Alistair Hargreaves has been cut from the Sharks tour party in favour of Wilhelm Steenkamp. The group of 25 will leave Durban this afternoon en route to Canterbury and a gruelling five-week tour of the antipodes.
The Sharks, despite fielding a very strong team on paper, were again woeful in defeat to the Cheetahs last night. The team appears rudderless and unmotivated and even though there are a few sparks of individual brilliance and exciting play – such as Ryan Kankowski’s try – these moments are few and far between. A culture of blame-shifting and finger-pointing seems to be taking hold and Hargreaves, in his first Super 14 start, seems to be bearing the brunt this week.
Others have been equally unfortunate. Monty Dumond and Andries Strauss won’t be making the tour either. In this new era of “competition for places”, it would appear that one quiet performance means you’ll be shown the door. If we use this as an accurate basis for selection, then we should be sending the Sharks XV on tour, along with Kankowski and Adrian Jacobs.
Louis Ludik has not been named in the squad, although it looks as though the 26th tour group place is being kept open for him. Andy Goode has been named in the group, along with Riaan Swanepoel (now recovered from injury) and the exciting Pat Lambie.
Here is the tour party:
Front row: John Smit, Bismarck du Plessis, Craig Burden, Jannie du Plessis, Beat Mtawarira, Deon Carstens
Second row: Johann Muller, Steven Sykes, Wilhelm Steenkamp
Loose forwards: Willem Alberts, Keegan Daniel, Jacques Botes, Ryan Kankowski, Jean Deysel
Halfbacks: Rory Kockott, Ruan Pienaar, Andy Goode, Pat Lambie
Centres: Riaan Swanepoel. Adi Jacobs, Waylon Murray
Back 3: Stefan Terblanche, Odwa Ndungane, JP Pietersen, Lwazi Mvovo
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Go Mvovo! I hope he gets a chance, our wings are so lifeless…
Not surprised about Hargreaves, he just doesn’t have it.
Pat Lambie is indeed exciting, but I saw him at Newlands and he is very young and small. I think he will need a bit of grooming still… All in all, this is a really good team (on paper).
well lets just hope that the guys do beter on tour than yesterday they can still make it but alot of work to be done to from bottem to the top 4
@CapeShark (Comment 1) : Cape Shark, I am with you on Mvovo, hope he gets a chance. We need more speed and he is faster than Odwa.
Not sure about Andy Goode, never seen him play. Hope he is ready for this type of rugby, S14 is far tougher and so much faster than anything up north. What about Lambie? Read here that Rob said he played in the game just before the Sharks played yesterday. How good would he be at FH? We need our own talent here to grow with the team. I know Goode is here temporary but would have given our youngster Lambie a go before Goode.
@Charmaine (Comment 2) : Not sure if we can pull ourselves up from where we are now. Think it is going to be one tough tour. The only thing we can do is probably help our saffa teams, by not letting any that we play against over there get 5 points from us. Just don’t see us winning much over there. If we can not win at home how will we be able to beat some of the top teams on their home turf? Just being realistic here.
Still will always support our Sharks no matter what win or lose.
@Puma (Comment 4) : thats true but we must just keep up on the hope part
surely the sharks can’t give up well i don’t know just maybe they will show us some rugby when they get there ❓
Oh well, the team we had did not notch any wins, so hopefully this team will do something overseas and at least come back with a good couple of wins!!!! I actually feel like giving up watching the Super 14 but I am a die hard Sharks supporter so will keep the faith.
thats the only way keep faith sometimes hard but worth it did anybody think that the guys have something up there sleeves they’ ll peek when the time is right i guess ❓
so….the sharks first stop on their overseas jaunt is Christchurch. The Crusaders will be waiting boys
🙄 🙄 😕 where is evrybody game only begins at 5 are you all sleeping and fire the looser he must be away for the week end or just to upset with our looser guys
@Megatron (Comment 8) : oh megatron are gloating up there and can’t wait to c us well i think our boys need to get some air and christchurch might just be the place so keep wondering what are the sharks going to do when we get there
win i hope aaahhhh
@Megatron (Comment 8) : The same Crusaders who got their noses rubbed in the chalk by the Reds?
Put your hard-earned dollars on the Sharks for this one.
yes i think so rhineshark that was a good one put us off on sb never thought i live to c that one happen so maybe christchurch will be easy don’t u think 😀
Someone said previously that we are giving Steenkamp free experience only to have him play against us in the CC when he returns to the Bulls.
The way it´s going poor Wilhelm will have such a culture of defeat instilled in him that it will work in our favour.
@Charmaine (Comment 12) : Anything´s possible. 😉 The signs are there that this is going to be a Super series unlike any other.
why megatron cat got ur 😆 💡 thoughts why so quite
@rhineshark (Comment 14) : well i’m keeping my hopes up high or we are going to be in the top 2 or just rock bottem
@rhineshark (Comment 13) : you rhineshark just maybe the steenkamp likes the coast and decides to stay they say the coast in durbs grows on some 😆 😐
robdylan were are you what do think about this c you are on but where 😛
Hey Charmaine, please ignore Megatroll. He wants you to react to his feeble attempts at stirring.
Believe me I know. I was a champion stirrer in my younger days!!
@Charmaine (Comment 18) : i’m here, but can’t really chat. Looking after my boy this afternoon
@robdylan (Comment 20) : oh ok and thats hard work i’ve got 2 gran kids that live with me 4 and 2 years and they give hell sometimes but lv them to bits
Hargreaves deserves to go, more than Blou Bullem and (I doubt he’s)Any Goode. Its the regular line-up that fails to improve IMO. Sharks would be lucky to get a win on tour.
