The Sharks have named their team to take on the British and Irish Lions on Wednesday evening and you have to say it’s a waste of an opportunity to assess the depth available in the province.
Deon Carstens has been released from the Bok squad to get some gametime at loosehead prop, but it’s the selection of Skipper Badenhorst at hooker and Keegan Daniel at eighthman in particular that seems a little pointless. In fact, the only fringe player among the forwards that has been given an opportunity to show what he can do is Mike Rhodes. He will play off the bench in the number 19 jersey.
Monty Dumond will be at flyhalf, with Chris Jordaan and Andries Strauss operating at right wing and outside centre respectively. Young Guy Cronje has been named on the bench as flyhalf cover.
Here is the side:
15. Stefan Terblanche
14. Chris Jordaan
13. Andries Strauss
12. Riaan Swanepoel
11. Luzuko Vulindlu
10. Monty Dumond
9. Rory Kockott
8. Keegan Daniel
7. Jean Deysel
6. Jacques Botes
5. Johann Muller (captain)
4. Steven Sykes
3. Jannie du Plessis
2. Skipper Badenhorst
1. Deon Carstens
Replacements:
16. Craig Burden
17. Patric Cilliers
18. Albert van den Berg
19. Michael Rhodes
20. Charl McLeod
21. Guy Cronje
22. Lwazi Mvovo
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I wish I could figure out why this team makes me so unhappy… I guess it’s just because I was really hoping that more youngsters would be given a chance.
This is a HUGE opportunity for Rhodes, though… I hope he realises it and grabs it with both hands.
Not bad with the predictions Rob, Not as experimental as you thought?
@robdylan (Comment 1) : Don’t know why your unhappy…the forwards look very strong and overall not such a bad team considering who’s missing.
@robdylan (Comment 1) :
You just pissed off cause they did not agree with your suggestion! 😈
Looking forward to a great forward battle here, Lions will be tested for sure in the forwards.
I am not happy about Skipper at 2, Keegan at 8 (don’t get me wrong, he’s a good 8, but then you need somebody heavier than Botes at 6), Monty at 10 (he’s just not the answer) and Strauss at 13 (too slow)
Why is Albert still playing??? How old is he now???
🙄
@wpw (Comment 6) : younger than most of the Stormers team 🙂
@wpw (Comment 6) : I remember when he used to date my gran 😀
Not impressed with all the greenhorns on the bench but I suppose we’ll have to make do. Sometimes it sucks that the Sharks are so good.
i agree with Rob, they shouldve given more youngsters a start, they couldve put the vets on the bench if it was needed
@JarsonX (Comment 10) : and just because of that line up, im rooting for the Lions.
Skipper,Albert, Oom Terblanche… oh well, we can always build our depth during the Currie Cup…
Monty Dumond is pants. We have a flyhalf crisis!!! Crisis, i tell you.
🙁
@CapeShark (Comment 12) : we need a little magic
@JarsonX (Comment 11) : Yeah, I agree. The coach must stop giving chances to dead wood.
@CapeShark (Comment 12) :
Robbie Ebersohn is the answer!!!
rob i see why they play the main team players first as you must remember its not everyday you play the lions . and keegan would love to play just as any other player would
insaying that i partly agree with you too as i also feel strauss is to slow
so to is monty
to me our forwards are not a big problem
but i feel the slions gonna be to big and strong for our backline
also way to fast as they do everything at pace
maybe vulindlu should have played center which he actually is and he is pretty nippy
but ladies and gents we have a big problem at the back
maybe keegan should have played 13 😉
No Waylon Murray, so we can assume he’s not over his injury. Most unfortunate.
Well personally I am glad Rob you are unhappy with this team, last year you openly stated that the Blue morons would win the CC and The Sharks took it and with 11 Successive wins, this year you predicted that the SHarks would win the S14 and the Blue morons would be mid table, well the Blue Morons won the S14 and Sharks were mid table, so hopefully this course holds true, and we could be teaching these Kitties from the cold north that it is dangerous to swim in Shark infested waters!
