As usual the best laid schemes of mice and men did not become a reality as due to work commitments my friend could not go on the trip. With the “Manne Naweek” a thing of the past I decided that the family would do a quick trip to Durbs with me and my lovely wife going to watch the final! [...]
Reader Submissions
A day at the Park. The story of what could have been…
Poisy’s master plan for Sharks dominance
With the international season kicking off (at least for us in the south) I thought it would be nice to discuss what the Sharks need to do to be a success year in and out. [...]
Time for a complete SA Rugby overhaul
Let’s be honest with ourselves, SA Rugby is crap at the moment. Our entire system is outdated and we need a complete overhaul if we want to compete against the Top teams like the All Blacks and England. [...]
Going to watch rugby the Middle Earth way
Well it all starts on a Wednesday afternoon when you load the wife and kids in the ox wagon and set off on the long trip to Mordor aka Bloemfontein………….. well not really even though some of you might still think we don’t have any technology or cars here in the States!!!!! [...]
Top 20 players of the professional era
Well seeing that it has been 20 years since the game became professional in 1996 I have decided to name my Top 20 players. [...]
Passion for the Sharks
My big question here, why are we as fans so passionate about the Sharks? [...]
Sharks rugby and where it is going?
Regular reader Grant Wardell shares his thoughts on the state of Sharks rugby. [...]
Flawed Format: Let’s Have More Fairness
Super Rugby’s new expanded format is about as clear as the skies above Shanghai. It’s a great big dirty mess which has left most fans bewildered and that cannot be good for a tournament aiming to increase audiences and attract fans in new markets. It’s still early days yet, but the expansion and new format appears to have struck gold with the inclusion of the Jaguares and the revised bonus point system (which sees a team earning a try scoring bonus point for scoring three more tries than their opponents – adding an exciting “the point isn’t banked till the final whistle blows” dimension). The format, however, is convoluted and will come under increasing scrutiny towards the business end of the tournament when qualification for the play off matches is at stake. It remains to be seen whether fans will come to understand and accept it. We’re stuck with it, for now, and so long as the tournament’s format is fair or as fair as possible to all participating teams, we can live with the mystifying structure. It goes without saying that any sporting tournament should aim to provide an even footing upon which teams compete, something which isn’t negotiable. And this new format – at least from a South African perspective – is flawed and unfair. [...]
New year, new matches and a lot of questions
So here we are, less than a couple of hours away from the kick off, which will be the inaugural Super 18! [...]
Super Rugby vs Currie Cup
With talk of the once-famous Currie Cup possibly being relegated to Vodacom Cup status and running alongside the ever-expanding Super Rugby competition, I thought maybe we could look at how the Currie Cup could benefit from this change. [...]
World Cup Winning Recipe
In all the current doom and gloom over the Sharks performances or rather lack of performances I think I may have found the perfect recipe for a Bok World Cup winning team. [...]
How did we get here?
I’m going to do something a little different today. I ended up in an intriguing Twitter conversation yesterday with a follower who set out a very detailed timeline and analysis of the Sharks’ current situation. With his permission, I’m going to share that entire analysis here (collating no fewer than 17 tweets in the process) for you all to digest and discuss. Credit to Twitter user @Yonibass for these thoughts. [...]
Bok World Cup Squad prediction
With only one day to go until the big announcement I thought that I would see how I look with a selectors hat on. As such, I’ve selected the squad that I would take to the World Cup. I’ve made my decision based on experience, form and versatility. [...]
Risk v reward?
I don’t believe in risk and reward, for the simple reason that it breeds a culture where it becomes okay to lose, writes guest blogger Edd Squires. [...]
Backing The Youth
The Sharks have experienced a lot of player movement since the new regime took over. Some player movements have been great for the union and others not so great. The squad needs to some stability and continuity going forward, especially considering the post World Cup exodus that is approaching. Backing the talent already on the books and limiting wasteful expenditure is critical to the Sharks becoming the team and brand we know it can be. [...]