A squad of 45 players, comprising members of the Sharks and Bulls teams, has been invited to attend the second national planning camp, to be held in Pretoria between 23 and 26 April.
The camp, which follows a similar exercise involving Cheetahs and Lions players, will take place in Pretoria and has been planned to coincide with the Sharks and Bulls both having a bye week. As was the case with the previous camp, the net has been cast pretty wide, with the vast majority of both Super Rugby squads included.
For the Sharks, all the usual names are there, along with the perhaps unexpected inclusion of uncapped players in Craig Burden, Dale Chadwick, Jandre Marais, Marcell Coetzee and Tera Mtembu amongst the forwards, while Tim Whitehead, Riaan Viljoen, Sburra Sithole and Louis Ludik are the uncapped backs.
For the Sharks, a number of Super Rugby stalwart players have been omitted, including Anton Bresler, Wiehahn Herbst, Meyer Bosman and Jacques Botes, which is surprising considering how many have been invited. Certainly, it’s hard to think of a single contracted player anywhere in Pretoria who hasn’t made the grade, causing one to wonder whether there will, in fact, be a higher standard required of non-Bulls players when it comes to Bok selection.
Here is the entire squad:
Forwards:
Tendai Mtawarira, Bismarck du Plessis, Craig Burden, Jannie du Plessis, Dale Chadwick, Steven Sykes, Jandré Marais, Marcell Coetzee, Keegan Daniel, Jean Deysel, Willem Alberts, Ryan Kankowski, Lubabalo Mtembu (all Sharks), Dean Greyling, Chiliboy Ralepelle, Werner Kruger, Frik Kirsten, Flip van der Merwe, Juandre Kruger, Wilhelm Steenkamp, Deon Stegmann, CJ Stander, Jacques Potgieter, Dewald Potgieter, Pierre Spies, Arno Botha (all Vodacom Bulls).
Backs:
Charl McLeod, Patrick Lambie, Odwa Ndungane, Sibusiso Sithole, Tim Whitehead, JP Pietersen, Lwazi Mvovo, Louis Ludik, Riaan Viljoen (all Sharks), Francois Hougaard, Jano Vermaak, Morné Steyn, Bjorn Basson, Wynand Olivier, Francois Venter, Johann Sadie, JJ Engelbrecht, Akona Ndungane, Zane Kirchner (all Vodacom Bulls).
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Ah no, Morne Steyn made it 🙁
The inclusion of Mtembu baffles the mind a bit…
They almost invited everyone, why single out 2 players?? (From the Sharks)
@Orelando_G (Comment 1) : 😆 😆
The only Bulls player to not make the grade seems to be Louis Fouche?
let me get this out of the way now…
I think it’s shocking that Bresler and Herbst weren’t invited. I can understand Botes – and even Bosman to an extent – but when you’re going to include young players like Chadwick and Marais, I don’t understand the logic behind singling out Bresler and Herbst to not be there.
Can anyone honestly say that either Anton or Wiehahn has done LESS in Super Rugby than some of the other names there?
@Ice (Comment 3) : 4 sorry
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 5) : yes, that’s right… I spotted that as I was writing the article.
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 2) :
Heyneke is thinking ahead!
I fail to understand why Ludik as included though.
@robdylan (Comment 6) :
Agreed Robbo.. A bit silly to be honest..
Bresler has done better than both Wilhelm Steenkamp and Flip van der Merwe this season so far? And you could argue that Bresler has player better than Marais himself, so why just leave him out?
Ridiculous..
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 10) : I’m not really trying to slate anyone here, but my feeling is that, of the two, Anton has been more consistent than Jandre.
Oh – and Wors pisses all over sodding Frik Kirsten too, but I guess his blood is just the wrong colour.
@robdylan (Comment 11) :
Herbst and Chadwick will be pushing for Bok front row inclusion, along with the Ginger mammoth from the Cape, in the not too distant future, surely Herbst HAS to be there..
Its really all a crock of *%$#.
I said it when the first camp was announced that if it was Pdivvy he would have been pulled to pieces for even suggesting something like it.
45 players from 2 unions in a Bok planning session – please.
