In an interview with the official Sharks website this morning, coach John Plumtree confirmed the injuries in the squad, but also indicated that he woud make few unforced changes to his side for Saturday’s game against the Stormers.
The Sharks, fielding a near full-strength team, lost badly to the Lions in their opening Neo Africa Tri-Series encounter on Tuesday night, leading Plumtree to question the attitude and commitment – particularly on defence – shown by some of his stars. In a big squad with a fair amount of depth, some rotation may have been expected, but the coach has quashed that speculation by confirming, “we will play mostly the same team as for the Lions game.”
There will be forced changes at hooker, lock and fullback, with both of Tuesday’s starting second-rowers forced out with injury. Alistair Hargreaves hurt his back quite seriously when falling after jumping for a kick-off, while Ross Skeate fractures a finger and will be out for up to a month. John Smit has been released to attend Butch James’s wedding in Durban, while Louis Ludik suffered a haematoma to the thigh and is also unlikely to play.
Bismarck du Plessis is still recovering from a shoulder injury, but should be fit to play – I guess the smart money will be on Craig Burden starting at hooker, though, with Beast Mtawarira and Jannie du Plessis retained at prop. Anton Bresler and Gerhard Mostert will start at lock, with the loose trio of Jacques Botes, Willem Alberts and Ryan Kankowski unchanged.
The withdrawal of Ludik creates an interesting conundrum, as there isn’t a clear second-choice fullback in the squad. With Stefan Terblanche sure to take over the captaincy from Smit, the veteran could well slot back into the number 15 jersey, but my money will rather be on Plumtree shifting Pat Lambie to the back and handing Jacques-Louis Potgieter a start in the number 10 jersey.
Possible Sharks team:
15 Lambie, 14 Ndungane, 13 Terblanche (capt), 12 Bosman, 11 Pietersen, 10 Potgieter, 9 McLeod, 8 Kankowski, 7 Alberts, 6 Botes, 5 Bresler, 4 Mostert, 3 J du Plessis, 2 Burden, 1 Mtawarira
Subs: van Staden, B du Plessis, Adonga, Engelbrecht, Hoffman, Swanepoel, Jacobs, Vulindlu, Mvovo, Richards
Tweet
I think this is a good thing….. 😕
…Give Adi a start… 😆
@Charlie (Comment 2) :
+1 🙄 😉
@wpw (Comment 3) : You just need to ad, GO SHARKS !!!
I hope hoffman gets a good run as well.
I would like to see a Lambie, Jacobs, Terblanche at 10, 12 and 13 respectivelly. Or even Vulindlu at 13.
@Jarson (AddicteD) (Comment 6) : ja, but then you chuck a hissy when the team loses… can’t say I blame Plum for not wanting to experiment, even in a warmup…
@robdylan (Comment 7) : Ag come on man, Its a heat of the moment thing 😳 😈
@robdylan (Comment 7) : @Jarson (AddicteD) (Comment 8) :
I reckon a hissy fit board for the upcoming rugby season would be interesting.
@Jarson (AddicteD) (Comment 8) : can’t have it both ways lad 🙂
Personally i dont care who Plumtree picks to play as long as each man fronts up and puts in a better performance than on Tues.
Tackling, passing and kicking skills should be non-negotiables for professionals even in preseason friendlies.
@SheldonK (Comment 11) : I think we need to relax a bit… the guys that won the Currie Cup (beating WP and the Bulls at full strength along the way) didn’t all become shit players overnight.
@robdylan (Comment 12) : 😛
@robdylan (Comment 12) : No it took them 3 months 😈 Just kidding. I’m sure they’ll play better on Saturday and even better when the S15 starts.
Does anyone know how serious Hargs is hurt? 🙁
@csb (Comment 9) : And well populated I would guess 😆
I would rather start adi and move stef to fullback. We need to keep lambie in one position and let him develop into a world class fly half like we kno he can be, he also needs the place kicking practice if he is gonna be our first choice kicker
@sharkbok (Comment 17) : 😉
@sharkbok (Comment 17) : Agreed.
Start Adi !! Move Stefan to where he`s always been at his best for us and give Lambie more time in mid field, maybe 12 ?
Adi at 13 and Oupa at 15. Oupa didn’t look all that flash at 13 anyway, while Adi looked very sharp.
@Big Fish (Comment 20) : Lets hope you`re really Plum in disguise!
