The Leopards team to face the Sharks on Friday night has been named and as is so often the case with these smaller teams, there’s a fair smattering of players in the mix who have very close links to the KZN union indeed.
Starting at the back, fullback Danie Dames represented the Sharks XV in last year’s Vodacom Cup, before heading back to Potch for Currie Cup and Varsity Cup rugby. Outside centre Jovan Bowles – one of the standout players for the Leopards this year – was born in Durban and played for the Sharks at under 19, under 21 and Vodacom Cup level, before heading to the Valke in 2006. He then spent a good few years on the Sevens circuit, before moving to the Leopards last year. Left wing Dumi Matyeshana is another to have represented the Sharks, having been part of the 2007 Currie Cup squad.
The balance of the backline is pretty potent, with former Boland winger Deon Scholtz regularly appearing on the Currie Cup scoresheet, Lions discard Walter Venter at inside centre and Michael Bondesio, one of the form scrumhalves of the competition. Flyhlaf Neill Jacbos is just another from the seemingly endless line of pivots produced by Affies in Pretoria over the last few years.
I’m pretty sure that number 8, Riaan Swanepoel, is in no way related to the Sharks centre with the same name, but in Pellow van der Westhuizem, the hooker, there is another player who represented the Sharks in 2007. On the bench, lock Draad Linde is the brother of Robin Linde, a former Natal age-group lock who went on to represent Western Province and the Stormers before establishing himself as one of the top scrummaging locks in the French Top 14. Captain Wilhelm Koch was a familiar face on the Lions scene back in 2007 and 2008, before heading back to Potch to continue his career there.
Here is the Leopards team fro Friday night’s game:
15 Danie Dames; 14 Deon Scholtz, 13 Jovan Bowles, 12 Walter Venter, 11 Dumisani Matyeshana; 10 Neill Jacobs, 9 Michael Bondesio; 8 Riaan Swanepoel, 7 Wilhelm Koch (capt), 6 Christo van Niekerk, 5 Ligtoring Landman, 4 Anthonie Gronum/Brad Mockford, 3 Os van der Walt, 2 Pellow van der Westhuizen, 1 BG Uys.
Reserves: 16 Gavin Williamson, 17 Aranos Coetzee, 18 Draad Linde, 19 RW Kember, 20 Jean Tiedt, 21 Clayton Durand, 22 Jan van Zyl.
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Just a pity Matyeshana and Mvovo will not be marking each other directly.
Both work hard though so we should see them meet on cover defence.
am looking forward to that.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 1) : did you like the little gift I left you in this article? 🙂
@robdylan (Comment 2) :
I decided NOT to take the bait, I’ll leave it for our WP large lad to comment on the stringbean. 😆
What’s the story with Mockford being penciled in with Gronum at #4?
Now Mockford is a player that I am very surprised has not been snatched up by a bigger union.
He did some awesome stuff for Boland.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 4) :
😯
Mockford played for the Xero Lions? 😯
Squads
Platinum Leopards (ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division) – 2010
Platinum Leopards (Vodacom Cup) – 2010
Leopards (Absa Currie Cup Promotion/Relegation) – 2009
Platinum Leopards (ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division) – 2009
Xerox Golden Lions (British & Irish Lions Tour) – 2009
Boland Kavaliers (ABSA Currie Cup Premier Div) – 2008
Boland Kavaliers (Absa Currie Cup Promotion/Relegation) – 2008
@KSA Shark © (Comment 5) :
He was the STARTING lock.
Golden Lions:
15 Louis Ludik, 14 Michael Killian, 13 Jannie Boshoff, 12 Doppies la Grange, 11 Dusty Noble, 10 André Pretorius, 9 Jano Vermaak, 8 Willem Alberts, 7 Franco van der Merwe, 6 Cobus Grobbelaar (captain), 5 Willem Stoltz, 4 Brad Mockford, 3 Gert Muller, 2 Willie Wepener, 1 Lawrence Sephaka.
Why didn’t they keep him?
Yeah, cause the Lions are great at identifying and nurturing talent within their own union…
@robdylan (Comment 7) :
Not so!!!!! Look at the diamond they unearhted in Deysel 🙄 🙄 At least they tried to keep Alberts. 😆
@robdylan (Comment 2) : Its beautiful, I love it !!
It was irony, oubaas ;). I guess they hadn’t invented that in Kroonstad while you were at school 😉
Hahahaha
You used ‘Rob Linde’ and ‘ top scrummaging lock’ in the same sentence!! 😈 😆
Claytie, I try so hard for you guys
from 365
In-form scrumhalf Michael Bondesio – who was the star of the show against the Bulls – is struggling with a groin injury, but is working hard to be ready in time to face the men from Durban.
I’ll tell you what if he is not there then our job will be a WHOLE lot easier.
I’ve never heard of Bondesio until 4 teams of the week had him in!?
I had to google him!
Who did Samaai piss off that he cant get a game?I thought he was one of the stnadout wings in last years CC
Am I too young to understand the hidden little joke? Coz I can’t find it.. I’ve read the article four times now..
@Clayton(PJLD) (Comment 15) : samaai?
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 16) :
I’ll enlighten you 😉
On the bench, lock Draad Linde is the brother of Robin Linde, a former Natal age-group lock who went on to represent Western Province and the Stormers before establishing himself as one of the top scrummaging locks in the French Top 14.
Those of us who were on another site before coming here had many a “discussion” with a player agent on there who represented Rob Linde. He kept refering to Linde as one of the best scrummaging locks in SA or Europe. We of course kept pointing out that Linde never played for any Sharks team unless it was heavily depleted and when he DID play for WP and Stormers it was during the period when they were notorious for having a light 5 rather than a tight 5.
WPW and I are two of his more ardent detractors. Me having refereed him a few times in Club games while in still Dbn (he played for Harlequins) and WPW because he knows a lot about SIZE. 😛
I can’t help it if you guys believe the myth that ‘size doesn’t matter’ 😈
@wpw (Comment 19) :
Bwaaahaaahaaa!!!
What about that wing who was gonna become a Guinness Premiership legend? Some oke from the Valke or something?
😆 😆 😆
I hope the Sharks keep their game up for the Leopards, it’s so disappointing when we play one great game, just to slack of the next. I want about 10 tries in this game. I know the Leopards aren’t really that bad, but the Sharks should be able to smash them.
And I hope the Sharks team gets announced today…is that too much to hope for?
And the bok team
@Big Fish (Comment 21) : Bertus Swanepoel. Him and Andre Hough were apparently the next big things to hit SA rugby.
Does anyone know if the game is being televised?
I watched the game agains the Bulls and IMO Bowles, Bondesio, Venter and Stolts were very good, especially Bowles.
@rhineshark (Comment 26) : Good question 💡
@robdylan (Comment 25) : Andre Hough – The Lem 😆 😆 😆
@rhineshark (Comment 26) : it is, yes.
@Jarson (Comment 27) : Hmm, so the Leopards have a great outside centre that used to play for the Sharks under 21s…
@Clayton(PJLD) (Comment 29) : you mean, of course, the Lemon 🙂
@robdylan (Comment 30) : I guess so 🙂
@robdylan (Comment 31) : Brilliant
@robdylan (Comment 30) : Shot, bru! Hope we don’t scrape through against the Leopards like our Blue friends did 😯