@robdylan (Comment 20) : Hey Rob, i know u can’t chat, chat tomorrow or something, but is there a way we can send our support to The Sharks team, i think they need it right now. We as fans can be very Harsh sometimes. Thks Rob.
@JJR (Comment 23) : Judging by the fast exit of Sharks fans at the stadium they do not have the support they need…. at least they have us. There must be a way to send them our support whilst they are out of the country.
Oh my goodness my profile pic is still gone and I cannot upload another one…. when you have time please help me Rob!!!
@JJR (Comment 23) : thats a great idea, we need to make a plan
ok i have seen goode play and he is very good. but he is only as good as the forwards let him be. as for the rest of backs i think e are in trouble.
Sharks tour preview/prediction:
First game will go down to who dominates upfront. I have a feeling the Sharks might get it right this week, sharks by 5.
Waratahs- Tahs will be tired coming back from tour, again the performance of our pack will determine the outcome. Sharks by 3-7 points.
Brumbies might have finished their tour recently, but they will be really tough to beat, if they do not get injuries they should take the game by around 10 points. But u never really know when the ShRKS WILL kick into 5th gear.
The highlanders game should be ours if weather is good. We should will by about 10, breakthrough will come 10 minutes into second half.
Hurricanes will be key if we want a semi spot, if we beat them we will have a real chance for forth. It will be real tough. Either sharks by 3 or hurricanes by 3. Lets hope we can play to our potential.
3\4 out of 5 should give us a good chance to get the forth spot at least.
now i am panicking….the wheels are coming off. Just hope this Goode fellow can give the Sharks some direction. Best sharks back is kankowski!
Time to get rid of a wole lot od deadwood. Start with your skipper.
@grant10 (Comment 29) : don’t put your hopes on andy goode grant, he is a balding second rate flyhalf. when cipriani was struggling in the england setup, he was the stop-gap
😎 ➡
😉
grant10
I dont understand why you dont rate John Smit. He has proved over and over that he is without a doubt the best captain in the world. He is also consistent and hardly ever has a bad game for the Boks or the Sharks.
Did you see how well the scrum performed when he moved to 3?? Or did you intentionally miss that part of the game??
i think he did but always has something to say i yhink we must rate saders and what comment we’ll get back don’t you 💡
❗ ➡ 🙄 😯 everybody sleeping this afternoon gee wake up and lets start talking
@wpw (Comment 32) : morne du plessis was also a great captain….so was Tiaan Strauss and F Pienaar…..but they also had to leave the game. Smit aint a 3 ….and he simply not good enough at 2.
Tip to sharks…best you play Bissy against saders….and leave smit on bench.
Use it…dont use it….
Grant
Smit is only 31 now and he is far from finished. He still has much to offer the Sharks as well as the Boks.
@wpw (Comment 36) : no…i disagree…..he is way behind in the 2 pecking order….and is simply not a 3.
But continue in your delusional world.
i just pray PDV not as blind.
Barring any serious injury Smit will lead the Boks to the 2011 world cup.
The fact of the matter is that Smit is not behind in the pecking order. The pecking order is determined by the coaches. And quite clearly they rate Smit. Hence he gets picked every week.
No one else’s opinion (even if they state/claim it as ‘fact’) counts.
And constantly picking on one player is boring, tedious and simplistic way of ‘reasoning’. Because lets face it every player has an off day and makes mistakes.
So as soon as your chosen player has a bad match or cocks up, don’t forget to latch on the complete subjectivity of many such occassions, then you jump up and down saying ‘I told you so’. In the process of course ignoring anything positive thing said player does.
And every player will one day retire or be dropped. Guaranteed. 100%. So again when this happens to your chosen player, another golden opportunity to claim an ‘I told you so’ moment.
Aren’t you clever. 🙄
@McLovin (Comment 38) : I suspect you’re in much the same mood as me today 🙂
@McLovin (Comment 38) : 😛
Well said.
And strangely I can take notice of what you have said there and apply it to my rants about Victoria as well. 😳
I see he is trying his best to become Victor again by being cited on TWO counts this last weekend. 😛
Go Vickie!! 😛
@grant10 (Comment 37) : Grant you just don’t give up do you? You spew this rubbish in about 30 000 posts on keo for the past 6 months. Day in day out. In every single post you mention John. Only you. You have some vendetta against our Captain? Let it go now mate, you are sounding like you losing it. No-one is taking you serious anymore. Not only are you saying this on keo, you now have the audacity to come here to a Sharks site and spew your hatred about John here. Really it has become pathetic from you. Give it up. It is tedious to say the least and extremely childish to carry on like this in every single post you post here or there.
Have some respect for the Shark supporters here. You sounding more and more like a troll buddy. You need to take control of this mindless nonsense and move on.
@Puma (Comment 41) : puma….if the sharks fans are not inclined to want to hear constructive criticism they are welcome to say so and i will stop posting here. As for your sentimental and soft view that the world will fall on our heads with out smit i assert that you ,in fact, are showing disrespect to all the other sharks and boks players.Get a life my man….this is a rugby site…not a backslappers union. I will continue to express my views in a forthright and honest manner. They are my honest views….if you dont like them scroll by….or get me banned. But dont dare to prescribe to me…ever. I dont prescribe to you…who do you think you are to pontificate to me?
tell him puma we don ‘t go around and shit on there teams when they are down don’t worry smit we still lv you so say all your fans and gee you know you are still the best captain in the world and it make them want to throw up, and they are just eating bitter lemons that all, and 😈 that their cap in not as tops as ours so i say with a lot of respect
@robdylan (Comment 39) :
@KSA Shark © (Comment 40) : Vickey is a Bull. Different rules apply to the Bulls. So he’s fair game. 😉
oh gee mclovin do the sharks also have different rules aahhhh
joke glad to c your on 😀