I noticed with interest an article we carried this morning with Kabamba Floors and Hendro Scholtz having re-signed for the Cheetahs. All good and well, but the article neglects to mention the other players in the camp that are about to head for greener pastures.
Crisis at hooker?
Tiaan Liebenberg who left Western Province to continue his career with Toulon in France will be joined in France by younger brother Hercu. Hercu, also a hooker, who has played his rugby for the Vodacom Cup Cheetahs this year, is following in his brother’s footsteps by also signing for a French club. The 22 year old Hercu Liebenberg has signed with French 2nd division side Aurillac and will leave SA shortly.
Couple this with yesterday’s news that this weekend’s reserve Currie Cup hooker for the Cheetahs, Jaco Du Toit, is also leaving to further his career with Beziers in Italy and suddenly the Cheetahs find themselves is a little more than just a mini hooker crisis.
With Adriaan Strauss, the 1st choice hooker, probably lost to the Springboks for the rest of the Springbok season that essentially leaves the Cheetahs with all but one hooker until 6 September when Adriaan Strauss will once again be available for the Cheetahs.
Further Cheetah front row players furthering their careers abroad are: CJ van der Linde (Leinster), Ronnie Uys (Tarbes) and Phillip Lemmer (Tarbes).
According to Aurillac Rugby Club’s website they have been on quite a South African shopping spree with Valke flyhalf Len Olivier, WP Flank Leon Karemaker, SWD hooker Hannes Franklin, Lions flank Gerhard Human and SWD lock Henry Grimes all set to join the club for the coming season.
Vermeulen also heading for greener pastures
The Cheetah website also carries a VERY short piece mentioning that there is uncertainty about the future partnership between Duane Vermeulen and the Cheetahs. It seems the Sharks’ offer, rumoured to be ZAR1,200,000-00, was not enough and that the Stormers have come forward with a better offer to lure Vermeulen to Cape Town.
According to Cheetahs coach Naka Drotské, Vermeulen has not informed the management team of his future plans as yet.
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Olivier as well… that’s not good.
That little bit shocked me as well. I was hoping he would have a great future in SA.
But nothing says he won’t ever be back though.
Vermeulen is dumb not to come to the Sharks. He’ll do much better with us than with WP. And I’m not at ALL biased.
@robdylan (Comment 3) :
Rassie has heard somewhere that loosies are vital to the game and now he is buying 20 of them and trying to convert his one hooker into a loosie.
Seriously though. How many loosies are WP gonna have next season?
@KSA Shark © (Comment 4) : I’m so glad we’re not looking at front rowers, we need to stock up on other positions.
Is Rassie honestly wanting BOTH Lobberts and Duanne?
Surely if he had to pick one, it would be an easy decision.
Wp loosies for next season if the Lobberts and Vermeulen stories are correct.
Schalk Burger
Luke Watson
AJ Venter ??
Francois Louw
Robbie Diack
Justin Melck
Hilton Lobberts
Duane Vermeulen
That is 8 and I am bound to have missed one or two.
Where’s WP all of a sudden getting all this cash from. Maybe I missed something, but I’m fairly sure there were reports last season maybe about their financial situation being pretty dire. ❓
what about Jaque Fourie? Any truth in the rumour he’ll also be heading to Cape Town next season?
@KSA Shark © (Comment 7) : Pieter Louw and Pieter Myburgh as well.
Hasn’t Diack left for Oirland?
@molly (Comment 10) :
Told You I missed some. 😉
So that is 10 loosies then.
maybe he knows of one or two who are leaving.
@ra-cheltjie de’ be-er (Comment 11) :
i think you may be right actually
@ra-cheltjie de’ be-er (Comment 11) : yes – Diack has left for Ireland.
There’s also Conraad Britz and Nick Koster that you haven’t mentioned
@robdylan (Comment 14) : Koster? Not seen him play yet. Isn’t he the one with superhuman powers? 😉 That’s if you take some posts on Voldy seriously. 🙄
@robdylan (Comment 14) :
Sharks should target Nick Koster if reports are to be believed – quite the talent, although it sounds like he is a Kankowski-type player.
@ra-cheltjie de’ be-er (Comment 15) :
He is in this weekends squad so we should hopefully get a look at him this weekend
@ra-cheltjie de’ be-er (Comment 15) & @KSA Shark © (Comment 17) :
He played last weekend, set up Skeate’s try… I only saw the highlights, so I have no idea what else he did.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 17) : he’s rumoured to be VERY good indeed. Kind of Ebersohn-like in his fame.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 7) :
I think Diack is already playing overseas, but even so its overkill on their part.
What is it with WP and loosies!??!
@Hmmm (Comment 21) :
Must be something to do with the docks… 😉
@ra-cheltjie de’ be-er (Comment 15) :
I have not been on there in a while!??!
For some reason I get on and it freezes here from work…maybe my work is trying to save me from voldy…or they selfish as it was effecting my thinking here at work…
@Hmmm (Comment 23) : you ain’t missed much
@I’ce (Rebel With a Cause) (Comment 22) :
Or that there are not enough “partners” for the current players….
268/7 (79.0 ov)
Prince out already. 👿
@robdylan (Comment 24) :
Why? were you posting there again…. 😉
@Hmmm (Comment 27) : once or twice 🙂
287/7 (83.0 ov)
Match delayed by rain
👿 👿
rain has been blown away 😀
@ra-cheltjie de’ be-er (Comment 29) : rain? Here? NEVER! 😉
@robdylan (Comment 31) : I remember the days when we had hosepipe bans. 🙄
@ra-cheltjie de’ be-er (Comment 32) :
Hosepipes… what are those?