Is Heyneke pulling them all together only to tell them:
“Dale, you are the fourth in line at loosehead” and then sending them back to Durban?
Why can’t he just come to each franchise himself and talk to the entire squad?
@robdylan (Comment 6) : especially when Terra and Sithole are both invited and they have not even played SR yet!
I wont read to much into these camps.
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 14) : exactly…
So my argument is this… why tell Jandre “you are 10th in line” but not tell Anton “you’re 11th”?
“Certainly, it’s hard to think of a single contracted player anywhere in Pretoria who hasn’t made the grade…”
er…22 Sharks, 23 Bulls… Based on those figures, don’t you think it’s still a little premature to assume Heyneke will be following a “maak die Bulle almal Bokke” philosophy??
@Sharksmad – The Blog’s Dudette (Comment 15) : exactly. Precisely. Spot on!
Come-on Plum can we have the Sharks team already or are you waiting for Bismarck to blink twice? 😈
@robdylan (Comment 17) :
You’re getting too excited about this. I like the idea that Meyer is talking to so many players.
@Culling Song (Comment 18) : shoosh. You’ll ruin my rant just as I was getting up a good head of steam!
@Pokkel (Comment 21) : but why not talk to ALL of them, then? Why leave 4 guys out?
None of the overseas players are in this (Planning Camp) wonder when they will get a planning camp? Or will they? Or will they be summoned to Meyers Office for a personal brief of what he wants?
@robdylan (Comment 23) :
5….you forgot about Skeate. 😈
@robdylan (Comment 23) : They should all have been included, cause so many will not make it that are there, so agree why leave out 4? Don’t make sense really.
Where are the overseas based players that we know will get a talk at sometime?
@Pokkel (Comment 20) : 😆
@Pokkel (Comment 25) : oh ja… forgot him. But he’s injured almost as much as Conrad Hoffmann
@robdylan (Comment 28) :
You forgot about Marius Joubert 😯 🙄 😕
and Hoffman 😉
And Paul Jordaan….
@Pokkel (Comment 29) : my decision to leave out Hoffmann and Joubert was VERY inentional
@Culling Song (Comment 18) :
+1 😉
@Culling Song (Comment 18) : robdylan is bitching as his “wors” and bresler would’ve made it more sharks than bulls and you know nothing gets most creaming here than “there are more sharks players” in any team selected. they claim them even if a guy spent 1 year at their academy.
@wpw (Comment 31) : ag you with your bloody +1s… what do you think this is, Google? 😳 👿
I see Beast is starting for the Sharks xv against the Kings.
On a different subject BEEEEast is back!! he is starting in the Sharks Xv this week yipeee!
@Danman110 (Comment 34) : @Sharksmad – The Blog’s Dudette (Comment 35) : we’re getting the story up now… please hold your horses 🙂
@Danman110 (Comment 34) : Cooper is also staring so Bissie will probably be on the bench.
@robdylan (Comment 36) :
Why isnt there a story on the Beasts return yet? 😎
@robdylan (Comment 33) :
Sensitive much?
I’m giving Heyneke the benefit of the doubt until he proves otherwise. You need to stop your Bulls obsession and think about the greater good of the Boks. I like what he’s doing except for the whole Matfield saga.
@Megatron (Comment 32) :
I also think Rob is getting ahead of himself…
But at the same time I would’ve included Wiehahn Herbst, if only because you can never have enough quality tightheads.
Don’t care too much for Bresler. He’s been alright but no stand-out.
If anything, I think Heyneke has gone a bit heavy on players from all the provinces. He’d have been better off using this time with players he actually intends on using.
@hendrikp (Comment 40) :
At most, he should’ve called up 50 or so players from across all 5 unions. 3 or so per position. Not nearing 100, or practically every player starting and sitting on the bench for each province.
@robdylan (Comment 36) : Sorry just got very excited!! 😳 🙂
YESSSSS 🙂 Beast is back… Well for the Sharks XV
So pleased to see the big guy back playing this weekend.
@Danman110 (Comment 34) : haha. Thought I beat everyone to that…hehe.
Pleased to see Beast is back playing this weekend. Hope all goes well for him.
