To follow up on a rumour we reported yesterday, Sharks lock Ross Skeate has confirmed that he will leave Durban to join French club side Agen ahead of the 2012-2013 European season.
Skeate, who played for WP and the Stormers for many years before embarking on his first French adventure with Toulon, joined the Sharks as a big-name signing ahead of the 2010 Currie Cup. He played just a smattering of games in that competition before picking up an injury which ruled him out of action for the rest of the year. A bit-part in 2011’s Super Rugby was followed by a solid Currie Cup campaign, in which he played 14 times and emerged as one of the best players of the season.
This brief injury hiatus was not to last, though, with Skeate duly injuring himself again in the 3rd round of Super Rugby this year and failing to recover in time to play any further role in the competition. With his current Sharks deal set to end on 30 June this year, Skeate will leave Durban having played just 28 times (20 Currie Cup and 8 Super Rugby) over the course of those two years.
We’d like to wish Ross well for the future and hope that his luck with injury improves on the softer fields of South-West France.
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Au revoir Skeato..
I’ve liked what Skeate has done, but his signing has been yet another bad investment by the Sharks in terms of value for money. Still streets ahead of Mostert, Hoffman and Joubert though…
@Culling Song (Comment 2) : he’s also taller than Danny de Vito, since we’re making comparisons 🙂
@robdylan (Comment 3) : If it wasn’t for the fact that I’ve decided to tone down my personal attacks on him, I’d be tempted to say that Danny de Vito would have been been a better signing than MJ… oops 😈
This signing pretty much guarantees PSdT’s continued involvement in the senior side so not all together sad news.
@Culling Song (Comment 4) : 😆
Adieu grand homme! tout le meilleur et rappelez-vous, cuisses de grenouilles goût de poulet
@vanmartin (Comment 5) : I think losing Hargreaves and Skeate means we’re going to have to find an established replacement for the No.5 Lock role. Bresler isn’t a natural No.5, neither is Marais and PSdT is only 19. @robdylan Who do you think would be on our shopping list?
Oh, and cheers Skeate-O!
Best of luck Skeato 🙂
Wonder if the Pixie is going with..?
@MerckZ (Comment 8) : Our signings in recent years have left MUCH to be desired. I think we’re better off backing PSdT – even if he is 19.
@MerckZ (Comment 8) : Lambie was a Bok at 20, so the age thing doesnt concern me.
Just hope there’s a bigger plan. Sykes only has a 1 year contract and now we let Skeate go along with Hargreeves..hope we are getting Rhodes back.
@GreatSharksays (Comment 13) : surely they must extend Sykes’ deal?
It is winter here idiot
Cheers Skeato. Hope you make some big bucks.
@Bokhoring (Comment 15) : Haha your comment makes no sense any more. But I know what it was about. 🙂
@Ben (Comment 17) : enlighten the rest of us please
@Die Kriek (Comment 18) : Some yank posted an advert about summer clothing that’s on sale. Rob deleted the comment.
@robdylan (Comment 14) : I just want Rhodes back mate…We’d hope they would extend his contract. Something tells me that he signed a one year contract and him staying in SA will depend on whether he makes the Boks.
@vanmartin (Comment 11) : Etsebeth is also 19, If you are good enough you are old enough,
I dont think we should wait till pension time before wanting to play them.
PSDT is ripe to play right now as is sykes and Bresler, so for me we are doing well enough without Skeate and Hargreaves, no need to buy
@Ben (Comment 19) : along with the user 🙂
@GreatSharksays (Comment 20) : Mike Rhodes? Why?
@robdylan (Comment 22) : Trace him down and sue the f#cker! 😆
@Ben (Comment 24) : ja… cos finding some random dude using a made-up email address is mos easy 🙂
@robdylan (Comment 25) : You IT gurus have your ways. Send him a virus or something.
@Scott B (Comment 12) : I’m not saying that he’s too young to play, but inevitably in a young player’s development there will be hiccoughs. It will be better for the Sharks and for PSdT to have an experienced No.5 Lock ahead of him, to mentor him and with whom to rotate. I have no doubt that he’ll be a top notch player for the Sharks in the years to come, but it would be foolhardy not to look to find a replacement for Skeate/Hargreaves.
@MerckZ (Comment 27) :
No no no. Then we sign some dude for 2 years and the likes of PSDT/Bresler/Marais bros moves on. Just like Rhodes did. And then three years down the line we say: “We must get PSDT/Bresler/Marais back”!!!!!
“It will be better for the Sharks and for PSdT to have an experienced No.5 Lock ahead of him, to mentor him and with whom to rotate.”
Sharks and ‘rotate’ in the same sentence? Not in this lifetime! 🙄
@robdylan (Comment 23) : He’s a 100% KZN boy, he has the skill, talent, passion, right aggression (never stands back to anyone) required to dominate opponents at this level, he stands at 1.98m and is very strong. I just feel that we are a little light in the second row and would love to have him to counter the likes of Eben in the future. I’m old school and still believe the game is won upfront, if your tight five dominates the opponenet in all aspects, the game is 50% in the bag. Imagine a tight five containing Beast, Bissie, Jannie, Sykes/Bressler and Rhodes!!! Add Marcel, Alberts and Keegan…with the other guys on the bench. Our pack is good, still waiting for our locks to deliver that Eben performance though. Just think Rhodes can fill that void.
And suddenly the lock cupboard was bare.
@lostfish (Comment 31) : The curse of the nomad lock strikes again! 😉
The Sharks’ player acquisitions over the last handful of years have left a lot to be desired. Especially when seen in the light of the players who have left in the same period. Far too many bit part, journeyman, over-the-hill type players being signed…. *ahem* who is responsible for these acquisitions? Strooli?
Whitehead and Alberts are two glaring exceptions in the last 4 years.
@GreatSharksays (Comment 30) : and what are we going to do about the fact that his knee is stuffed?
From being in a position where we had a tradition for having great worls class locks, we seem to be a bit short at the moment. Thinking back names like Visagie, atherton, andrews and muller come to mind. They were players who on any given match could dominate their opposition and they all had the most important factor – reputation. Lately we seem to be bleeding locks like no other union on the planet … Were buying stop gap fillers and playing flanks as locks aka dysel. Were playing young locks earlier than we should out of nesessity. The result we have average locks with no reputation. Bressler is only now starting to play well. I hope they continue with him. I hope they buy another lock as a stopgap to allow our 19 year old locks to grow at age group level so when they do step up they come with rep
@byron (Comment 35) : Or they can do it the way the Stormers did with Etzebeth and let him build his rep at S15 level.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 36) : dude – the way you go on about Etsebeth, I swear you have a poster of him in your room 🙂
Etsebeth had already built up a rep in the Varsity cup … and he was special then – Ask Rudolph he tried to sign him then