@Original Champion (Comment 21) : 😆
@Original Champion (Comment 19) : I would also start Adi with Stef at fullback… but I just don’t think that Plum will do that.
So whats up with the Lambie at fullback thing?? Do they perhaps reckon Potkop is more of a sure thing when it comes to kicking duty ❓ ❗
@Volstruis (Comment 24) : Me tyk pieksjir!!! Whaai dey dount shou pieksjir on maai proufaail?? 🙄
@Volstruis (Comment 25) : maybe I need to approve it… hang on 🙂
@Volstruis (Comment 25) : hehehehe….ek moes mooi lees om daai een te kry!
@robdylan (Comment 26) : Jou afrikaans is goed daar op twitter sien ek! 😆
@Volstruis (Comment 25) : I harv aproewff yohr peksjur!
@Pokkel (Comment 28) : dude, I grew up in Pretoria 🙂
@robdylan (Comment 30) : and Dundee!!
@robdylan (Comment 30) : So there is a Bull hiding inside of you ? 😈
@robdylan (Comment 29) : Thank you please, was nou al bietjie moeg vir daai “human outline”
@Pokkel (Comment 27) : sukkel maar so effens met my “past continuous tense” 😉
@Pokkel (Comment 31) : ook waar! Not the Englishest of places – even in KZN
@Charlie (Comment 32) : you wanna take this outside? 🙂
@robdylan (Comment 36) : Twitter or BBM ?
Come on Plum when do we get the team ❓
@robdylan (Comment 36) : @Charlie (Comment 37) : Skype fight whoooo whooo 😈
@Charlie (Comment 38) :
Thats a good question and makes me wonder even more about this mornings sport bulletin on Cape Talk where they said that Conrrad Hoffman was going to be starting. Maybe they know something we dont.
@Pokkel (Comment 39) : Jy is oek ma vinnig om ‘n storm uit ‘n poep te maak ne ?
@Salmonoid (Comment 40) : Let’s see…
@Pokkel (Comment 39) : LOL 🙂
Where is everyone this arvie? Working for a change?
@robdylan (Comment 43) : Seems everyone fall asleep 😯
@robdylan (Comment 43) : Ek was fo&&en besig vandag
@robdylan (Comment 43) : I’ve been around a lot reading other people’s comments but I really don’t have much to say. I haven’t seen the Sharks play yet so I don’t feel like I can comment. I’m just excited for the REAL action to start.
Pat should start at fh, don’t think it is wise to shift him about. Start with Adi and move Stefan to FB.
I’ve deciced to tone it down a bit !!!!!!
@Puma (Comment 47) : If only Plum could see the logic in this… 🙄
@Speed7 (Comment 48) : You bleak ❓
@Puma (Comment 47) : Waar is jou gesig Puma?? 😯
Not bleak at all.
@Speed7 (Comment 48) : Don’t worry there is a long S15 ahead with lots of local derbies….so you’ll be back. 😉
@Speed7 (Comment 52) : 😉
@Pokkel (Comment 51) : Man without a face…
@Charlie (Comment 49) : He may Charlie.
@Pokkel (Comment 51) : Yeah, had to drop my fun shark after our big smack on Tuesday. Never looked tough enough. Need a real serious one for the S15
@Jarson (AddicteD) (Comment 6) : Haven’t we learned that Adi just is not as effective at 12 as at 13. Yes he can slot in at 10 or 12, but he is a 13. Not sure why you would want to move Adi to 12 when we have JLP, Lambie, Bosman and Swannie that can all play 12 very effectively. We are light at 13, with only Oom Stef and Adi before we go to an under 20 player like Lindeque (who is an excellent prospect. I would rather give Lambie more time at 10, give JLP a run at 12, Adi at 13 and Stef at 15. I think Ludik should be first choice 15, with Stef his back up, first choice 13 is still up in the air with Adi and Stef fighting it out, in my opinion.
@Dancing Bear (Comment 57) : agree – and I think the decision there Stef v Adi will depend on whether Smit’s playing
@robdylan (Comment 58) : Purely because of the captaincy? It certainly does look like Adi has fallen from grace with both the Sharks and Boks. He has not been able to buy a starting spot since his injury. I wonder what is going on with him?
@robdylan (Comment 58) : Any luck finding out where we can watch Super Rugby live streaming?