Viljoen is not an uncapped player and Bresler might not even be eligible being Namibian but I could be wrong.
Not about Viljoen though. He played for the Boks in 2009
@TRF_Ezequiel (Comment 45) : you are wrong on both scores.
Viljoen has no test caps – thus he is uncapped. And Bresler has never represented Namibia at any level and is a South African citizen – so why would he not be eligible?
Can’t wait to see Beast back on the field!!!
@Puma (Comment 44) :Haha beat you by 13sec, He will have regain his form quickly we need to give Chadwick a break.
So if Cooper is with the Sharks XV could that mean Bissie will be ready for the Chiefs game? J. Marais also in the Sharks XV as captain. Why not in the Sharks Senior team on the bench for the Chiefs game?
@Danman110 (Comment 48) : hehe. Just by a whisker…hehe.
Been checking the SharskRugby site forever now to see if our team is up.
@Puma (Comment 50) : typo – SharksRugby
@Puma (Comment 49) : please discuss this on the appropriate thread? Thanks
@Puma (Comment 50) : Can you still remember that time when the team was released on a Tuesday ❓
With Marais in the Sharks XV could we see PSDT on the bench for the Chiefs game?
Okay going to stop speculating and wait until the team is announced. Just why Sharks have to announce their team at the last minute is frustrating..
Going to catch up with some work now.
@robdylan (Comment 52) : Where is the thread Rob??? 😛 Been hanging about for it forever… 😛 Now have got busy and need to do some work.
@Danman110 (Comment 53) : No must have been so long back can’t remember.
Okay catch up later.
@Pokkel (Comment 39) :
+2
@wpw (Comment 56) : -3
Tera Mthembu and Sbura Sithole,too proud,Bok selection premature,but their mere inclusion speaks volumes of their talent
@robdylan (Comment 6) : Chadwick only made it so that meyer can tell him if he doesn’t pull his socks up he won’t ever make the group again. 😆
@Culling Song (Comment 18) : and to add to that. 22 + 23 is 45. Last weekend with the Lions and Cheetahs Camp there was only a total of 30 or 31 players.
If anyone should complain, it should be those two sides.
@robdylan (Comment 46) :
Sorry about that. Viljoen only played against Saracens and Leicester, my mistake. And about Bresler, not sure what the rules are for representing the Boks when from another country.
@TRF_Ezequiel (Comment 61) : he’s not “from another country”. He was born in Windhoek, sure, but he’s a South African citizen.
Trust me, if Anton wanted to play for Namibia, he could have done so ages ago. He is committed to SA and the Boks.
What the BULLS are up to…Rob and Richard….the Bulls are again building a little empire in the Sun! If you make up a team with there young players_take into account Jan Serfontein, Arnu BOtha, Pretoruis, Dunlop, Fouche, Blommetjies, Williams, beyers_and then the fringe players in Stander, Kirsten, Kruger, van der Merwe…I see a pattern of player been giving exposure via varsity cup-senoir game time I see no Michalaks in there lineups…If I look at the sharks case…I see a pattern of releasing talent-and building other teams youngsters I rate young reinach_have from school he is a leader and the type of character that should of been in the mix a long time ago, despite his age. Then there is jordaan with whitehead the only livewire in the mix at the back-we lost raun combrink and we are going to loose goose prinsloo soon…possibly to tuks(blommetjies of to 7’s). Ludick needs to go play vodacom rugby. It just feels like our systems and decisions are letting us down at the moment. Where the bulls rely on there system to educate there players of bulls rugby we are relying on the couch to pick who he wants to develop-the system seems a bit flawed at the moment-maruis joubert the other day in the paarl said at a sosial-there is just so much talent at the sharks’its incredible’ I almost fell on my back…wondering what his role is at the sharks in that case…just want to throw this out there if you catch my drift…and then there is Bashford(heard from some players he like to pick his favorites and like to let the others know that they are waisting his time. For some reason I belief this have seen it so much that as a player…
Why not contact SARU and ask them on what grounds they made their selections???? Herbst and Bresler surely showed commitment during the season. 😉 They should have invited both squads and not left out these few players. How many were left out from the Bulls???? 😐 👿 👿