Wildebeest coaches Charles Louw and Steve Atherton have chosen a strong line-up to face the Blue Bulls in the Vodacom Cup curtain-raiser to the Sharks-Bulls Super 14 match in Pretoria on Saturday.
Both teams suffered fairly upset losses, the Bulls to South Western Districts, and the Wildebeest to the Pumas in the opening week’s action over the past weekend, and both will be looking to reverse matters.
The coaches have a mixture of talented youngsters as well as some fairly experienced campaigners with Super 14 action behind them by way of Andries Strauss, Henno Mentz, Steven Sykes, Jody Jenneker, Kees Lensing and Skipper Badenhorst, but as both teams found to their chagrin last week, if you want the result, you have to outscore your opposition.
With captain Alistair Hargreaves is his South African Under 19 World Champs team-mate Nikolai Blignaut, with talented youngsters Jacques Potgieter and Justin Downey making up a very mobile the loose forward trio. Sharks lock Johan Ackermann will be playing his last match before retiring for good, and this means Steven Sykes gets more game time ahead of his predicted move back into the Sharks squad following a period out of rugby through injury.
The backline also has a touch of class about it, but once again, it is what happens on the day, and every opportunity must be turned into points if the Wildebeest intend returning to Durban victorious.
Meanwhile, the 33 year old ex-Bok Richard Bands is on the Blue Bulls bench for the Vodacom Cup clash between the Bulls and the Natal Wildebeeste. Bands has hardly featured over past few seasons due to calf and knee injuries, but is attempting to make a final comeback to compete at the highest level.
Bands is joined on the bench by the SA under 19 hooker Henri Bantjes, who replaces Brett Sharman, but the rest of the team who lost to the SWD Eagles remains intact. Bulls coach Nico Serforntein has made one positional change – props Sangoni Mxoli (the ex-Shark) and Dean Greyling swap the number 1 and 3 jumpers, with “Moxi” starting at his preferred loosehead position, after playing tighthead against the Eagles last week.
The match starts at 16:30 and is a curtain-raiser to the Super 14 clash between the Bulls and Sharks.
Vodacom Blue Bulls: Tiger Mangweni; Luvuyo Mhlobiso, Stephan Dippenaar, Stefan Watermeyer, Rocco Jansen; Francois Brummer, Francois Hougaard; Okkie Kruger, Pieter Meyer (Capt), Hilton Lobberts, Fudge Mabeta, Hendrik Roodt, Sangoni Mxoli, Bandise Maku, Dean Greyling. Replacements: Henri Bantjes, Richard Bands, Juandré Kruger, Carel Hoffman, Ruan Snyman, Ruan Boshoff, Johan Jackson.
Natal Wildebeeste: Danie Dames, Dumisani Matyeshana, Andries Strauss, Riaan Swanepoel, Henno Mentz, Tiaan Marx, Charl McLeod, Jacques Potgieter, Nikolai Blignaut, Justin Downey, Steven Sykes, Alistair Hargreaves (Capt), Robbie Harris, Jody Jenneker, Kees Lensing, Replacements: Skipper Badenhorst, Pierre Bouwer, Nolan Clarke, Skoliwe Ndlovu, Shaun Pammenter, Neil de Bruin, Lwazi Mvovo
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good luck to Wildebeeste.
hope you beat the Blou Bulle 😈 👿
You guys know what Dean Greyling’s first name is? Go check out his profile on http://www.sarugby.net...
And the changes (casualties) from our Puma mauling are:
– Frank Wagenstroom (replaced by Riaan Swanepoel in team, & causing a positional re-shuffle with Dumisani Matyeshana moving from centre to wing, & Shaun Pammenter coming onto the bench)
– Scott Spedding (replaced by last years u21 flyhalf Tiaan Marx)
– Jean Deysel (moves to S14 team – replaced by Jacques Potgieter, with Skoliwe Ndlovu moving to the bench)
– Subusiso Dube (replaced by Skipper Badenhorst in squad)
– Schalk van Jaarsveld (replaced by Nolan Clarke, so prop for lock)
nope. van Jaarsveld and Clarke are both locks, Q.
where is Wagenstroom? Injured? Or did he have such a crap game he was dropped completely?
