The Sharks have managed to sign utility back Conrad Hoffmann from Western Province. Sources are claiming that the player will move to the Durban based team after the Currie Cup.
The player has signed a two year deal, stating that game time in his preferred position of scrumhalf was the major deciding factor. Hoffmann will do duty on WPās substitutes bench at Newlands again on Friday evening for the match against Free State.
This will surely be the nail in the coffin for Rory Kockott who has been rumoured to be looking elsewhere after falling out of favour with the Sharks coach John Plumtree.
More on this as it develops.
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Damn
@Clayton(PJLD) (Comment 1) : ‘Damn’ good signing for the Sharks š
Good thing or not so much?
@Clayton(PJLD) (Comment 1) : Does this mean that January might now get a WP contract?? š
@Pokkel (Comment 4) :
I still cant believe he doesn’t have a contract..
Can someone please approve my new avatar? š
@Pokkel (Comment 4) : ROFL!!!
@klempie (Comment 6) :
Back to being a ghost? lol
Sweet, good signing.
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 8) : Ja. š
Finally we’re starting to sign some seriously talented youngsters who can actually contribute in the long run – none of these ‘over the hill’ foreigners who aren’t nearly as Goode as what they are rumoured to be. I bet Rudolf had bugger-all to do with this signing – he was simply told by Plum, “This is what you WILL do, or else!” š
@klempie (Comment 7) : hehehehe š
@Pokkel (Comment 2) : Correct
@klempie (Comment 7) : Die WP manne antwoord my nie eers nie. š
@Pokkel (Comment 14) : š
Rory is a talented player and an excellent kicker but his one glaring fault is the fact that he takes wayyyyyyyyyyyy too long to clear the ball from the ruck. He slows the game down and the opposition is able to re-align their defence. If he could just speed up his passing game he’d be a million times more useful. Oh well, so long glory boy.
@Pokkel (Comment 4) : Doesnt he have one?
@Clayton(PJLD) (Comment 17) : No! HAHAHAHAHA
I found that out from my Province buddies when I was down in the fairest Cape over the weekend. Was rolling around on the bar floor laughing my ass off at that one. š
Seriously exciting signing this, hopefully he can fill the void left by Ruan Pienaar.
Great news.
How the hell they let him go I will never know.
Rory hasn’t become suddenly useless. An attitude and mindset change is all he needs – he has loads of talent.
@klempie (Comment 18) : Seems a bit strange.
distressing news for wp and stormers.Sharks you boys got yourself the next big thing is SA scrumhalves. Come 2011 Super 15 Hoffmann will be sharks 1 st choice….this kid is special.
wp and stormers now have problems at 9….Duvenhage not much better than average and Ricky on way out…..Schreuder is highly rated u 21…..but Kockitt would be a welcome acquisition.
@Big Fish (Comment 20) : i agree. but rory doesn’t seem interested to change. plum has given him plenty of chances this season to prove his worth and all he does is make charl look better every game. everytime he takes the field the backline suddenly goes defensive and tries stop. rory has another chance friday, lets see what he does with it. ok i’ll see, most people aren’t going to see the game.
@grant10 (Comment 22) : Amen brother
@Pokkel (Comment 4) :
I wouldnt believe everything klempie says.
After all, he is not a TRUE SA supporter!! š š
@wpw (Comment 26) : So tell me the truth then…does Ricki have a WP contract or not??
@Clayton(PJLD) (Comment 21) : We know he’s only with the Boks because PdV has shares in second-hand vehicle repair outfits.
@klempie (Comment 28) : Ek sien jy spel nou beter as gister. š
@Pokkel (Comment 29) : š
@ Klempie, so you stating the Boks are a second hand outfit ? PDV’s after all the Boss…
@Charlie (Comment 31) : They are certainly looking that way at the moment, aren’t they? š š
@klempie (Comment 32) : Not really, but more of the fans seems to act so, not even less then a year ago, when all was looking good…
@Charlie (Comment 33) : Hey. Are you aka wpw? š
@Pokkel (Comment 27) : I find it extremely hard to believe that he doesnt.Actually I dont believe it.