I think a Sharks win over the B&I Lions would go a long way to assuage the pain of the S14 😐
8. Warren Whiteley
our vodacup team 8thman is a very good player and he is fast and big
seriously keegan daniel is no slower then strauss, shit his defence will be needed in the midfield
hell if spies can play wing or koster wing then keegan could have played 13
some big hits on the poms would have been great 😆
@Sharksmad – The Blog’s Dudette (Comment 20) : assuage??? What is it with the big words today?
Keep it simple for me, dammit 😛
@CapeShark (Comment 22) : Okai I am sorry been helping my son who is writing his matric with his English Essays. A win over the B&I Lions will go a long way to lessen the pain of the S14! Is that better?
@Sharksmad – The Blog’s Dudette (Comment 23) : whew, thank goodness for my online dictionary…
Truth is, i really don’t care who wins on Wednesday, Lions or Sharks, it’s a historic game. But if i had my way, i would do away with the old geezers who’ve done precious little this year…
@CapeShark (Comment 24) : you forget how the youngsters did no better as they crumbled to a griquas team in the semi’s??
@CapeShark (Comment 24) : Agreed but we need the old heads to keep young heads cool! Yeah I agree it won’t really matter who wins, oh okai it does I would prefet it was the Sharks that win!
Any way must say bye to all, going home.
@CapeShark (Comment 24) : i also don’t really care about the result on Wed
@sharks_lover (Comment 25) : But admitedly their Captain and Full back had been pilfered by the Sharks, old heads vs new heads 😉
@sharks_lover (Comment 25) : so did the Bulls a week later. Maybe Griquas are actually a pretty strong side?
@robdylan (Comment 27) : dont tell me you wouldnt enjoy a sharks win 😯
@Sharksmad – The Blog’s Dudette (Comment 23) : Completely agree. The CC is way off anyway.
@sharks_lover (Comment 30) : of course I would, but we need to be realistic that we are taking on a virtual test-strength Lions team with a weakened side. The odds are stacked against us. I’m not going to be suicidal if we lose.
Lions by 20-25, anything less will be a good day at the office for the Sharks.
Experimenting is good but Plum is trying to salvage some pride- so I understand why we have picked a strongish side. On the bright side- we start the CC with the goats…thats 80 minutes of experimenting right there.
@robdylan (Comment 33) : agreed rob was teasin ya mate
@blackshark (Comment 35) : one thing we gonna lack against the poms is good defence , and although i joked about keegan at 13 i dont think its so bad taking into account who he would replace, from the present team that is
the best option proberbly is vulindlu at 13 where he always has played with strauss playing flyhalf
mvovo at wing then atleast the defence would have been better , and remember rory would be the kicker anyhows
@Salmonoid (Comment 34) : yeah… about the only thing that gives me a little bit of confidence is that we have two strong defenders in midfield
How do I say this without coming across as stirring, but this team is VERY pale.
Im really not stirring, just observing.
How much time does Mr Skipper have on his contract? Just asking…
@Salmonoid (Comment 38) : this be true , we musnt forget tjhe lions are playing basically their test team and its combined of 4 countries against a weakened province
@blackshark (Comment 39) : I reckon he has naked picture of Strools’s missus…
@Salmonoid (Comment 38) : sigh
@blackshark (Comment 35) : 😆
@robdylan (Comment 41) :
I hope thats a sigh for the selectors and not for me.
@Salmonoid (Comment 43) : i think both 😆
@Salmonoid (Comment 43) : It’s just a general-purpose sigh.
@sharks_lover (Comment 44) :
Toe maar, Ive slapped myself on the wrists and boxed my ears and will attempt to bite my tongue and bury my head in the sand when necessary.
unless I am missing something – isn’t playing against lions like a big thing – happpens once in a blue moon. Sth coach and players wait for etc. and should prepare.
Testing before CC???? Rob – is there unexpectadly much sun in UK 😉
@robdylan (Comment 41) : hehehehehehehe
@rekinek (Comment 47) : That’s what I say. I mean, how good would it be walking around in the UK with your provincial side having just handed the SAS of British rugby their asses?
@Sharksmad – The Blog’s Dudette (Comment 23) : that would do – for now, we want CC as well 😆
@robdylan (Comment 37) :
And some pace out wide but largely shy of big game exposure. How is Dumonds defence.
