Keegan Daniel will start at openside flank for the Sharks this weekend, gaining his 50th Super Rugby cap in the process. Daniel comes in for Jacques Botes in the number 6 jersey in the only change to the run-on side that beat the Cheetahs last weekend.
The good news for Sharks fans is that scrumhalf Charl McLeod has recovered sufficiently from a calf injury sustained against the Cheetahs to be named in the number 9 jersey, while captain John Smit and winger JP Pietersen have both been named on the bench, after missing out on last week’s game. Stefan Terblanche will again captain the side, with Craig Burden and Adi Jacobs falling out of the match 22 this week to make way for Smit and Pietersen respectively.
The final change comes on the bench, where Botes – who injured his hip against the Cheetahs – has been bracketed with young Lambert Groenewald in the number 19 jersey. A late call will be made as to which player will occupy that spot, based on Botes’ recovery.
The Sharks
15. Louis Ludik
14. Odwa Ndungane
13. Stefan Terblanche (captain)
12. Meyer Bosman
11. Lwazi Mvovo
10. Patrick Lambie
9. Charl McLeod
8. Ryan Kankowski
7. Willem Alberts
6. Keegan Daniel
5. Alistair Hargreaves
4. Steve Sykes
3. Jannie du Plessis
2. Bismarck du Plessis
1. Tendai Mtawarira
Replacements
16. John Smit
17. Eugene van Staden
18. Anton Bresler
19. Jacques Botes / Lambert Groenewald
20. Conrad Hoffmann
21. Jacques-Louis Potgieter
22. JP Pietersen
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Glad to see JPP back. Hard luck for Burden though. A good team, lets hope they deliver and the weather plays ball.
what’s up with adi ?
No 19 jersey you mean. Had me confused or is that amused. Great team which will have to play some to beat the Blues who showed some class last week.
@Pablo Dinero (Comment 1) : Also congrats of course to Keegan.
@Donald (Comment 3) : so hopefully now are bruised 😆
@rekinek (Comment 2) : Apart from the fact he seems to have forgotten that you need to catch the ball before you can score tries?
Great team…just needs Deysel and Skeato back from injury. Would like to always see Adi as our impact centre at 22, but he does need some gametime and i am chuffed he will get some with Sharks XV…which will also be televised on Supersport! Good Stuff!
When we getting Sharks XV team sheet? Kenn to see how it looks…i expect a seriously strong team.
Rob, quick question. Dont teams with a bye week receive 4 points? If so, its not reflected on the Sharksworld Super rugby Log. Weird rule, but I guess has no bearing on anything.
Congrats Keegs and good luck for saturday.
This is an excellent team, I was expecting JPP to be on the park, with Odwa on the bench – but no complaints, Odwa is playing good rugby and deserves the spot. I am glad that JPP is on the bench in place of Adi. Once again, this is a great team. Looking forward to the game! SHARKS!
And congratulations to Keegs; what a great servant of Sharks rugby…
@Pablo Dinero (Comment 8) : they do get 4 points. Apparently to keep things in perspective – there is an arti about it (not particularly convincing though) on iafrica.com.
Good team, now hope the weather is better this week. Same team we had for cc final except Bosman and no Strauss.
Should be a cracker if the weather allows for it.
Go Sharks.
@rekinek (Comment 11) : Its pretty damn odd, but as I said, has no bearing on anything.
@Pablo Dinero (Comment 1) : Yeah, also feel for Burden, but he is a professional and he knows his place in the team, his time for regular games is coming, and he knows it. He is in the best possible union…
and just like that Im a Vodacom Cup player… just like Marius Delport and Tonderai Chavhanga
@Pablo Dinero (Comment 15) : congrats 😀
@Pablo Dinero (Comment 15) : How many points is that? Congrats on your promotion up the ladder… If I wasn’t injured during much of last season I could’ve been training with you. Need to prove myself and get coaches’ recognition… 😉
@DarkDestroyer (Comment 10) : Yeah good for Odwa. Wonder if JPP isn’t fully fit.
