From what I have read here on Sharksworld, and from watching the trials last Friday evening, it is clear that the Sharks have an abundance of talent within the second row, with up to six players in competition for what can at most be only four spots in the Super Squad. [...]
Posts tagged with: second row
How much is too much?
Steven Sykes returns to Sharks
Sharksworld can exclusively reveal that lock Steven Sykes will return to Durban to join the Sharks Super Rugby squad. [...]
Mabeta ruled out of Super Rugby
Bulls lock forward Matunzi Mabeta, better known as Fudge, has sustained a serious knee injury in a car accident and will play no part in the Bulls Super Rugby campaign this year. [...]
Lynn joins Force
Former Chiefs lock Toby Lynn has chucked in his lot in his home country and will instead turn out for the Perth-based Western Force in Super Rugby this year. [...]
Griquas freshen up for Pumas
Griquas have opted to make a few rotational changes to their side to face the Pumas in the Currie Cup this weekend, with two stalwart forwards, Justin Downey and Hendrik Roodt, given a breather this week after carrying a heavy workload all season. [...]
Marais in line for start?
It’s always somewhat dodgy to draw conclusions from a photograph, but if one or two of the snaps I’ve seen of the Sharks training session yesterday have any relevance, then John Plumtree might be looking to freshen up his second row ahead of Saturday’s must-win clash against the Blue Bulls. [...]
Sharks have locks aplenty
While Sharks coach John Plumtree will need to scratch his head over a number of positions for this weekend’s Currie Cup match against the Leopards at Kings Park, one area where he certainly won’t be short of options is the second row. The return to fitness of Bok Alistair Hargreaves means that Plumtree’s lock dilemma becomes who to leave out, rather than who to pick. [...]
Bulls bag former Sharks loosie
Burly ball-carrier Jacques Potgieter, who is just one of a raft of loose forwards who came up through the Sharks age-group ranks, only to leave due to a lack of playing time, has been snapped up by the Bulls ahead of next season’s Super Rugby competition. [...]
Western Province plunged into lock crisis
The news that fiery number 4 Rynhardt Elstadt has ruled himself out of rugby for 3 months will add further to the insomnia sure to be plaguing Western Province forwards coach Matt Proudfoot as he looks to the upcoming Currie Cup season, which kicks off against Griquas on Friday. Elstadt’s knee injury will seriously weaken a Province tight five that needs to step up and show its mettle this season after being dismantled (in Stormers guise) by the Crusaders in the Super Rugby semi-final 10 days ago. [...]
Kruger injury causes another Bulls reshuffle
Blue Bulls lock Juandre Kruger broke a finger in training yesterday and will be out of action for around a month. The injury rules him out of contention for the defending champions’ opening Super Rugby game against the Lions. [...]
Rugby positions explained
There have been many attempts to describe the complex roles and responsibilities of each member of a rugby team and the dynamic interactions that take place on and off the pitch. Many of these past attempts have been accurate, many have been precise, and many have been humorous. Most give entirely too much credit to the backs, despite their best intentions.
The following is a breakdown of the different positions on a rugby pitch. It is intended for educational as well as entertainment purposes. If you’ve never seen a rugby game before, you may be better off reading Wikipedia for a more sterile explanation. [...]
The Final: Head to head
Right, now that both teams have been finalised, let’s do a comparison of the lineups and see where the advantage, if any, may lie. [...]
Skeate still doubtful
Sharks coach John Plumtree has revealed that, of a number of injured stars needing to be passed fit to face the Blue Bulls, Ross Skeate is the least likely. The lanky former Province second rower injured his groin in the gym last week and is in a race against time to recover. [...]
Sharks may have the edge up-front
I’ve allowed myself to become very negative about the Sharks’ chances against the Blue Bulls this weekend, mostly on the back of an alarmingly poor second-half showing by the Sharks forwards in Kimberley last weekend. In hindsight, I’m perhaps being a little harsh in that assessment and overlooking some pretty enterprising play by the Sharks in the first half. [...]
Bulls face second row crisis!!!
Once there was a Bulls lock (well, actually a Griquas lock) called Victor Matfield and he was considered good enough to be picked for the Springboks. Shortly after that, another Bulls lock (actually originally from Newcastle, via the Valke) was also picked for the Boks. [...]