@Dancing Bear (Comment 60) : none, I fear… I’m less worried, though, cos it seems as though Sky is actually going to show a fair bit of it here
@robdylan (Comment 61) : Doesn’t do us supporters in North America much good. It seems we have taken a 10 year step backwards technically. I am going to have to follow blogs for games.
@Dancing Bear (Comment 62) : I saw some rumour on twitter that some other channel was gonna cover it stateside…
@robdylan (Comment 63) : If you find any details, please forward it to me. I have been able to find nothing. Are you talking about live streaming or a television channel? Only thing I have seen on TV channels that is advertising any rugby is Fox Soccer Channel.
@Dancing Bear (Comment 64) : I am talking about a TV channel… I’ve already started investigating.
Sky in the UK only make their schedule available a month in advance, but so far it’s looking good. The first 3 Sharks games are on.
@robdylan (Comment 65) : Any information you can give me on the TV channel in the US would be greatly appreciated Rob. Looking at the Fox Soccer Channel schedule, there are no Super Rugby matches listed, they only have a Sunday night rugby show listed, not matches.
@Dancing Bear (Comment 66) : I’ll find out what I can, no worries bruh…
Yikes, Fox Soccer Plus replaced Setanta US (bought by Newscorp) and they got all the rugby rights Setanta had, which included the Super 14. However, Fox Soccer Plus declined to purchase the rights for Super Rugby (Super 15) in 2011. At this point, there appears to be no coverage in the US. SARU claim DirectTV have the rights, but DirectTV says they will not be covering Super Rugby and look to Fox Soccer Plus.
@Dancing Bear (Comment 68) : oh crap! For real? Fallen between the cracks and nobody can be bothered to pick it up
@robdylan (Comment 69) : It certainly looks that way. DirectTV offered a live streaming internet option for their NFL coverage, I am hoping they do something similar when they realize they have the rights but no plans to carry matches.
@Dancing Bear (Comment 68) : check this… http://forum.rugbydump.com/showthread.php?t=6830&page=4
@robdylan (Comment 71) : I really hope they offer a live streaming option, because DirectTV is only offered through satellite receivers here in the US, no cable access. I really don’t want to get into getting a satellite dish.
@Dancing Bear (Comment 72) : oh really? That’s kak
😳 oh my but i just went to the players sorry and then my eye got a glans of Lambie at 15 nooooo he is good at where he plays the best and 15 is one but 12 is much better its going the same way with FS why can’t old Stef take 15 he is good there 🙂 😉
Relax chaz. This is not the official team
@Dancing Bear (Comment 72) :
I’ve read somewhere that the Fox Soccer Channel will offer streaming for $15 per month. You get all their soccer also for that.
http://www.beta.foxsoccer.tv/page/Home/0,,13138,00.html
Problem is that Flash Player is really crap. Unless you have a super duper computer it is very jerky. I’ve been watching TV via the internet for a few years and whilst I get a great picture from Netflix, all sites that use Adobe Flash makes the picture too jerky to watch.
@Dancing Bear (Comment 72) : Hey Im also in the US so if u know anything about the streaming or if its on any TV station plz mention it.Shot
this is the team they mention on supersport
Sharks team: Odwa Ndungane, JP Pietersen, Stefan Terblanche (captain), Meyer Bosman, Lwazi Mvovo, Patrick Lambie, Charl McLeod, Ryan Kankowski, Willem Alberts, Jacques Botes, Anton Bresler, Gerhard Mostert, Jannie du Plessis, Bismarck du Plessis/Craig Burden, Tendai Mtawarira. Reserves: Burden, Keegain Daniel, Eugene van Staden, Daniel Adonga, Conrad Hoffmann, Jacques-Louis Potgieter, Jacques Engelbrecht, Riaan Swanepoel, Adrian Jacobs, Mark Richards.
@chaz (Comment 74) : read the arti 😈
@rekinek (Comment 78) : I like 😀
@rekinek (Comment 78) : Odwa to 15…
@rekinek (Comment 78) : I’m happy that Lambie remains at 10!
@Pokkel (Comment 82) : Me 2 !
LOCK INJURIES…
Plumtree admitted though that the injury problems that have disrupted the week the team have spent in camp in Cape Town have been stressful and also served as a reminder that even squads considered to have a lot of depth can be in trouble if too many players in one particular position end up injured.