@Ben (Comment 18) : I’d be upset to find out if he isn’t absolutely fit – his hamstrings have been plaguing him, and he deserves to be fully fit – it takes seconds for an injury to be aggravated – lets hope its strategic… But yep, good for Odwa, he is vintage Sharks… I rate him as a real Mr. Reliable.
@DarkDestroyer (Comment 17) : Its a tough road, but Ive been rather injury free. 5000 points I think. So this is what it feels like to have a life 🙂
@Pablo Dinero (Comment 8) : what do you mean? The Stormers definitely do have 4 points on our log
@Pablo Dinero (Comment 20) : 😛
@robdylan (Comment 21) : Well Earl me!! My bad. Im not sure where I was looking. Sorry.
@JJR (Comment 7) : will have the Sharks XV up as soon as I get it.
I understand the need to give Adi some game time, but it’s really unfair if he gets picked at 13 ahead of Trompie Pretorius, who’s been the frontrunner for that jersey all season.
Congrat Keegan, one of my favourite players!
@Pablo Dinero (Comment 23) : ha ha 🙂 No worries matey.
Earl is gonna make a lot of people eat their words in the Vodacom Cup this year, trust me…
@robdylan (Comment 24) : i.e. You are not rating Adi very highly at this moment?
@robdylan (Comment 26) : Thats a big statement… He is a prodigious talent, but I think VC and CC is his ceiling…
Pity for Adi.. But there’s only one spot for a utility back…
@robdylan (Comment 26) : Haha April fools… hey wait, it isnt April. Your serious? The only people I see Earl making eat their words, are Minnie and PdV, but thats just me. Maybe hes due a breakout season.
@DarkDestroyer (Comment 27) : Who is?
@Ben (Comment 31) : Yep; me neither… Just surprised to see that even a VC centre is more highly rated.
@DarkDestroyer (Comment 27) : no, that’s not what I mean at all… I am a big Adi fan.
What I mean is that it’s not fair to use the Sharks XV as a place to play out-of-form Super Rugby players back into shape. It disrupts the rhythm of their campaign and is ridiculously unfair on the players who have been training with that squad all pre-season, only to now lose their places.
@DarkDestroyer (Comment 32) : He hasn’t done himself a lot of favours the few times he’s come up to play.
@DarkDestroyer (Comment 32) : not what I’m saying at all. You obviously cannot compare Pretorius and Adi, but Pretorius is young and might one day go on to become a great… how will we know if we never give him a chance to play.
Vodaocm Cup is meant to be a platform for young talent to emerge. Otherwise it means nothing
@robdylan (Comment 33) : Yeah; alright I can completely understand and appreciate that. Would you advocate that the VC be a tourney that “senior” players are not to be a part of at all?
And if so, how would you rebuild a players confidence in the senior squad?
@Ben (Comment 34) : Yeah, I feel for Adi, but he is so rusty… And the big stage is unforgiving… I have screamed at him recently – but hells teeth, its catch 22… He needs the game time and he’s not stepping up…
@DarkDestroyer (Comment 37) : Yeah got no doubt he’s a quality centre but sorry I just can’t rate him now. Doesn’t mean he won’t be back. I hope he gets back.
I don`t really have a problem with this team for once. ( I know ).
Odwa was one of our best backs out there last week and deserves his spot.
It`s a shame Adi didn`t make the bench but JP needs to be eased in I get that.
It was either this backline or a complete re-shuffle and they never would`ve done that in a million years so I`ll take this.
Now lets get it on already!
Congrats Keegan! Great team!
@DarkDestroyer (Comment 36) : well, the Vodacom Cup needs to be one or the other… it can’t be both.
Or rather,if you consider it a “reserves league” you can never build any continuity and you will never win it. Cant’ see why any coach would want to be in charge under those circumstances…
@robdylan (Comment 41) : Yeah; I completely agree with you there; I would grade the tourney for it to be a developmental competition – but realistically it would always be a shade grey as big names would sometimes need to be drafted into the squad to regain their form / fitness, as does happen from time to time… Must also be disruptive for VC team to lose players to senior team halfway through the season… Not easy if you’re not top dog…
I remember Keegan scoring one of the fastest tries ever against the Blues 😎 You go boy! 😛
@DarkDestroyer (Comment 42) : what happened to club rugby?
