As we are know rugby news and rugby in general is pretty much finished for the year; although there is George Sevens still to be completed this coming weekend. So how will our Sharks and Sharks XV line ups look next year? Let us try and figure it out.
The Sharks-
1.Beast 2. Bissie 3. Jannie
4.Sykes 5. Hargreaves
6.Keegs 7.Willem/Deysel (back probably after tour)
8.Kanko
9. Charl
10. Lambile
11.Mvovo 12. Bosman
13. Jacobs/Stef?
14. JPP
15. Ludik
16. Smit 17. Van Staden 18. Mostert/Skeate 19. Willem/Deysel/Botes 20. Hoffman 21. JLP 22. Stef/Jacobs/Ndungane
Sharks XV-
1. Sabs 2. Burden 3. Herbst
4. Bresler 5. ? – who…Marais, okafor? What do u guys think?
6. ? – up 4 grabs. What do u guys think? 7. Jenneker/Ojiambo/Okafor
8. Ojiambo…who else…Lubabalo at Sevens
9. Rory?/Cronje/Reinach
10. ?…Steve out…Pretorius gone i think…
11. Vulindlu 12. Swannie/Jenner/Jerome
13. Vulindlu/Lindeque….
14. We need wings…Sbura+Richards BBOKS
15. Pienaar…who else?
16. Cooper 17. Chadwick/Redlinghuys 18. ? 19. Jenneker/Ojiambo/Okafor 20. Reinach/Ross 21. Guy 22. ?
Might be leaving out some guys that i forgot about, any suggestions for all those ? marks?
Really looking forward to a great season ahead. Come on guys!!!!

6- maybe harhoff guy from rovers…i think that is right?
What wings do we have in stock? Mnisi can probably play 13 with lindeque on the wing?
eish is it just me is this post in the beginning and the end of each line 🙄
maybe JJR was just hv fun nothing else to do on a Sunday 😆
I may sound stupid saying this but watchin the bokke doesn’t do it for me like watchin the sharks..I will make an effort to get to durbs to see the guys play…it excites me that the currie cup chokers tag is finally off our backs..now its time to get rid of that super rugby chokers tag..
@JJR (Comment 2) : isn’t Pienaar a board 4 like 3 to 4 years 😕
@shaniboi (Comment 4) : Agree, i get way more energized for a Sharks game than a bokke one; maybe it is because the Bokke have not been as good as they should have been this year.
@chaz (Comment 3) : Yup, you correct 😉 🙂
@chaz (Comment 5) : Sorry…wat…board?
Forgot about Lee thom and Lambert…
Hungry…gonna braai something, will see what players i have left out 2morrow when i return…
@JJR (Comment 8) : playing 4 another club nt sure which one though
@JJR (Comment 10) : gee braai a blou bul steak
@chaz (Comment 5) : abroad u 😳
@chaz: wynand pienaar ..he plays fullback for sharks u21 ..exciting talent who loves to run with the ball
@bergshark (Comment 14) : 2 quick ones, dont throw away hoffman and jlp they will be involved big time
as for J smit, he will be playing mostly loosehead ,and W pienaar will be playing 13
@bergshark (Comment 14) : 😳 thanks i forgot about him 🙄 i was thinking about RP but my mistake 😉
@shaniboi (Comment 4) : troof
With Hoffman able to cover 9, 10 and 15 (and maybe even wing), i would go for a 5-2 split on the bench. If i take your line-up JJR, i would include Botes on the bench with Deysel (he will anycase play off the bench once he returns). Stef and Lambie can also cover 15, Lambie 12 and Bosman can also cover 10. So no need for JLP i would say. Would need some reliable 13 though (I know Adi is also there). And i think we have ample youngsters just waiting for that opportunity.
Me thinks that Mostert will start ahead of Hargreaves. Will provide good go forward momentum and he is no slouch around the park.
@dawj (Comment 19) : Also prefer Mostert, but plum has been really conservative selection wise this season, i hope mossie gets a run though. If hargreaves ends up on the bench i would prefer Skeate over him too…will make more of an impact off the bench.
@JustPlainSHARK (Comment 18) : If Deysel if fully fit i would start him to be honest. He is even better than Alberts when it comes to crash ball and he can fetch bladdy well too when he gets into the groove. Depending on conditions i would choose between willem and kanko at the back. Also willem cover 7 and 8…plus he makes his best contributions within about a 30 minute time frame; so it won’t be bad to have him come off the bench. When we play in new zealand on the slightly heavier fields willem would be my number 8.
