The Sharks seem to have a huge problem on the blindside of the scrum and no easy way to fill it in time for Saturday’s visit to Loftus.
AJ Venter and Keegan Daniel took turns wearing the number 7 jersey in the Super 14. Big AJ was favoured for the first two games, but looked off the pace. The combination of two smaller, quicker guys operating on the flanks worked beautifully against the Blues, but then started to lose effectiveness as the season wore on. The Sharks found they were getting bullied off the ball at the breakdown, heralding a return for Venter. He did very well in the last few games, only to be surprisingly dropped for the semi-final, in favour of Tongan travesty Epi Taione.
Venter has gone off to WP, though, leaving a pretty big hole for the Sharks to fill.
Jean Deysel was the logical successor to the big man, but coupled with the fact that Ryan Kankowski is with the Springboks, he was probably expected to spend more time at number 8 this Currie Cup. The argument turned out to be a moot one, as Deysel broke his hand before the competition even started. Latest reports indicate that he will be out for at least another 3 weeks.
Botes and Daniel have been operating with reasonable success as a 6-8 combination, with the irrepressible Skollie Ndlovu providing impetus off the bench. Steve Sykes has been pressed into service as a makeshift foil on the blindside, but his lack of pace and appreciation for the niceties of loose forward play have been shown up badly in games against Western Province and the Kavaliers. Persevering with Sykes against a Bulls loose trio that includes Pedrie Wannenburg and Danie Rossouw, both players that are approaching Sykes’s size, yet a lot quicker.
As it is, Sykes himself is struggling with a knee injury picked up against the Bolanders and is in a race against time to be fit.
Further compounding the problem is news that up-and-coming loose forward Mike Rhodes has had to have a knee operation. He will be out of the game for upwards of 8 months. Jacques Potgieter is fit and training with the squad, but is understood to not be in the Currie Cup selection frame right now. John Plumtree may well find he has no option but to hand a start to the exciting young Justin Downey. The blonde flanker had a pretty good Vodacom Cup and is apparently highly rated by none other than Murray Mexted, having attended the IRANZ last year.
Whether Sykes recovers or not, the Sharks are going to have to be creative in the coming weeks, with big games against the Bulls, Cheetahs and Lions coming up. Playing Albert van den Berg on the flank may work as a stopgap. Another option would be hastily acquire the services of someone playing in the lower leagues. Or perhaps the European circuit, which has just come to the end of a season, might yield something in terms of SA players keen to return home. Talk is that a particular blonde former-Sharks loose forward has been spotted in Durban; could this perhaps be the miracle that Plumtree seeks?
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How about getting Hilton Lobberts from the Bulls???
as a long term solution of course… 🙄
Talk is that a particular blonde former-Sharks loose forward has been spotted in Durban; could this perhaps be the miracle that Plumtree seeks?
Clinton van Rensburg???? ❓ ❓
sorry Charl van Rensburg… old age
Shitballs but the Sharks have played Russian Roulette with their player contracting this year.
@Ragged (Comment 4) : Sorry. Not that one, according to the story I heard.
@VinChainSaw (Comment 5) : except we have bullets in all 6 chambers.
@wpw (Comment 2) : IMO, I actually mentioned it before, Lobberts are just part of the wrong setup, anybody that seen him played for SA Junior teams would agree that he would develop into a great player… 😉
Straueli can get one of the Warren’s back…Broshnihan or Britz…
@robdylan (Comment 7) : fortunately our aim is off and tend to shoot ourselves in the foot!
Blonde former-Sharks loose forward has been spotted in Durban; could this perhaps be the miracle that Plumtree seeks? Surely cannot be Sowerby? He was not blond now my brain is working overtime only other blond loosey I can remember apart from AJ was Blakeway and he is in an old age home.
@Ragged (Comment 10) : he was a lock-cum-loosie…
Charlie
He seems to want to prove himself whenever he gets onto the field.
I actually think he has potential to become a very good player. He just needs to calm the hell down and take his chances whenever he gets them.
@Charlie (Comment 9) : Charlie, do you know anything about Thabo Mamojele?
@robdylan (Comment 11) :
Another prize to Twickers for guessing right?
@Dive Pass (Comment 14) : same conditions as the last
@robdylan (Comment 6) :
AJ? Surely AJ couldn’t get out his WP that quick…..he could be in Dbn for other reasons, like home etc
@robdylan (Comment 13) : Nope…nothing boet 🙁
Nico Breedt?
@Dive Pass (Comment 16) :
Think AJ wants a shot at some silverware.
If he came back to the Tjarks he’d play 2 agmes and then they’d put him out to pasture and bring in some young kid.
@Charlie (Comment 8) :
His problem isn’t his actual play – his problem is that he can’t stay on the field long enough to actually showcase his skills.
It’s hilarious when you play somebody like that – you just wind him up all game and wait from him to crack.
Then you stick your jaw out, take it on the chin and laugh when he gets sent off.
Guys like that are easy to spot and once a player has a rep every single oppo forward will try his best to wind up the guy, the same guy who already can’t contorl himself.
I find it hilarious.
@Oranje Orakel (Comment 18) :
Ah that could be a possiblity
@Dive Pass (Comment 21) : my lips are sealed
Another one that came to us from the Cheetahs, who came to them from the Eagles 😉
The man in question.