BTW, Shaun Pammenter… can anyone confirm this is teh same oke who crewed for Shosholoza?
Pampoen is a lock?
Why do I think he is a prop?
Oh I know why – I was thinking of Jan-Toit van Jaarsveld.
I reckon they’ve brough in Riaan Swanepoel to tighten the leaky defense…reckon Wagenstroom was a casualty….
Apparently Swanepoel is a hard inside centre – potential to be the next Lem…
that’s right… still a challenge out there for anyone to tell me where the hell Jan-Toit, JC Strauss and Conrad Stoltz are hiding…
yeah… but Strauss is too slow for a 13. Faaar to slow.
well we’ll know when the club competitions start…
I guess
Am i the only one who is stumped by Kees Lensing? He’s apparently one of the highest paid props in the country and yet he never seems to be close to the top player wise?
this is a favourite subject of mine, Billy…
Really?
yes – I think he is the most overrated tosser ever to pull on te jersey!
If memory serves he was sh*t hot at the Bulls and immedietly became crap in Dbs.
nah – he went overseas for a spell first. Can’t remember where.
Lensing was part of a truly formidable tight five at the Bulls… hasn’t ever managed to replicate that form in Durban. To my mind, he doesn’t do enough work in general play to warrant selection over any of the other Sharks props.
man – if the Wildeeest tight five don’t murder the Bulls, they’re just not trying
Leeds Tykes. That’s where he went
Kees played for Leeds in the Guiness Premiership. Incidentally alongside Andre Snyman & Roland de Marigny. Leeds were shite though, & got relegated…which is when Kees pulled his contractual debacle stunt 🙄
not one of my favourites, old Kees
Wildebeeste need to tame their own demons first.
Great team on paper, but on the field they are kak.
Cats syndrome
Well congrats are in order.
This is my first post from my new PC.
Need to get Norton, Office and all that aka sorted now. 🙄 But the priority (Sharksworld) is sorted. 😉
Congratulations KSA!
well done, KSA… glad your web browser works 😉
This Swanepoel kid is built like the proverbial brick sh*thouse… only 1.82 tall, but weighs 97 kilos!
Now if only MSN messenger will go past 99% download. 👿
Wildebeest have AGAIN picked a monster back row… all three in excess of 1,9 and 100kgs.
Okkie Kruger and Pieter Meyer are both a bit smaller… lighter, fetcher types. If they’re quicker to the ball, it’s another hiding for the Beeste.
Reminds me of an old folk song:
Where have all the fetchers gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the fetchers gone?
Long time ago
yes and Swanepoel was still under 21 last year (the captain)…
same 10-12 axis as the under 21 team in fact…
lol, Spedding should perhaps start investing in a few French lessons.
Spedders seems to have no BMT whatsoever. Only really shines when it doesn’t count
how good is Marx, Quinn? What sort of flyhalf is he?
he’s meant to be quite a good prospect… Came over with the Leopards contingent & was considered one worth keeping. He’s with the satellite academy up north. Got a good boot, but likes to run it.
Maybe they felt Spedders was a bit too slow & 1-dimensional…?
who runs this satellite academy? any idea?
it’s the Zululand Academy, run by Angus McDonald
http://www.zululandrugbyacademy.co.za/ZRAProfiles.htm
can’t see Dames & Marx’s names in there, but it’s my understanding that they were defininitely sent up to that Academy.
I do see we have the Grey College 1st team flyhalf for 2005 …PE Grey though
🙁
Good old Grey. Shark factory of note
Whoops! That’s Grey Hgh in Port Elizabeth, Q. Amateur mistake, old bean! 🙂
amended
I saw the word “Grey” & got too excited, didn’t bother reading any further… 😉
He he. Would really like us to win both games this weekend
KSA – are you there on your new PC?