Congrats Kwwgan, feels like yesterday that you started playing for the Sharks. May there be many more.
@robdylan (Comment 44) : Very good question… But my fear with club rugby is that some okes are amateurs and then try to go out and make a statement by smoking someone “famous” – causing another setback. I am basing this off the very unlucky Andre Snyman – this was his apprehension after breaking his other ankle in a club game…
But other than the freakish and the absurd – club rugby has a lot to offer… They are all part of clubs – fair call…
@DarkDestroyer (Comment 46) : club players must realise that they also have an opportunity to play for the Sharks XV and the Sharks… in fact, many of the guys in the Sharks XV squad named today are there by virtue of good club form.
Going out to intentionally injure a big name is not likely to progress your cause, I would think. It’s a pretty small circle.
Congrats to Keegs and am SO looking forward to Saturday… what a GRRRREEEAAATT looking team. Let’s hope we go large!
This could be a very good Lions Development side.
@Speed7 (Comment 49) : U wish 😈
@Speed7 (Comment 49) : 😆
@Speed7 (Comment 49) : You think Gumede’s pockets are THAT deep?
Does anyone know the weather forecast in Durbs for Saturday?
this was the team i would have picked last week to start, @SharonvanWyk (Comment 48) : I agree let,s go large.
@Speed7 (Comment 49) : Haha you got high hopes!
@robdylan (Comment 24) : Understand your point of view, but what is most inportant now is our Superrugby squad. Adi needs gametime cause he will have to play eventually in the starting Superugby 15 as part of our rotation/Player management that will be required. Adi is class, but needs to play so that he can remove the rust and leave the class act we saw in 2008. Jerome will be back next game…Adi on tour…so not bad for Trompie. Bladdy strong Sharks XV though, Hey…
Great to see our Vodacom Cup team is so strong…it shows the great Health our Union is in.
@robdylan (Comment 47) : Alright. Fair comment – Club rugby definitely has its place in the sun, and as mentioned has a lot to offer –
@SharonvanWyk (Comment 53) : Scattered showers. Morning clouds. Mild. 47% rain
Just skimmed the comments and find no mention of this so here it is.
This is the 1st of 75 consecutive games that Jacques Botes will miss. 🙁 He has not missed a single Super Rugby match since Round 10 in 2005. I feel for the guy.
That 75 is the 2nd highest by any South African, the highest being Pedrie Wannenburg.
92 Pedrie Wannenburg Bulls. 19/4/2003-9/4/2010
75 Jacques Botes Sharks. 29/4/2005-19/2/2011 – total games: 75
@JJR (Comment 56) : fair enough, dude… can’t really argue
It sucks to be Craig Burden! Surely he must warrant a place in another squad? In place of chilli pepper for example?
Ok, the Blues up next. A whole different kettle of fish. The Sharks will not win if they play the kicking game. This is what lost it for the Crusaders last week. The Blues love getting ball in space. The Sharks have to play 80 minutes of thumping rugby. Pick and drive. Charl must bring Mvovo closer to the breakdown and alternate between forwards and mvovo with bashem up rugby. That is all that is needed to win the game. Kicking will lose it.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 60) : well hopefully they can pump enough pain killer into him to last twenty minutes. he only needs 1 minute on the field.
Congrats Keegan! Well, more newcomers in the Sharks team. Well done Anton. You had a super game against the warmup against the Stormers and showed everybody what you are capable of. Go Anton Go!!!!! After the Stormers game, you deserve to be where you are!!!
@try time (Comment 64) :
i would like for him to keep that string of starts going, but i’d also rather have a bench that we can use.
Quite sad for Burden that he has dropped off the bench. Yes, he will get his chance in the future, but I like his style of dynamic play. He would be especially useful as a game breaker against a team like the Blues.