The Sharks under 21 side set up a home semi-final this weekend as they beat the visiting Leopards by 44 points to 21 at Kings Park on Friday afternoon.
First-half tries by flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit, lock Stephan Lewies and centre Heimar Williams (after a great break by hooker Franco Marais) were a great testament to the Sharks’s forward dominance and while the Leopards hit back with two of their own in the opening period to keep the game close, the Sharks remained in control throughout.
Defending a 24-14 lead at the start of the second half, the Sharks at first extended that via a Gaving Hauptfleisch penalty, before conceding a third try which brought the Leopards closer than they would have liked at just 21-27 behind. The home team had more in the tank, though with first Khaya Majola and then Brendon Groenwald scoring the tries that sealed the result.
Another penalty by Hauptfleisch put the finishing touches on a fine win.
The Sharks will host the third-placed Western Province in Saturday’s semi-final.
Scores:
Sharks under 21 (44): Tries by du Toit, Lewies, Williams, Majola and Groenewald. Conversions by Hauptfleisch (5). Penalties by Hauptfleisch (3).
Leopards under 21 (21): Tries by van der Merwe, Heyns and Strydom. Conversions by Gilbert (3)
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Well done boys. Now knock WP out of the running!!
Why do are they turning PSdT into a flank?!
We’ve got WAAAAYYYYY too many flanks in SA. Stick to using him as a very mobile lock.
Though all of a sudden our depth at lock is scary, but at flank it’s the same story.
Amazed at how well our academy is once again churning out star players, who’s responsible for this turn around?
@FireTheLooser (Comment 2) : Yeah, don’t know how we are going to keep them all next year. Probably impossible. We will have Kankowski back, and add to that all our other Springbok loosies in Alberts, Daniel, Deysel and Coetzee. Then there is still Botes, Mthembu and Stander waiting in the wings. PLUS all our u21 stock of this year in Kleynhans, Cloete, Majola, Alexander, Jafta, Steyn… It is incredible!!
You can’t keep all the young players, must try to keep the realy good ones. PSDT played as a flanker for the 0/20 bokkies, but he will not get in Sharks super squad as a flanker.
@JD (Comment 4) :
Hopefully the Sharks use him as a 5-lock heading forward. Will be interesting to see if he’s got the skills (in the air) or the confidenceto be a good line-out jumper in the middle, but if he is, he’ll be a great player to have alongside Eben Etzebeth for the Boks… if he lives up to his potential of course.
Preferably Etzebeth will take up that role for the Stormers as well (alongside Elstadt) once Bekker retires or heads off.
May the best team win. WP U-21’s not looking bad themselves. Few injuries here and there but strengthened by having players back from CC rugby (Wilhelm van der Sluys, Damian de Allende, Patrick Howard & JP du Plessis).
Can expect something close to this I’d imagine:
1 Francois van Wyk
2 Neil Rautenbach
3 Oliver Kebble
4 Gerbrandt Grobler
5 Wilhelm van der Sluys
6 Joshua Katzen (Beyers de Villiers injured I think)
7 JP Swanepoel (Cobus Nel also injured)
8 Rayn Smid
9 Ricky Schroeder
10 Timo Swiel (Wish they’d swap him and Leyds though)
11 Dean Hammond
12 Damian de Allende
13 Patrick Howard
14 Clearance Khumalo (Will find it tough dropping him you’d think)
15 Dillyn Leyds
16 Stephan Coetzee
17 Kelvin de Bruyn
18 Jan de Klerk
19 Jody Reyneke
20 Godlen Masimla
21 Kobus van Wyk
22 Craig Barry
You got got hand it to Majola. He gets benched a bit (the flanker merry-go-round of SA Rugby); but when he does take the field, he makes it count.