@dawj (Comment 19) : 4-sykes 5-mossie 18-skeate- good balanced selection. Would love to see that…hargreaves was useless over the weekend, just shows why i don’t really rate him.
1 Beast
2. Bissie
3. Jannie
4.Sykes
5. Hargreaves
6.Botes
7.Deysel
8.Alberts
9. Charl
10. JLP
11.Mvovo
12. Lambie ( Bosman too slow and liability on defense )
13. Stef only option really.
14. JPP
15. Ludik
16. Smit/Burden 17. Van Staden 18. Mostert 19. Keegan 20. Kanko 21. Hoffman 22. Jacobs/Ndungane
Before you start hear me out?
Send Kankow on for Hargreaves in the second half with Alberts moving in to lock and Keegan in for Botes. Depending on how loose the game is at this stage we might consider Burden for Bissie as well.
Will be the best forward combination in SA, all the grunt in the first half and all the mobility in the second half!
I still don`t know where to go with John Smit. Yes he`s the best captain in SA but not the best hooker or prop we`ve got, that much is obvious.
Because of our well documented mid-field problems I`d move Lambie to 12, yes we all know his best position is probably fullback, but he`s young enough to learn and he will be valuable for us at 12, we`ve got enough fullbacks. Also JLP bring a physical presense that Lambie just doesn`t. So move him to where he`ll have more space and time and he`ll wreak havoc for us. 13 is still a problem for me . . . so I`ll stick with what we know until Adi proves his defense is not so shaky anymore. Remember you win more games with solid defense than flashy attacking play. The wings select themselves and Odwa might prove an inspired choice at fullback if he works on his kicking. Remember Stef and Lambie are both there to fall back and help him out as well.
Bring on FS for our first match!! 😛
@Original Champion (Comment 23) : I agree the no.13 is possibly the Shark’s biggest concern point going into 2011. However I’m not so sure about your choices regarding Kanko and Lambie.
I would say that people have every right to reservations about Kankowski the international player but at superrugby level where many games suit his style of play, he has proven to be a stand out player. He should be our starter, no questions asked.
In the past the Sharks have had to import the likes of Lacroix, Knox, Townsend, Michelak and Hernandez to help overcome an ongoing lack of talent at no.10 position. The signing of Jacques-Louis was further evidence of our desperation to have a quality player in this pivotal positon. Now out of the blue, in the last 6 mths we’ve produced an international class flyhalf and as good as he already is there is still much uncertainty about how far off his peak potential he still is. Even if Lambie can play 12 or 15 very well, the benefits that his quality could bring in these positions pale in comparison to the potential rewards the Sharks could extract from having him playing well at 10, the position that has historically been of concern. We all know what to expect from JLP, but we still need to find out just how much more Lambie can grow as a no.10. Lambie is already better than JLP but at the time of signing JLP, no one could have foreseen this. Things change all the time in this wonderful game. The decision to make Lambie starting no.10 in 2011 is a no-brainer in my books.
@beet (Comment 24) : I agree. Lambie offer a lot more at 10 than at 12 or 15.
@beet (Comment 24) : @Pokkel (Comment 25) : agree totally about Lambie at 10, it’s a no-brainer. I do think that there will be quite a bit of rotation with such a long competition in a world cup year. I reckon Lambo will be first choice 10 and sometimes play 12 as well.
@Pokkel (Comment 25) : @war1 (Comment 26) : Risk Meyer Bosman at 12 at your own peril then . . . 😉
@dawj (Comment 19) : @JJR (Comment 22) : Hargreaves will be the starting no. 5 lock barring injury. He is an important player for the Sharks. Locks generally work better in pairs, a hard grafter/enforcer and a more athletic lock, Sykes and Hargs fit the bill.
