Following their narrow loss to the Crusaders in the opening round, the Blues will take on the Chiefs this weekend, and have named a slightly changed team to do the business.
In the front row, Charlie Faumuina has sustained a knee injury and will be replaced by Tevita Mailau.
The other change sees Gareth Anscombe coming onto the bench to provide cover fot Michael Hobbs.
Blues: 1. Tom McCartney,2. Keven Mealamu (c),3 Tevita Mailau,4. Anthony Boric,5. Ali Williams ,6. Chris Lowrey,7. Daniel Braid,8. Jerome Kaino,9. Alby Mathewson,10. Michael Hobbs ,11. Rudi Wulf,12. Benson Stanley,13. Rene Ranger,14. David Raikuna,15. Isaia Toeava
Reserves: 16 Pauliasi Manu,17 Angus Ta’avao (Debut Super Rugby game),18 Brad Mika,19 Luke Braid,20 Piri Weepu,21 Gareth Anscombe (Debut Super Rugby game),22 Sherwin Stowers
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So what happend to Hobb’s off field yellow card?
Anscombe, another who will make a big impression once the Blues give him a real chance.
Tyler Bleyendaal, Beauden Barrett, Aaron Cruden & now Anscombe. You have to wonder how Colin Slade made it to the World Cup
@JarsonX (Comment 1) :
It is only taken into account for the ‘three-yellow-cards’ rule, which will have him face a disciplinary committee and a potential ban..
@hendrikp (Comment 2) :
I hear what you are saying, but all three of Bleyendaal, Barrett and Anscombe have hardly played any Super Rugby, can’t really expect them to be able to skip that step and make it to the World Cup.
That wouldbe like making Goosen Springbok before playing in Super Rugby….. Oh wait….
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 4) :
Not quite what I meant,
rather that he will have a tough time making it now.
@hendrikp (Comment 5) :
Oh, in terms of future All Black game time, both Slade and Donald are done..
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 4) :
haha
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 6) :
And Slade is only 24 😯
@hendrikp (Comment 5) : @Richard Ferguson (Comment 6) : in as much as i really don’t rate colin slade, these young tikes have done nothing to say they’re future all blacks yet…sure their names are out there but they need to step up now.
Slade didn’t have a good season last year, in fact he didn’t have a season as he was mostly injured, ankle & jaw (if i remember correctly)
@Megatron (Comment 9) :
Absolutely.. I am all for having a player prove his worth before calling him a future International player.
The point is that the older folk who no longer play in New Zealand (Slade and Donald) will have a hard time making it into the All Black squad..
@Megatron (Comment 9) :
You should know hendrikp by now…..he can spot international players many years before anybody else can. 🙄
@Pokkel (Comment 11) : Is THAT why he says there is such great depth at WP? Is he counting the schoolboys as well?
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 10) : slade was forced out of the All Black team with a groin injury, where is he playing now? 😯
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 4) : 😆
@Pokkel (Comment 11) :
Hush. Where did I say they would all be All Blacks?
Merely pointed out they are building very good depth at 10, similar to South Africa. For that reason, Slade will have a tough time making the All Blacks squad, especially now with Otago being liquidated.
Or can’t you read right?
@hendrikp (Comment 15) :
Just taking the piss, boet!
@hendrikp (Comment 15) : @Pokkel (Comment 16) :
I see: love is in the air 🙂
@Pokkel (Comment 16) :
I know, just lashing out 😛
Anscombe at last. Hopefully I get to see what the fuss is about. I’m sure it will be worth it tho.
@beet (Comment 19) :
Personally reckon Barrett is a lot better then Anscombe, and Bleyendaal was really impressive on the weekend, but…
Players from Auckland are usually ‘tagged’ as the next big thing. If he’d been from the Waikato, most of us would be saying ‘Who?”
Barrett looked damn good on the weekend. Am yet to see Anscombe. Tyler Bleyendaal also looked good. Also don’t forget Lima Sopoaga,think that’s how his surname is spelt,heard good things about him,also the little I did see of him looked decent. If am not mistaken last year all 3 were accommodate in the Baby Blacks backline,Anscombe at 10,Sopoaga at 12 and Barrett at 15. Much like Sauls did in 2009 with Cronje at 10,Brummer at 12 and Ebersohn at 15
@Megatron (Comment 13) : Slade is at the Highlanders but hasn’t recovered sufficiently from the groin injury he got at the world cup…
@The Quirk (Comment 22) : that’s what i thought, so was a tad surprised when RF was talking about him as if he is overseas like beaver. plus doesn’t slad play for canterbury in the ITM cup?
@Ludz (Comment 21) : @hendrikp (Comment 20) : Yes I watched a much more slightly built Barrett in the SR last year. It’s amazing what one season of conditioning and training can do for a young player. After Saturday’s performance at Newlands, I excited about this guy’s potential. He might even turn out to be more valuable than the guy the Canes just lost -> Cruden.
@beet (Comment 24) : it’s ok to be excited but some of these boys don’t live up to the hyoe of their Baby Blacks exploits, where is Julian Savea, Daniel Kirkpatrick?
i don’t believe in punting any of them
@Megatron (Comment 25) : I need you to expand on that for me coz the other day you talked about Howard Mnisi’s prospects.