@hendrikp (Comment 6) : tell you what that Kobus van Wyk is a seriously good player, if let’s say maybe JP du Plessis is with the seniors, then play Howard at 13 with Kobus at 12, play Clearance of the bench and move de Allende to wing. You okes will struggle up front though, Sharks tight 5 superior to that of WP’s. Loosies should be well-balanced
I watched their game against Border u21, when they click they are deadly, de Allende at centre though is a waste, he should play wing
@Ludz (Comment 8) :
Our tight 5 not terrible with players coming back, but yes should be outmatched.
I found it difficult myself even suggesting Kobus van Wyk will be on the bench, but that is probably the reality of things. If it were me, I’d make way for him ahead of probably Hammond, de Allende & Khumalo… but I think they’ll go with genuine wingers.
This is with Michael van der Spuy injured… next year is going to be even tougher deciding who to start. Got some serious depth.
– Will have handful of props competing for the spot opposite Kebble. Tshepo Motale or Entienne Swanepoel could overtake Ackerman you’d imagine.
– Does Stephan Coetzee start ahead of Frik Kirsten?
– Bunch of loosies that are performing. Does Justin Benn move positions, or ride the bench behind Rayn Smid?
10 Timo Swiel
11 Dean Hammond / JP Lewis – Who starts?
12 Kobus van Wyk / Johnny Kotze – What you do here, I don’t know.
13 Patrick Howard / Kyle Lombard
14 Tshotsho Mbovane / Craig Barry
15 Dillyn Leyds / Cheslin Kolbe
And then Janco Gunther & Justin Geduld, you’d imagine, could find their way into the team… probably just not starting and not in the positions they played in for the U19’s, with Gunther playing 12 while Kotze was injured (and recently 15) and Geduld looking a bit frail to be a centre at the highest level.
@hendrikp (Comment 10) : ya, it’s always tough, Sharks this year had 4 super junior props. I think next year though, they might be little thin up front, particularly tight 5, in the loosies, they’ll still have Guy Alexander, Khaya Majola, Andrew van Tonder, Braam Steyn, Johan Meyer in the loosies and possibly Murray Bondesio if they retain him permanently.
9 Ungerer and Hanco should be good. 10 solid cover, Hauptfleisch, Rob du Preez and Zeilinga. Wings might also be a little thin considering I haven’t heard much about the u19 lads. Centres depth might also struggle a bit, Tyler Fischer an certainty, hopeful a Michael Bernardt will come through at 12. Fullback will be ok with Keelin Bastew and Sean Robinson
@Ludz (Comment 11) : Beet is very impressed with both Matsushima and Isaacs at wing
@robdylan (Comment 12) : whatever happened to Beet? Why is he no longer posting here?
@Culling Song (Comment 13) : dunno. Guess someone pissed him off
@Ludz (Comment 11) : up front you will still have Dell and maks and franco plus PSDT and SA schools u19 hooker,looks good to me
@bobby 26 (Comment 15) : and Marne Coetzee, who I believe has turned a bit of a corner
@robdylan (Comment 16) : @bobby 26 (Comment 15) : I’ve heard Morne du Plessis is about as average as they come at hooker, guess if he’ll be a bench player, then he’ll do. Ok forgot about Marne Coetzee
@Ludz (Comment 17) : must say,the bit i have seen the hooker does not do much,the u19 lock Fisher is pretty good and Braam would be a better player at lock as well, than at loose forward,sort of a Mark Andrews type player
@Ludz (Comment 17) :
List of players used by the Sharks U19’s so far this season in a starting capacity:
1 Nicolas Roebeck / Matthew Jones
2 Morne du Plessis / Warrick Venter
3 Marne Coetzee / Richard Palframan
4 Gideon Koegelenberg / David Fisher
5 Myles Tucker / Louis Hazelhurst
6 Francois van der Vyver / Hendrik Uys / Theo Kruger
7 Andrew van Tonder / Kirk Twine
8 Jean Pretorius
9 Stefan Ungerer / Cameron Wright / Marthinus Carstens
10 Rob du Preez (c)
11 Alcino Izaacs
12 Garath Meikle / Takudzwa Chieza / Matthew Phillips
13 Tyler Fisher
14 Kotaro Matsushima / Michael Bernardt
15 Sean Robinson
And ones that didn’t start but came off the bench at some time:
Hooker: Kealan Henry
Props: John-Hubert Meyer & Leon Mulder
Loose-forward: Schalk van der Merwe
Scrumhalf: Hubert de Haas
Flyhalf: Brendan Cope
Winger: Siphumelele Msutwana
@bobby 26 (Comment 18) : Fisher went to a bloody good school, is the thing
@robdylan (Comment 20) : sorry,Dave Fisher is a very good player but i meant to talk about Tucker as a possible u21 lock next year,sorry,as for Dave’s school,not so good this year,lol
@bobby 26 (Comment 21) : Tucker is a big boy!