@Original Champion (Comment 27) : You don’t like him then I assume. 😉 I think Bosman will shine in a better Sharks set-up…Plum will make sure he tackles 😆
Sharks should look to make contact with young melbourn rebels 13 Jp du Plessis…he is really a young star and is in the psycicle category of francouis hougard and jean de jong…he really is a great young prospect…the sharks looked at him when he was still at paul roos….him and linique learning from terblanch…could really be a good prospect…jacobs should move on to better things for him…a nice contract in Uk or Japan…
JP du Plessis
Wing
Profile
Height:
185 cm
Weight:
92 kg
Date Of Birth:
29/04/1991
Place of Birth:
Kroonstad, Free State
JP du Plessis hails from South Africa. Looking for ways to develop his game, du Plessis, considered a certainty for Springbok honours after his South African U18 appearance, chose to switch codes and move to Australia. His performances on the rugby field had already caught the attention of national and international scouts, resulting in recruitment by NRL side, Sydney Roosters. Now JP is making a return to Union and is eager to play Super Rugby with the RaboDirect Rebels. JP has excellent footwork and acceleration. He’s a balanced runner who plays inside and outside centre and wing. Jp has has developed from a 74kg 18year old…to a 94kg wing…he is being hailed as one of the fastest players in Aus…and is really a great devender…he is my dark horse for the 2011 tri nations…watch this boy in 2011…
@BoerSeun (Comment 31) : This is some useless info but anyway did you know that the Lions Academy have signed a different JP du Plessis from HTS Middelburg. Apparently this JP from the Pumas also plays centre and weighs a massive 108kg (Same weight as Sonny Bill Williams). Little wonder he was described as a Ma’a Nonu of schoolboy rugby this year.
@BoerSeun (Comment 31) : How long did it take the Melbourne Rebels JP to get from 74 to 94kg? If the answer is one year, that’s crazy and I’d say he’s an injury just waiting to happen.
@beet (Comment 33) :
Clyde Rattlebones anybody?
Certainty to make Bok colours in the 13 jersey says the write-up. I have my doubts.
Reckon we have some more than decent young centres in the academy already.
Jp is a good wing prospect for the boks…he is a really good finisher…I have seen a lot of boys go throught the system in the WP, and the only 3 that was obvouis bok potensial was devilliers de jong and du plessis…this kid really is a star I hope he makes his way back to SA…
@BoerSeun (Comment 35) :
…so is he a bolter for the Wallabies or Boks in next years Tri Nations ❓
@BoerSeun (Comment 35) : That’s interesting. I’m assuming you’re referring to centres in your comment. What do you think of the following current guys : Tim Whitehead, Johann Sadie, Sam Lane?
Personally I thought it would be a good S15 swap deal if we took Whitehead and loaned Kyle Cooper to the Stormers – a kind of win-win situation for both players and franchises.
@Big Fish (Comment 34) : Yeah of the junior centres I’m a big Wynand Pienaar fan and would love to see him developed into a fulltime no.13. I also like Heimar and Piet L but don’t like when fans get ahead of themselves on Piet’s potential. Kayde Fisher and Dwayne Jenner are also pretty decent players. Hopefully one of these guys comes through for us in a few years, coz the constant importing of senior players suggests that our Academy directors have lost their touch when it comes to develop talent.
@beet (Comment 24) : agree 1000%
Guy Cronje…. 10 for Sharks XV 🙂
@beet (Comment 37) : I think Sadie is a Good Player as is Lane & EVEN Whitehead is a really good Player…I just think there is a lot of Good Youngsters in South Africa. More than in most Countries – we have a high average of young Semi Professional rugby players caused by our big gap to fill in 20 years and youngsters 23 years old with 50 tests is what we have because of this. I am a Matie Boy, played my rugga there and still suport the boys weeksly and I see a lot of Sadie’s and Lane coming throught the system, but I am telling U JP du Plessis has never played a level where he did not excell all his fellow players of who Sadie is ons thinks he is a Wonder Kid with Ball in Hand…I just hope we keep him in our system before we loose him to Aus…there is a couple of video’s of the kid on youtube…I think he made the mistake of his life leaving but his Life is rugby and he wants to be a Danie gerber type running player and thinks the modern game takes some of that away, not a bad point and for that reason he left to get exposure in League—check him out on jp du plessis video’s on youtube
let me have a go at a Sharks XV….
1. Sabz
2. Coops
3. Herbst
4. Bres
5. Jandre
6. Francois Kleynhans
7. Lambert
8. Theissinger
9. Ross (capt)
10. Guy
11. Dube
12. Swannie
13. Trompie
14. Zuks
15. Wynand
@robdylan (Comment 41) : Howdie, Got my mail?