The Sharks have in the last couple of years been the ‘almost there’ team and it has frustrated a lot of the loyal Sharks supporters……KSA Shark being a prime example.
The Sharks need to do a couple of things differently this year in order to lift the SupeRugby trophy.
Consistency is vital. They cannot afford to lose games that they are supposed to win like the losses against the Waratahs and Lions last year. You cannot expect to win the tournament from 5th or 6th place on the log and travelling all over the world before playing the finals. Keegan Daniel has already spoken out about this and hopefully we’ll see the results this year. Is it a mental thing? I don’t know but perhaps the services of a mental coach would do the trick
They really need to sort their lineouts out. The Sharks lineouts functioned very well towards the end of the SupeRugby last year mainly due to Kankowski running the show, but thing went a little pear shaped during the Currie Cup. The fact that Bismarck will not be available during the initial stages of the tournament means that the likes of Burden and Cooper will have to adapt and fire from the word go. Hopefully Franco vd Merwe will help in this regard. I also hope that Kanko comes back from Japan in the form that he left last year. He played some of the best rugby of his career towards the end of 2012 and I hope he kicks on from there.
They need a quality back-up loosehead. I know plenty has been said about this but with Chadwick being injured for the first part of the season it is crucial than Allan Dell steps up to the plate. Doc Jannie can also do the job at loosehead but he already carries a huge workload both for the Sharks and the Boks that this isn’t really an ideal solution.
They have plenty of quality loosies but not one real recognised fetcher so they’ll have to adapt their play to counteract other teams with quality fetchers. Ideally it would be good to have a fetcher but I believe that with the correct gameplan quality fetchers can be neutralised. We need to make use other tactics like driving over the top to make sure we regain and win possession.
My biggest fear though is that we start the season like we did last year where the tactics were to give it to Alberts, Deysel or Coetzee to bash it up and recycle and do the same over and over again. I truly hope we play the same way we played towards the end of the S15 season last year. Let’s play more of Lambie and vary our game more.
Let’s play with the flair of King Carlos!
Let’s defend like the Stormers!
And most importantly play with the passion of the Sharks!
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Nice Pokkels!
If I am correct – we are going into this campaign with the majority of the squad from last year (how many changes?)- so now would be a good time to build and perform on the combinations that was tested last year. These okes know each other and they have certainly showed that they are capable of playing for each other and the jersey. Time to perform at a higher level. It certainly is very do-able.
Oh boy, burden throwing in to the lineout….serious performance anxiety – and the opposition knows it and they bait him every time.
For that reason I would be very tempted to start Kyle Cooper. Then at least the jumping will be down to the boys in cue.
‘And most importantly play with the passion of the Sharks!’….ja, and not with the tactical percentage kcik it away approach of the Nulle/Bokke as we did during the start of the comp last year!
Starting without a recognised fetcher will come back to bite us again.
If Botes isn`t available we`re backs to the wall.
Should`ve approached Minnie or that Schoeman guy from KY.
@Original Pierre (Comment 3) : Schoeman – yes
Yellow card Minnie – No
But you’re right, especially without Bismark we’re gonna feel not having a fetcher. I wonder how Kleinhans would do at SR, not great in open play, but his fetching skill is second to none!
Fellow Sharks, hope you are all well and looking forward to this year’s rugby. Craig Burden must not go anywhere near a Sharks jersey if he can’t throw. He single handedly cost us the CC last year. Please bring on Hadebe before Burden….at least he can throw. If Kyle’s throwing has improved, he should start with Hadebe on the bench.
@GreatSharksays (Comment 5) : Plum said as much in an interview on R365, saying that the hooker will be picked on core skills, throwing in to the lineout playing a big part.
@Original Pierre (Comment 3) :
Unfortunately Botes is just not that effective anymore. He is one of my favourite all time players but I would rather have Keegan at 6 and play Botes of the bench.
One huge dilemma we have will be who to play at 8. It’s a well know fact that Keegan plays his best rugby at 8 but can you really leave Kanko out on the form he had last year? Plum will have to get the balance right in the loosies.
I do however believe that a team can play without a fetcher but then you have to attack the breakdown quickly and in numbers.
Hi All
@Pokkel (Comment 7) : If we put Keegan @ 6 where do we put Marcel?Who do we include – Alberts,Kanko,Marcel,Keegan,Deysel,Botes,Kleinhans.
@markm (Comment 9) :
I don’t know but Plum will have to get the balance right. I hope he rotates effectively so that everybody stays fresh and match fit.
Nice problem to have though and Plum has NO excuses not to use all of them during the season.
Go Kings!
@Megatron (Comment 11) : Good luck with that Mega! Good to see you here again.
@Megatron (Comment 11) : Hahahaha! great timing as always!
@Megatron (Comment 11) : Your Kings supporters site all prepped and ready to go?
Hope your server can handle the mass traffic for SR kickoff
@FireTheLooser (Comment 14) :
yep http://www.epkingsarmy.co.za
@Megatron (Comment 16) : See you guys won your game against NMMU. 26 – 12.
Who is your mainline sponsor?