@bryce_in_oz (Comment 33) : a hose used for watering a lawn or garden 😉
298/9
@ra-cheltjie de’ be-er (Comment 35) : Not good!!
South Africa lead by 72 runs with 1 wicket remaining in the 1st innings
Boucher 3 fours off the last over. 😀
…and gets single off last ball. Thus keeping Ntini at non strikers end.
Boucher dropped by Panesar. 😀 🙄
Out next ball. 👿
Go Boucher!!!
Dammit!!! 😯
All out for 314.
South Africa lead by 83 runs.
@wpw (Comment 42) : Yeah ..he has gone!!!!
Now we need Morkel, Ntini and the rest of the bowlers to come to the party.
@wpw (Comment 42) :
FOOK talk about Jinxing the guy 😉
It’s raining again….shold help bowlers 🙂
@ra-cheltjie de’ be-er (Comment 34) :
Ah yes… coming back to me now… haven’t seen one of those in years…
Boucher and co hitting the ball in the air instead of along the ground when trying to eke out a partnership….
I see you’re all voting for option 4… 😉
@robdylan (Comment 50) : Having constant trouble with the cricket guys on your rugby blogg? 💡 💡 Fire them all, I say! 😀
@Silver Fox (Comment 51) : you can’t fire volunteers… can you?
cool quote:
“Drink coffee: Do stupid things faster and with more energy”
AJ won’t be playing next season.
And Burger and Watson are seemignly permanent fixtures in the bok side at the moment.
Sharks should sign lock Flip v d Merwe from FS.
He’s the one that dominated lineout ball at the front. Me thinks.
@VinChainSaw (Comment 54) :
yeah but the boks play in the S14.
@Ernie (Comment 55) : bit of a journeyman, but why not?
10/0 (4.0 ov)
@VinChainSaw (Comment 54) :
Did you get my email?
Are you going to answer me?
Shalom
Ntini to Cook, OUT, gone! what a brilliant catch, but an awful shot from Cook…dropped in short again and Cook goes for the pull, defeated by the angle and it causes him to get a massive top edge. Boucher called early and makes a huge amount of ground, taking the catch almost at square leg. Massive strike for South Africa, England still a way behind
@PJLD (Comment 60) : aleikom sala’am.
Did you new friend invite you to Nuweland next weekend? Or not yet?
@PJLD (Comment 61) : I heard George Michael had a massive stroke…
i thought nic koster would switch 2 centre when he got 2 play 4 wp they were grooming him as the next jdv
Haven’t checked yet Rob
Just mailed you a second ago
@robdylan (Comment 63) : HUH ❓
@Bok-Clyde-Kiwi (Comment 64) : Koster @ centre, from what ive read he has always been a loosie.
@PJLD (Comment 60) :
@robdylan (Comment 62) :
One Jew and One Arab have just met. Here comes a war.
😆 😆
@KSA Shark © (Comment 67) : oh dear.
Strauss GONE
Caught Amla Bowled Nel for 17
39/2
@KSA Shark © (Comment 70) : 😎
so eng are minus 44/2. 😀
@ra-cheltjie de’ be-er (Comment 72) :
Yeah baby 😎 😎
Guys this is a Rugby site! Please spare a thought for those doffies like me who cannot understand cricket! 😳
@Sharksmad – The Blog’s Dudette (Comment 74) :
The One side is in to bat and they then go out into the middle. The other side is then in the field and they need to try and get the batsmen who are in, out. Once all eleven batsmen who came in to bat have been gotten out, then the side who was in the field come in to bat.
easy really.
how do you know who wins 😳
@Sharksmad – The Blog’s Dudette (Comment 76) :
They normally anounce it on the news bulletins, but mostly after 5 days no one has won.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 75) : The thing is only 10 of the 11 okes can get out.
@Salmonoid (Comment 77) : okay now I see why I never follow cricket I am ADD I couldn’t possibly keep attentive for 5 days! 😯
22.1 Morkel to Strauss, OUT
@PJLD (Comment 80) :
@PJLD (Comment 80) : Aren’t Strauss and Morkel SAn? I am really confused! 😳
Strauss used to be
Morkel is
@PJLD (Comment 83) : ah I get it now thank you 😐
From OFM Sport by Hendrik Cronje
Die rugbyspan van die Vodacom-Vrystaat-Cheetahs se diepte sal vandeesweek tot die uiterste op haker beproef word. En dit kan Naka Drotské (afrigter) net noodsaak om sy herbouproses voort te sit deur die jong PW van Vuuren as haker nader te roep.
Drotské het eintlik nie ‘n keuse nie. Of as hy een het, is dit ‘n klein keuse. Adriaan Strauss is vanweë Bok-verpligtinge nie beskikbaar nie. En Jaco du Toit het reeds oorsee vertrek.
Drotské het voorsorg getref deur die Platinum-Luiperds se Riaan Kruger te ontbied. En Hercu Liebenberg het ook die oefeninge bygewoon. Maar Liebenberg sukkel met ‘n kniebesering en ook hy vertrek Saterdag na Frankryk.
Dit beteken dat Drotské net werklik uit Kruger en Van Vuuren kan kies, tensy Liebenberg fiks verklaar word.
Gelukkig vir Vrystaat is Drotské ‘n voormalige Bok-haker en die probleem behoort nie te groot te wees nie.
Where is Richardt Strauss?