The good news from the regular Tuesday press conference at ABSA stadium is that both Beast Mtawarira and Bismarck du Plessis are now looking odds-on to start this weekend’s semi-final.
Other potential returnees include Jacques Botes and Johann Muller, while Deon Carstens may even be fit too, after battling niggles pretty much all season. Carstens was an absolute stalwart for the Sharks earlier in the season, when so many other props were unavailable and the damage his body took over those rounds seems to be lingering somewhat.
I see the Cheetahs are talking up their chances in the scrums, based on the fact that they supposedly dominated this facet of play on both prior occasions that the two teams met this Currie Cup. They need to go back and watch the videos, methinks, since they lost both games and on neither occasion did they have to face up to a Sharks tight five that was anywhere near full strength. A lot will depend on whether Muller manages to get back onto the park, but if all of Smit, Mtawarira and both du Plessis brothers are passed fit, I don’t see the Cheetahs getting too much ascendency at scrumtime. They don’t even have a replacement hooker these days…
Plumtree will have a tough call to make amongst the loose forwards, particularly if Botes comes through this week, which I’ve been lead to believe he will. Jean Deysel will be back in his favourite number 7 jersey and I feel that Mike Rhodes has done in enough in his previous two outings that dropping him from the squad would just simply not be right. The Sharks are going to need to hit the Cheetahs with a total forward onslaught and I just don’t see that going to plan if we have both Botes and Keegan Daniel in the squad. My call would be to pick Rhodes in 19, with the in-form Alistair Hargreaves sitting next to him. It’s a tough decision, but I just don’t feel that Albert van den Berg and Daniel are the right guys to have in reserve this week.
The team will be named on Thursday, but if I were to select the lineup, here’s how it would look:
15 Terblanche (c), 14 Ndungane, 13 Jacobs, 12 Swanepoel, 11 Pietersen, 10 Hernandez, 9 Pienaar, 8 Kankowski, 7 Deysel, 6 Botes, 5 Muller, 4 Sykes, 3 J du Plessis, 2 B du Plessis, 1 Mtawarira
16 Burden, 17 Smit, 18 Hargreaves, 19 Rhodes, 20 McLeod, 21 Dumond, 22 Murray
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That would be a “strong” bench Rob – but I think Plum will go for Keegs – just in case the bruising doesn’t work too well and we need some “inspiration” in the 2nd half…I guess I’d do the same.
I wonder what Sharks_Lover’s team would look like!! đŸ™„
@wpw (Comment 2) : los dit!
@blackshark (Comment 1) : I might be tempted to go 5/2…
I would play Hargreaves I’m not convinced that Muller would be our best bet after his injury
@robdylan (Comment 3) :
hehehehehe
BTW – I shouted Happy Happy for you on another arti…dont know if you saw though…I AM wea đŸ˜‰ ring cammo afterall..
@GI Ice (Comment 5) :
Howzit Ice??
I hear you were in Slaapstad this past week. Did you enjoy your time here??
@wpw (Comment 6) :
Heya Wes – absolutely!! Was ‘n FEES!! Dis swaar om terug te wees…ek moet nou rerig plan maak met daai Lotto.. đŸ˜‰
i have read the article where Naka says the pressure will be on Sharks. Isn’t it what Coetzee was saying last week
@rekinek (Comment 8) :
Famous last words??? đŸ˜ˆ
@GI Ice (Comment 5) : thanks đŸ™‚
Cheetahs scrum was unusually soft in the first game in Bloem, I still remember commenting on that (or was it the Bulls scrum). At that stage OO was of the opinion that the Cheetahs were playing poorly as a message to the coach / union.
@rekinek (Comment 8) : i think all the pressure will be on the bulls, some ppl are already talking of a loftus final and almost as if the bulls just have to pitch to win,
Dont you think centre will also be a bit of selection poser? I think waylon has been performing magnificently since he returned from injury and adi was awesome last weekend, i still think there is a case for adi at 12 and waylon at 13 but it would be difficult to drop swannie
@war1 (Comment 13) : we’ll lose if we drop Swannie. I just have such a strong feeling about that.
@war1 (Comment 12) : i actually read somewhere these exact words.
This reminded me about a certain rugga quote. Sth along these lines :
There is an air of inevitability (or sth equally dramatic) that the All Blacks just need to arrive in France to take the cup
@rekinek (Comment 15) : ha ha, i wonder which cup the took? maybe one from the hotel?
@robdylan (Comment 14) : it would not be wise to drop him, but i feel bad for waylon
@war1 (Comment 13) : i think swanepoel established himself as a nice 12. Murray and Jacobs are 13s and of the two I think that Adi will take a starting spot. Murray can cover wing if need be.
@rekinek (Comment 18) : yeah it is best, i just dont want murray to become a bull!!!! đŸ˜ˆ
@war1 (Comment 19) : it’s not a great reason to pick someone, though…
I do know where you’re coming from… remember what Zayn Nabbi said to me about Waylon. Still, I doubt he would go to the Bulls. More likely to duck overseas.
If it weren’t for the absolute blinder against Griquas, I’d agree we should have Adi on the bench for this one. But he just seems to do so much better when he has time to get himself into the game properly.
@robdylan (Comment 20) : gelling gelling
Is Rory fit?
@Morné (Comment 22) : fit for what? Fit for purpose? I doubt it!
@robdylan (Comment 23) :
Hehe, he is my favourite player – make sure he is fit for next week when we travel to Durbs please.
@MornĂ© (Comment 24) : does not matter – looks like he lost his 9 spot. 5 minutes with Rory won’t help you
@rekinek (Comment 25) : especially if he comes on to knock over a pressure penalty to win the game đŸ™‚ Rory beat WP all on his own in both fixture last year, if I remember correctly
@robdylan (Comment 26) : noop. you don’t
he played very well in the first and the second (at newlands) was still injured.
@rekinek (Comment 27) : i’m thinking about this year’s Super 14 game, then
Shark’s bosses at Moses Mabhida Stadium in talks with Sutcliffe and Co.
Seems like the new athletics stadium will be the new Shark Tank.
@capetownguy (Comment 29) : and you know this how?
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/medium/27816322.jpg
Sharks jerseys in the MM stadium dressing rooms. Talks tonight between city officials and Sharks officials, including, adding the rugby field dimensions to the pitch to illustrate viewing distances.
I think klempie in particular is gonna LOVE this move!!! LMAO
I don`t know. I feel in a semi final we need all the experience we can get. Would John Smit be able to give us 80 minutes two weekends in a row? His experience up front is golden we need to take advantage of this . . .
@Original Pierre (Comment 33) : that’s why I want him to be on the field for the last half an hour đŸ™‚
@capetownguy (Comment 31) : that’s pretty sparse compared to the current changing room…
@robdylan (Comment 34) : Guess you`re right. If we can`t have him out there for the full 80 we should at least settle for the last half hour.
Wonder whether the Cheetahs would pull their usual trick. Replace their entire front row in the second half?
Also I read somewhere WP Nel might not be ready?
@robdylan (Comment 35) :
Maybe they hang five per cubicle and the bench jerseys in the 4th one?? Then you wait in a cue to put your jeresey on, tie your toks, put your “lucky” onderbroekie aan and then give the next ou a chance.. đŸ™„
@GI Ice (Comment 37) :