misses the season
@skull (Comment 43) : that’s bad. That’s very bad. Because he’s only contracted till the end of the season, ne?
I will probably be crucified for this, but I rate Kyle above Craig at the moment. He seems to be much more involved in the tight stuff – that you would expect from your hooker.
@Bokhoring (Comment 45) : shhhh…. don’t say that so loudly.
or I might have to agree with you
@robdylan (Comment 46) :
@Bokhoring (Comment 45) : I agree.
@Letgo (Comment 48) : nah, seriously though.
Wait until round 4 of the Currie Cup, by which stage Bruce will already have 6 tries to his credit. Then we’ll be singing a different tune
@Bokhoring (Comment 45) : With you there, Craig is just another example of a failed backline convert, not unlike Spies.
Them backline ladies aren’t fond of the hard graft, they want the glitz and glamour of diving over the tryline and dancing with the stars.
@FireTheLooser (Comment 50) : Craig just need to spend a bit of time with Kanko before his plane leaves for Tokyo – get some of his aggro rubbing off on him. Kanko could previously not be accused of getting stuck into the hard graft but he has been incredible in these past couple of games. I mean I remember him getting knocked out cold by the Italian lock – and on Saturday he survived almost getting his head taken off by the Chiefs prop.
@Bokhoring (Comment 51) : Not only did he survive it, he made it seem as much of a non-event as one of Pierre Spies’ luvs’nhugs’nkisses tackles…
we need to look at the bigger picture too, we dont want our guys breaking down before next years tournament with a bad injury as well