Rory is a great player with real heart but he isn’t suited to the sharks game plan. Scrumhalves and flyhaves need to complement each other… Like Fourie and Morne Steyn. Fourie du Preez is a decision-making scrummy which takes the pressure off Morne, hence the reason he looked great in 2009 but in 2010 has been under pressure.
Kockott plays his best rugby when he has the decision-making responsibility, such as in the super 14 playing with Andy Goode. Then he can kick, snipe, run and he makes the team look good.
However the sharks have a play-making flyhalf in Lambo and therefore need a scrummy who does the basics- is at every ruck and passes extremely accurately and quickly. That player is Charl.
@klempie (Comment 34) : I don’t support WP, neither am I a soutie…
@Clayton(PJLD) (Comment 35) : Rest assured Ricky Januarie’s on WP’s payroll…
@klempie (Comment 34) : @Clayton(PJLD) (Comment 35) : Klempie lyk my jy’s verkeerd.
http://www.wprugby.com/playerprofiles.asp?team=currie cup
@juz (Comment 36) : Rory will fit well into the Bulls set-up…
@Charlie (Comment 37) : Was just kidding big guy. wpw also gives me grief about being a bad supporter. :p
@Pokkel (Comment 39) : Lyk my die Province moegoes wat so gese het is verkeerd.
good signing! he ruled the WP vodacom cup side this year didnt he? sad to say, but i hope that we offload a scrummy now as we have got brilliant talent at the u/21`s in reinach and cronje… eish, player management, thats a tough one!! š
@Pokkel (Comment 39) :
Does that surprise you?? That klempie is ‘verkeerd’
š
Angry, so Angry!
As far as I know Ricky’s contract expires at the end of the year, same time as Hoffies. And WP are not looking to renew it either. Wonder if the offers are rolling in for him.
@wpw (Comment 44) : Klempie is n goeie ou, hy hou net van ‘stir’ š
@molly (Comment 46) :
That makes sense cos he joined us at the beginning of 2008 and most players sign 2 year contracts.
@wpw (Comment 44) : Boeta, hoe lyk’t vandag innie Kaap? Ek mis dit alreeds (ten spyte van die feit dat die weer lekker kak was oor die naweek). š
Ross Cronje won’t be chuffed with this signing… But hopefully it makes him raise his game.
@molly (Comment 46) :@wpw (Comment 48) : Hmmmm….so I was half right. š
Just read what I was about to post.. Seems Im a little grumpy today, rather I keep my comments to myself…
Good signing in Hoffman!
@molly (Comment 46) : jip, boland wants cover for bolla…
looks like loffies working wonders with the blonad hey?? š
Hmmm not so sure about this to be honest,what’s gonna happen to ross cronje now his a way better player than hoffmeyr or whatever his called,the lad has lead the under 21s well and gave w.province a good beating last weekend.the sharks are messing about with cronje,i wouldn’t blame him if he started looking somewhere else and takes his brother with.u hav two vry loyal young stars who grew up here and have supported the sharks since they were young and you dont give them shot,no amount of money can ever buy you loyalty something the sharks should make they motto and start trusting they academy and juniors instead of buying everybody.
One thing is for sure. Hoffman will LUUUUUUUUUve winter in KZN. š
@Oubaas2009 (Comment 50) : charl wasn’t happy being 3rd in line, now he is top of the pops. ross is good but his defence is poor. i am sure if he works harder on his defence he will pip hoffman. but with pat at 10 we need a quality scrummie and quality backup. so the more the merrier especially when injuries hit.
I am afraid that Rory’s problems are deeper than simply attitude. I have been watching and comparing him to other 9s for a while, and he has a very weak pass from the base. It is loopy and slow, I have seen him make passes with absolutely no spin on the ball, and there is no way to get a quick flat pass like that. If you watched last week and saw Stefan’s drop goal, it was a really slow pass from Rory. It was accurate, but he floated it to Stefan, and it did not even make a single revolution. I could read the Gilbert on the ball the entire time it was in the air, and believe me, it was a long time. š
Great, more scrumhalves, dunno if i can stand rory’s slow service anymore!!