Hi Nessa
Am here now but on the old PC at the moment. 😆
MS office busy installing on the new one. 🙁 Then still have to do CAD and the Adobe products. :gonna be a while:
Glad to see Bands on the bench for the Bulle. watch out for the two Paul Roos poaching from us , Hougaard & Dippenaar.
Paarl I think Bands is past his sell by date…
A parrot on a perch is sitting in front of a pet store in Mitchell’s Plain. A woman walks by.
The parrot says to her, “Hey lady.” “Djy’s [email protected] lelik.” Well, the woman is furious! She storms past the store to her work. On the way home she sees the same parrot and it says to her again, upsetting her again.
The next day the same parrot again says to her, “Hey lady.” Djy’s [email protected] lelik.”
The woman furiously went into the store and said that she would sue the store and have the bird killed.The store manager promised he would see to it that the Parrot would not be so rude again.When the woman walked past the store that day after work the parrot called to her, “Hey lady.”
She paused and said, “Yes?”
The bird said, “Djy weet mos.”
Jessie I dont know. I am still seeing flashes of that great try he scored against the All Blacks. What is the saying about fatties, they like wine broer, the older the better.
If they can only get him fit, he’ll be fine.
wpw daais a lekka een! 😆
Is Bands a soutie? Kind of unlikely, I guess, but his full name is Richard Edward Bands
Is Rob Otto an Afrikaner? Kind of unlikely, I guess, but his full name is Robert Gert Otto
Unfortunately my image of Bands is clouded by that of him getting buckled by RD’s friend, Jan-Toit, 2 seasons back in a match against the Beeste….wasn’t that try against the All Blacks in the last century? 😉
Rob richard is a boer in murg and been. That stoepsitting his biggest problem.
DP dont matter the timing of his try but still is the best ” Die bus is Vol” I have ever seen.
shut up wes… or I’ll set my favourite journo on you…
where the hell is Jan-Toit? Please? Anyone?
Amazing what Google discovers…
http://www.acutts.co.za/franchise.htm
cool – I am mailing him as we speak
I wonder if it is one and the same Jan-Toit?….I suppose the odds of 2 sets of parents both burdening their sons you that same name are slim…
yeah, I’ll give you even odds that their are NOT more than google-traceable 2 Jan-Toit van Jaarsvelds in the coastal mecca that is Durban.
If we were in Snor City, those odds would be around 200-1…
saorry left out a couple of 00’s…
20000-1
😯
nou wat nou, wes?
Besig om te dink aan vanaand se game? 😈
BTW, Rob, Me2 says on the Sharks Blog that Pammenter IS the Shosholoza dude… ask him more next time he’s around.
SA Rugby has him listed in a Wildebeeste squad in 2004, but then there’s a gap until now. What position does he play in any case? Loose forward? De Bruin is an ex-Shimlas scrummie btw.
Nicked this comment from the Sharks blog – answers our questions on the awol Wagenstroom & Spedding, as well as mentions Jenneker’s improved play:
“Hey noticed from last week that Scott Spedding and Frank Wagenstroom are out. Were they dropped? From the game I watched last week against the Pumas Wagenstroom had a shocker with his handling. He actually caught the ball far less than he knocked it on. Truth be told the handling from the 80% of the team was amateurish. Only Dames, Strauss, Mentz, McCleod, Sykes, Harris, Jennekar and Lensing could actually catch the ball consistantly.
I also felt Jodey Jenekar had a great game. His throwing was spot on and can only remember one time when he was penalised. He carries the ball well and his scrumming against a strong Pumas front row was impressive for a young man his size. “
Quinny
We gonna whip the Saders tonite!!!
naas, positif tinking 😉
nice to know, Quinn.
Fish is a big fan of Tyson Jenneker
“Only Dames, Strauss, Mentz, McCleod, Sykes, Harris, Jennekar and Lensing could actually catch the ball consistantly.”
Speaks volumes in its own right…
must be a typo