Lol, so despite the Sharks once again being favourite, they seem to have so many questions to answer! Pity a trophy isn’t won on paper, or on patriotic fervour, because the Sharks would play the Stormers ever year. They are the most hyped teams to have never won a S15, and they should by virtue of the above contest the CC final every year too, not just once every 5!
So the Sharks have no recognised prop depth, a problem at who to select at hooker, no fetcher, and still have a conundrum, as to who to leave out in the loosetrio, but never fear, the trophy is at the engravers already bwahahhaaaaa
@KingCheetah (Comment 18) : Where did you read that the Sharks are definitely going to win? Surely you don’t believe Mark Keohane?
@KingCheetah (Comment 18) : Its a bad year if the Sharks don’t make the semis ,its a good year if the Cheetahs break top 10
so hop in your tractor and go farm
@Talent (Comment 20) : Like
@Talent (Comment 20) : Ha Ha, Nice try laddy, maybe you should rather get a decent haircut, we are wayyyyy past the sixty’s! The difference is, every year we are rated to finish 14, and we finish 10th, so that means we played above expectations, by contrast the Tjarks are rated to make the finals every year, and more oft than not choke! As the R365 said quite correctly, the Sharks are the most successful Super team never to have won a trophy, meaning they CHOOOOOKKKEEE!!!!So go back to your sardine run loser!
@Talent (Comment 20) : You are lucky there are so many farmers, or you would be eating feeeesh only ha ha
@Pokkel (Comment 19) : Mark Keohane, R365 scribes, Mallet, and even the new Sharks mercenary Franco are all punting the Sharks to top the tables. Not to worry, we have read this script before, like every year ha ha.
Classy fellas these tjieta supporters
@FireTheLooser (Comment 25) : Your too kind, but thanks, we sort of take it from whence it comes.
@KingCheetah (Comment 24) : Once the Sharks supporters start getting windgat on Sharksworld I will start to entertain your comments. I’ve been around long enough not to make stupid predictions before the season has even started and this article is suppose to inform all the Sharks supporters that the Sharks are by no means perfect. So don’t come with your rugby365, Mallet and Keo predictions because here is doesn’t mean shit.
@comment 22 -they predict we make the finals, and we do..I’d rather live up to that expectation and brag about it than thinking a predicted 14th spot and then ending 10th and still in the bottom half is a moerse prestasie!
@KingCheetah (Comment 18) : Its a bad year if the Sharks don’t make the semis ,its a good year if the Cheetahs break top 10 ? so hop in your tractor and go farm
Okay sorry – but that was very funny!
Good read. ????
@KSA Shark © (Comment 30) : issit???? Of issut nie????
@KSA Shark © (Comment 32) : Dankie Meneer!
I-m still in the dark about what the ??? Is suppose to mean… Help a blonde out here, guys!
@Ice (Comment 34) : They were a smiley from Emoji (font style that displays emoticons etc.) but it didn’t transfer to html as “????”
The Sharks have in the last couple of years been the ‘almost there’ team and it has frustrated a lot of the loyal Sharks supporters……KSA Shark being a prime example
So much so that I am voting with my feet. I will not be renewing my season tickets.
@KingCheetah (Comment 22) : My avatar is a picture of Frans Steyn naab
@Ice (Comment 29) : Lol, it was cutting edge indeed. Nothing like a bit of stirring. That said, I take it on the chin lol. Sharks are kind of my second team anyway lol.
@Ice (Comment 28) : Lol, you can dress it up as much as you like, but with the talent the Sharks have had over the past 5 years, they have underachieved. That is the bottom line. But hey, this year could be your year afterall, but then again, last year we all thought the Blues would rock, and they were horrible! Good luck anyway.
@KingCheetah – I love a good banter! Keep it up! That is what keeps this place kicking!
@Talent (Comment 37) : Lol, its cool man, was just yanking your chain. Frans is a damn good player, but even then his hair style sucked!
@Ice (Comment 40) : Sweet, at least here it is still good respectable fun. On a certain other site, I am sometimes gobsmacked at the vitriol written there. That is why I stopped blogging there years ago, but I sometimes go and seek newsworthy items there. Ever tried Rugby Talk?
Kom Sharkies, kry vir ons daai koppie
@KingCheetah A cheetah with attitude, I like
welcome to the site may your stay be fruit-full…
@Franshark (Comment 44) : come rugby season…
@Franshark (Comment 45) : Kom Justrugby en Fantasy League
@Franshark (Comment 44) : Cheers man, I enjoy the banter with passionate Sharks supporters.
Good article, Pokkel. Front row seats for you at the Mr. Cat and the Jackal concert!
@Culling Song (Comment 48) : Really?? Ag thanks hey!
Pokkel = you perfectly sum up the major weaknesses of the Sharks. How often did the Sharks let other teams out from under the cosh due to poor ball protection or stuffing up a line out? Building and maintaining pressure is what wins you the tight games
Fellow Sharks, my sources tell me that only one Springbok has a Springbok contract. Guess we know what means…player exodus and there’s a big name Shark that’s leaving us at the end of SR. Thanks for fuc*ing up SA rugby HM. Let’s not stress about that though, we have a Superugby competition to win.
@GreatSharksays (Comment 51) : who would that be?
@robdylan (Comment 52) : Probably the warrior