Look at that technique. Not.
lol. And from another angle…
How do you get tackled like that when you dont even have the ball?
😀
hehehe
and nowadays – as predicted at the end of 2006
The battle readied veterans of the cheetahs is /are oFFski to Europe- not to DeBBen anymore…..
hence the lack of……
DuBBle edge Sword- these contracting of half the Bok team- coz half the season they are gone…..
@robdylan (Comment 22) : Nic Strauss 🙄
@robdylan (Comment 22) :
Then have a colde one on me anyway!
🙂
Who is the pom- dayglow? must have been playing @ Prickerham!
AJ WILL win the CC this year!
You heard it first, here on WesternProvinceWorld.
@wpw (Comment 29) :
😆
Had some grEEnstuFF in your gatsby Boet?
@wpw (Comment 31) :
What?
Are you on weigh-less?
Almost said Province first need to win the Bulls…..
🙂
I am very confident OO.
Things are looking up for WP and we will be very formidable when our Boks return.
@wpw (Comment 33) :
I wont bet against Province- to be honest
@Dive Pass (Comment 21) : good call, so is it Nico Breedt?
@Oranje Orakel (Comment 28) :
Phil Vickery. Dayglo has no hair left!
OO
I would say it will be btwn the Sharks, WP, Bulls for the title…
Sorry but i fink the Cheetahs have lost too many good players to win this year.
The Bulls have the experience of playing in finals and the Sharks have a very good coach and will be difficult to beat with all their Boks in the side.
@wpw (Comment 37) :
Well- lets see come Oktober!
@VinChainSaw (Comment 36) :
🙂
Captain Coke- the hairless 1der!
@Ragged (Comment 35) : rumour has it he’s been spotted in Durbs. It might not mean ANYTHING, though…
@robdylan (Comment 40) :
gOOde player that
and in all honesty
he basically came as a loan player to the cheetahs- was always going to the Sharks
no Issues wiff that!
@Oranje Orakel (Comment 41) : apparently has some sort of an asthma thing… makes it difficult for him to play full-out for 80 minutes. Seems to have hampered his progress in Durbs. I think he’s done well at le Cirque de Boudjalel, though…
@robdylan (Comment 42) :
Pity though- have some really gOOde atributes
@robdylan (Comment 40) : It depends where and what he was doing…. I mean was he having a drink at Rovers or was he training on KP1 … still don’t know who HE IS>>>>> if it is Nico Breedt he was a biscuit and would be welcome back at the Tank, I was sorry to see him go.
Breedt’s with Toulon, if he is still in contract then it would be very expensive to buy him out as Mr. Boudjellal has very deep pockets and as Matfield & co will vouch, they pay well ….
@Ragged (Comment 44) : it is Breedt. But I have no idea whether he might be coming back to play for us or not
@Dive Pass (Comment 45) :
Although maybe Jerry’s arrival has pushed him out of contention
ok, so Charlie was serious.
WHO THE HELL IS NIC STRAUSS?
oh great – so this is the answer. He’s a 28-year-old UK 2nd division club player. Surprise surprise, he plpaye for four years with Rudi’s old club, Bedford Blues
just in case you’re wondering what I’m on about… this is from sharksrugby.co.za:
“Sharks coach John Plumtree has admitted that the experiment to play Sykes at flank, although enforced, may be discontinued. “Yes, we have considered moving him back to lock, I think I can get same for him at lock as at flank because he is so mobile and has an excellent work rate.
“The shift was something I had to make because of the loss of Jean Deysel, but we have [former Wildebeest flank] Nic Strauss (pictured) back from playing in the UK, he looked quite good in a club game, so we might see a change there, he’s likely to be in the 22 man squad.” “
Nicolas (Nic/John) Strauss
Playing Position: Lock/Flanker/ Eighthman Club: G.Falcons Honours: Natal SA Cup 2002 Natal Wildebeest Vodacom Cup 2003 Natal Wildebeest Vodacom Cup 2004
Personal Details
Full Name Nicolas (Nic/John)
Surname Strauss
Height 194cm
Weight 102kg
Birth Date 22 September 1979
Birth City Fort Beaufort
Marital Status Single
Favourite Film Shawshank Redemption
Favourite Music R&B; Sakkie; Dozie
Favourite Food Roast Chicken
Primary School Dale College
Secondary School Glenwood High; Dale College
now, here’s an interesting coincidence. Seems one of the former members of “The Lemmings” was also a Nic Strauss… from what I can dig up, he apparently got into Scientology. Pretty sure it’s not the same guy.
He’s another hairy boy:
Well let’s hope he is up to the task of blindside flank…
On the topic of English club rugby….what division are LondonSA and how many more years is it going to take to get them to the Premiership (assuming they get promoted every year)?
@wpw (Comment 1) :
Who needs a 7? Especially considering the fact that Lobberts will be sin binned at least once. 😉
@KSA Shark © (Comment 55) : lobberts ain’t in the squad 😉
@VinChainSaw (Comment 24) :
LoL
I think Been-pole is the Sharks best bet at this stage…he has done it at test level a few times…..has the pace and is bigger and heavier than all the Sharks other loose forwards….
Donno if he will measure up to Danie …actually I am sure…he wont!?!?
@wpw (Comment 29) :
“>“WE ARE DOUBLE U P”
@Hmmm (Comment 59) :
😆 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