Maybe deep down we’re all rooting for a youngster or 2 who’s on the right path, to pull thru and become the next it player. 🙂
@beet,true we all have those players we hope will be future stars,1st time I saw Nizaam Carr,I knew he was a special talent,now I live in the hope that he will step up in SR and eventually be a Bok
@beet (Comment 26) : howard is a friend of a friend and i felt he was stagnating at the sharks, i never said he was going to keep anyone out of the BOK TEAM!!! that is hyperbole!
big difference, do you see it? 🙄
@Megatron (Comment 28) : I’m not saying you implied that or having a go at you. I’m probably guilty of not reading the whole thread again but punting around here isn’t nec suggesting a junior is an international in the waiting.
Isn’t this whole issue of talking up a youngster kind of like getting exciting at the time coz Botes had just scored a try that put the Sharks within striking distance of beating the Bulls only to have those hopes dashed at the final whistle.
Fans sometimes dream big and aim high. At some point reality catches up and it’s either good news or bad news.
So when you stated:
“I have no doubt if he soldiers on he will make the Kings squad.”
Definitely not punting for Boks or an extremist statement but strong suggests there that a young player is capable of making it to the next level.
@beet (Comment 29) : ja, if he soldiers on – if he actually puts in the work – on this thread kids were punted to keep colin slade from making the all blacks squad, kids who’ve only played 1 game of super rugby. again that is nowhere near me hoping xolane puts in the requisite work for him to get somewhere.
@Megatron (Comment 30) :
Careful – you could well be classified as insecure if you don’t buy into the mania around every successful junior going on to be a star in senior rugby. 😉
@Big Fish (Comment 31) : hehe funny guy 🙂
@Big Fish (Comment 31) : No. I actually have no problem with what Megatron has said. Have said it myself on a few occasions. I’m a big fan of many junior players but know for sure they can’t all get to senior rugga yet alone become Boks. I don’t think I’d joke about being insecure in that regard. Definitely not me.
Again nothing personal against you. I enjoy reading all your comments most with interest but here’s my beef not just with you:
One guy, not an army, one guy comes along and expresses some strong opinions backed up by textbook like technical knowledge saying stuff like Coenie Oosthuizen this and Johan Goosen that and JP du Plessis …and WP have so much depth at LF whaddawhaddawhadda. Next thing the Sharks fans and in particular some of the admin guys are in panic mode. Instead of meeting the challenge and putting things into perspective, trying to be rational, they’re on the defensive : “every junior will become a Bok”, “Stormers have so much depth at flank”.
Come on it’s like one blogger has got SW pooping itself coz his words carry so much power.
I say counter these opinions with something substantial. Give back quality responses. Also if a young blogger (and they are generally the ones being new to the process) thinks every stand out junior is heading for international honours, try to educate him without curbing his enthusiasm with ridiculous sarcastic statements or worst hastily writing an article aimed at countering the comment of one blogger. This also makes SW look like a bit of a laughing stock to any outsider who happens to stumble across the article.
No offence intended by the insecure comment but I think some Admin guys need to lift their game in this area a bit.
@beet (Comment 33) : hear hear!
@beet (Comment 33) : when you use terms like “hastily written articles” and “laughing stock”, you need to be a bit careful that the toes you step on don’t belong to me… surely the decent thing to do, if you have an issue with the way I’m running things around here, is to tell me about it in an email?
@Megatron (Comment 34) : how early do you get up?
@robdylan (Comment 35) : you’re being defensive.
@robdylan (Comment 36) : depends, suffering from a bout of insomnia lately.
@Megatron (Comment 37) :
Defensive is something that happens when you put effort into keeping a site like this running, only to be called the laughing stock..
@beet (Comment 33) :
Bit harsh there beet. Sadly I haven’t had much time to write recently (maybe not so sad for the poor sods who have to read my drivel), but I still take offence at you classifying the articles written here the way you have.
I’m sure that you don’t intend to give destructive criticism (since you still take the time to post here) but you need to be reminded that the guys who write articles here have full-time jobs – this site is a labour of love.
In any event, not every strongly-held, overly-enthusiastic opinion justifies a formal response, and certainly not a full article, if the topic is not one people want to read about.
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 39) : now you’re reaching, nobody is laughing 😉
I need to take a chill-pill :-). Will adhere to Rob’s correct suggestion about a emailing. However I’d rather take whatever comes my way on the jaw. Not apologising for hurting feelings
a) coz I still happen to think SW is the best rugby blog on the net (made possible by the efforts of the main writers and the quality controls of the admin guys)
b) cos in regard to what I’ve said above I think I’m right.
For the record I was mainly referring to blogged comments and the ONE article I talked about is the Burger injury piece. Read how this news item was reported elsewhere on the net vs how it was penned here at SW plus there’s even a little confession down that thread page to suggest the main motive was to get a one up on that one supreme blogger and his powerful comment about the Stormers awesome depth.
@beet (Comment 42) : I think it was a joke… but anyway. Let’s leave it here.
@beet (Comment 42) :
This is why i enjoy the CC above SR . You can take swipes at your friends . But none off it is intended to be mean .
I come here to get a balanced view . The Lions sites i go to either have issues with the union or they are so Lions oriented you dont get a very good view . But thats to be expected . I dont believe this site will necessarily have the most balanced view on the Sharks . Then again the title does state ‘Sharksworld’ .. so it doesnt really come as a surprise .
And i enjoy the jokes on the side . 90 % of articles are factual and serious anyways .
@Zibbie (Comment 44) :
Exactly.
@beet (Comment 42) : i’m fully behind you beet!!! 😈
@Megatron (Comment 46) : you just smell a fight and want to try escalate it if you can…
@robdylan (Comment 47) :
As usual… 😆
@robdylan (Comment 47) : @robdylan (Comment 47) : 😛
@robdylan (Comment 47) :
JERRY JERRY JERRY !!!! 😈