It was clear he was talking about lock, where Alistair Hargreaves, Ross Skeate and Steven Sykes, the three frontline locks, are all missing to injury.
“There are a lot of teams who have built up their depth impressively for Super Rugby, and I would count us as one of the team’s with depth. I am certainly happy with the depth we have and we have at least two good players in most positions,” said the coach.
“When it becomes problematic though is when there are a whole lot of injuries in the same position, and we have certainly been placed under stress for the game against the Stormers by the injuries at lock.”
But better the Sharks experience that now than once the competition gets under way, and Plumtree rightly sees the Stormers game, which will be televised and played in front of a large crowd, as the perfect opportunity for the replacement second row of Anton Bresler and Gerhard Mostert to find their feet at Super Rugby level of competition.
Late on Thursday the Sharks had what looked like a patch-worked squad and team preparing for the Stormers game, and it necessitated the training session at Hamiltons stretching much further into the evening than had been planned. Whereas the Sharks arrived in Cape Town with 28 players, they now only have 22.
“We have bracketed Bismarck du Plessis and Craig Burden at hooker because we still have to make a call on Bismarck’s shoulder injury. Keegan Daniel is undergoing a fitness test in Durban and we may fly him down for the game. We have had to assess Ryan Kankowski’s fitness today, but fortunately he is fine and will play against the Stormers.”
The injury to fullback Louis Ludik has prompted Plumtree to try wing Odwa Ndungane in the last line of defence (he has played there before, but only briefly) so that Patrick Lambie could get a proper work-out at flyhalf. Against the Lions Lambie had to move to fullback quite early in the game to replace Ludik.
@Charlie (Comment 84) : And having Injury-prone Mosterd as a back-up should give any coach an ulcer.
Teams
Stormers: Conrad Jantjes, Gio Aplon, Juan de Jongh, Paul Bosch, Bryan Habana, Gary van Aswegen, Ricky Januarie, Duane Vermeulen, Rynhardt Elstadt, Wimpie van der Walt, Andries Bekker (captain), De Kock Steenkamp, Brok Harris, Tiaan Liebenberg, CJ van der Linde.
Reserves: Siyabonga Ntubeni, Wicus Blaauw, Frans Malherbe, Adriaan Fondse, Pieter Louw, Rohan Kitschoff, Dewaldt Duvenage, Elgar Watts, Johann Sadie, Tim Whitehead, Danie Poolman, Lionel Cronje.
Sharks team: Odwa Ndungane, JP Pietersen, Stefan Terblanche (captain), Meyer Bosman, Lwazi Mvovo, Patrick Lambie, Charl McLeod, Ryan Kankowski, Willem Alberts, Jacques Botes, Anton Bresler, Gerhard Mostert, Jannie du Plessis, Bismarck du Plessis/Craig Burden, Tendai Mtawarira.
Reserves: Burden, Keegain Daniel, Eugene van Staden, Daniel Adonga, Conrad Hoffmann, Jacques-Louis Potgieter, Jacques Engelbrecht, Riaan Swanepoel, Adrian Jacobs, Mark Richards.
Kick-off: 5.05pm
Referee: Mark Lawrence.
@Jarson (AddicteD) (Comment 85) : 😈
@Charlie (Comment 86) : This is a no-brainer, as easy as feeding Ricky a pie 😉
oh – Mark Lawrence – it’s looking up
@Pokkel (Comment 82) : perhaps Plum learned a bit from all the position shuffling unhappiness of the past.
We`re thin at lock and centre but looking good out wide.
Hope they get the ball wide tomorrow . . . don`t think they managed a full backline movement on Tuesday.
Looking forward to it already. My third Newlands expedition in little more than a week!
@Original Champion (Comment 91) : lucky fish ❗
@Jarson (AddicteD) (Comment 88) : 😐
@Original Champion (Comment 91) : See you there 😉
STORMERS!!!! 😎
@wpw (Comment 95) :
Are kak.
I’m busy posting the official released team. Will be up in a bit
@wpw (Comment 95) : JY SSHHHAAAARRRAAAPPPP !!! 😈 😈 😈
@Charlie (Comment 4) : tell him
and when you do get to start a couple of those lovely tries will do just great for our
Sharks
@robdylan (Comment 75) :
got u
@wpw (Comment 3) : and take note
ok in your case it the Stormers 😉