@Culling Song (Comment 13) : he runs his own site these days, you should check it out sometime http://www.schoolboyrugby.co.za/blog
We all know Beet loves the Sharks, but schoolboy rugby is what gives him a blood rush
@hendrikp (Comment 19) : is Sphu down as a winger, he was very quick, but he always played outside centre for Dale, I anticipated that it might happened though with the presence of Tyler Fischer
@hendrikp (Comment 19) :
Also, a list of current U21’s who are eligible next year:
Props: Allan Dell & Nicolaas van Dyk
Hookers: Franco Marais
Locks: Pieter-Steph du Toit, Wade Elliot, Stefan Lewies & Stefan Willemse
Loosies: Khaya Majola, Braam Steyn, Guy Alexander & Murray Bondesio
Scrumhalves: Hanco Venter (still U19 this year actually)
Flyhalves: Fred Zeilinga & Gavin Hauptfleisch
Winger: Keelin Bastew
*Stefan Ungerer has 1 game off the bench as well for the U19’s and should be available in 2013.
@Ludz (Comment 24) :
I just had a guess to be honest
so someone put a possible u21 side down,for next year,Wade is a very good lock,i forgot about him
@bobby 26 (Comment 27) :
Dell Marais van Dyk
du Toit Lewies
Majola Steyn Alexander
Venter Zeilinga
Isaacs Meikle Fisher Matsushima Robinson
@robdylan (Comment 28) : i would have Wade Elliot at lock and not Lewies,and what would the subs look like,backline all u20?? but for no 10
@robdylan (Comment 28) : Just out of curiosity, has Matsushima played for Japan yet? And if not, has he indicated if he is chasing the Cherry Blossom Blue or Springbok Green?
@bobby 26 (Comment 29) :
Shouldn’t matter. I seriously doubt Pieter-Steph du Toit will be playing U21 rugby next season. He’ll be an important part of the CC team you’d imagine. If he hadn’t suffered some earlier injury setbacks he’d be playing CC rugby right now.
@bobby 26 (Comment 29) : is Wade still u21 next year?
@hendrikp (Comment 31) : ja, I don’t see Steph in u21s next year… not really.
@robdylan (Comment 32) : yes Wade u20 now,you guys could be right about Steph
@bobby 26 (Comment 34) : I must be honest, I don’t really know much about Wade. I was under the impression, though, that he’s seen more as a stopgap than as a genuine option? Again, nothing personal against the guy, not having seen him play, but that’s just the feeling I get
Have to say though, Steph has an uphill battle, I don’t believe Steph is a better lock than the Marais bros or Bresler, immense potential, but not there yet. I still cannot believe that Eric Sauls played Peet Marais in only 1 for the Baby Boks in 2010
@robdylan (Comment 35) : I mean, the Sharks were caught with their pants down when Mike Williams left…
@robdylan (Comment 35) : a bit on die kort kant ook, but he’s a real grafter
@Ludz (Comment 36) : Peet Marais is an amazingly good player.
I wish I could say with confidence that I saw a long-term future in black and white for all of Anton, Jandre, Peet and Steph, but the reality is, they are all too good to not be first choice somewhere.
@Ludz (Comment 38) : like how short?
@robdylan (Comment 40) : 192,193,194ish hey, a real grafter