Anyway I hope the approach to the game will be along the lines of the game plan used in the Super14 game against the Bulls and not a defence (keep the score low) type of game.
@klempie (Comment 49) : he he – so methinks as well.
@rekinek (Comment 47) :
It used to be and I hope it still is. It is for me. These days we play the All Blacks and Aussies so often that even those contests are becoming routine.
@rekinek (Comment 47) : my point is, we know what we have in Monty and Skipper… NOT MUCH. What do we have to lose by playing exciting youngsters in their place?
@Salmonoid (Comment 51) : I think Monty is a reasonable tackler, but that’s just the thing about him. He’s kind of reasonable at a lot of things without actually being good at any of them.
I worry about Jordaan as well… lets see how much he learned formt he Cheetahs game. But him marking Williams? Eish…
@Salmonoid (Comment 53) :
In fact I wish our Springboks were available for the game.
I guess I am just destined to be misunderstood today 🙂
@robdylan (Comment 57) :
Hey, me too, common ground has been reached. A good point of departure then.
Cheers all.
@Salmonoid (Comment 56) : so you reckon our full-strength side – the one that lost to the Cheetahs and the Reds – would beat this lot? 🙂
BTW, it seems Odwa and Kanko were also released for this game, yet somehow both of them have ended up injured.
@robdylan (Comment 54) : wonder what you’d say when the youngsters would bombed out due to occassion.
It’s big game you need wise heads (like Albert
) When you looked how “stressed” Royal XV and Cheetahs were at the beginning before gaining some composure. (not talking about Lions – they were stressed the whole game)
Monty’s solid. Not the greatest talent but will do. (prefer him at FB)
@robdylan (Comment 57) : it’s monday – by definition not greatest of days 😆
@Salmonoid (Comment 56) : me too.
cheers
@robdylan (Comment 54) : a win agains the British and Irish Lions? I woulda thought that was obvious… 😕
I think this team can win.
Jhb Sucks!!!!!!!!!!!1
@KSA Shark © (Comment 64) : Ah you’re here. And yes, I am escaping tomorrow. 🙂
@klempie (Comment 63) : you’re delusional.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 64) : so are you!
@robdylan (Comment 66) : I’m not saying it’d be hard. I’m just saying I want them to put the best team out there to give it a go.
I’m outta here. KSA…I’ll ring you tomorrow boet.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 64) : Joburg not for sissies
The youngsters should have been given a chance to prove themselves…hopefully in the CC?? 🙂
@s.h.a.r.k.s (Comment 71) : yes. I guess so. Except it will probably only be one once injury strikes that the next tier will be thrown in
I DO care about this match. I’m DESPERATE for the Sharks to klap the Lions. Just about every Pom I know, is aware that I’m a HUGE Sharks supporter. If they beat us, I will NEVER hear the end of it. Explaining that we have a weakened team will not wash with these idjeets! 🙄
Sadly, I can’t see us scoring many tries with that backline. Our forwards are going to have to stand up big time or else we could end up on the end of a horrible defeat!
Just seen the Lions training on Sky Sports news. From the pics, looks like they are training at DHS school.
@robdylan (Comment 59) :
No, not necessarily but the one that played against the Bulls may just have stood a chance, if they took their 3 pointers.
What injuries do Kanko and Odwa have and how serious?
@Salmonoid (Comment 75) : i’m not sure. Sound like minor niggles more than anything really serious
Just saw a headline somewherE that Plum reckons that future lions tours could be threatened if full strength provincial sideS are not picked to play against them. Could be interseting reading.
@Salmonoid (Comment 77) : it’s up here, along with my own take on it as well.
http://www.sharksworld.co.za/2009/06/09/plumtree-play-the-boks/
http://www.sharksworld.co.za/2009/06/09/nothing-more-than-a-festival-game/
All the best to the Sharks tonight I really hope you guys can pull off a win , it be good for the season and the 1st time ever.
Im missing the game but will follow on here.
Good Luck !
@CoffeeShopBok;-) (Comment 79) : hey bru!
Off to the game. You can rely on me to keep KSA under control. 😈
@klempie (Comment 81) : enjoy it
@klempie (Comment 81) : try get some pics of you guys with the players for our gallery