Last week it was Howard Mnisi who returned to the Shark tank – in opposition colours – to terrorise his former teammates in midfield. This time around, another local boy will be asked to do the same for the Lions.
In a bitter blow to the visitors’ hopes, dangerous outside center Stokkies Hanekom has been ruled out for upwards of a month, due to a battery of injuries sustained against the Cheetahs last week. Into his position comes 22-year-old Robert de Bruyn, a former SA Schools player who last donned the black and white at Craven Week level, as a product of Michaelhouse School. He played in that side along with one Patrick Jonathan Lambie, as well as a flanker by the name of Brynard Stander, who is likely to be on the opposite side on Friday.
A number of other boys will be more than a little familiar with the Kings Park turf; scrumhalf Guy Cronje has played Currie Cup rugby for the Sharks in the number 10 jersey, while replacements Lambert Groenewald and Tian Meyer both came up through the age group ranks and have been part of Sharks Super Rugby squads in past.
Johan Ackermann has made a number of other changes to the side, opting to shift Marnitz Boshoff from flyhalf to fullback, thus bringing Elton Jantjies into the starting lineup at 10. Chrysander Botha moves to the bench, where he’ll be joined by Lionel Cronje. Up front, Anton van Zyl’s younger brother Chris replaces Stephan Greeff at lock, while a switch in the loose trio sees Derick Minnie move to blindside flank to make room for Jaco Kriel on the open; Warwick Tecklenburg is benched this week.
Golden Lions: 15 Marnitz Boshoff, 14 Deon Helberg, 13 Robert de Bruyn, 12 Dylan des Fountain, 11 Anthony Volmink, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Guy Cronje, 8 Willie Britz, 7 Derick Minnie (captain), 6 Jaco Kriel, 5 Hugo Kloppers, 4 Chris van Zyl, 3 Ruan Dreyer, 2 Martin Bezuidenhout, 1 Jacques van Rooyen.
Replacements: 16 Robbie Coetzee, 17 CJ van der Linde, 18 Lambert Groenewald, 19 Warwick Tecklenburg, 20 Tian Meyer, 21 Lionel Cronje, 22 Chrysander Botha
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Feel for Stokkies, he has been very good.
We shouldnt lose this game, really.
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 1) : Yes you shouldnt but you know the game of rugby right….. Good luck to the Sharks I hope it is a good, tough rugby game..
@Lassy_lion (Comment 2) : Home ground advantage to be the difference???
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 3) : I dont think so after the weekend that has passed…. Hopefully JANTJIES is not the differance again…LOL
What a relieve!!! How reliable is the news that stokkies wont be on the park? That ouke would have score 6 tries by himself for the 50+ that Flippie is predicting!
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 3) : Just like us it looks like you guys also struggle to get 10 000 people on gameday so we feel right at home there
@R Hayward (Comment 5) : 😆 😆 😆
When WP roll into town the other centre in the 2008 Michaelhouse side, Pat Howard, will also probably face the Sharks.
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 1) : agree Stokkies has been outstanding.
Sad to see Stokkies out of action but I think Robert de Bruyn will follow his footsteps
@Lassy_lion (Comment 6) : Ha, ha, you sell your tickets for R20.00 and then get taken to pieces because the stadium was not full. we give them away for free and still have less supporters pitching up than you lot….and no one says a word about the obvious. 😈 😳
The more game time Jantjies gets the more likely the Sharks are to win 🙂
@Lassy_lion (Comment 6) : Dont be surprised if there are more Sharkies than Lions in the crowd.
We going to struggle in the scrums with CJ van der Linde on the bench
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 10) : I saw that….But then again what is to be expected. This is SHARKSWORLD and not LIONSWORLD….I was just scared they never let me in here again with my track record. But now that you mention it. 😈 😈 😈
@SuperEtts (Comment 11) : Eish, I have a few memories of Jantjies having good games against us.
@steve (Comment 8) : why did they both leave? Not offered contracts?
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 15) : He’s not at his best. In fact he’s lucky not to be in the Vodacom side so he can find his form. It’s not been an easy year for him.
@SuperEtts (Comment 17) : Well he can postpone his big comeback appearance for a week.
@robdylan (Comment 16) : I heard something about Howard wanting to study in the Cape. I cant imaginbe that he was overlooked by the Sharks.
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 19) : Same rumour doing the rounds about Robert du Preez’s boy I’m afraid. Until we get a decent KZN team playing in the Varsity Cup these guys will leave
@robdylan (Comment 16) : I believe that both of them had several options. In Robert de Bruyn’s case he is from JHB, his older brother was playing U21 at the Lions already and UJ offered the opportunity to do a decent degree. Pat Howard and Ruan Combrinck both chose to go to WP which was also an option for RdB.
@steve (Comment 21) : When and why did Combrink leave WP?
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 22) : He left in 2011. He played WP u19 in 2009 and U21 the following year before being injured. He played U21 for the Lions in 2011.
@steve (Comment 23) : Not sure as to why – possibly a difference of opinion as to where he thought he should be played had a role.
The lions team with such paSsion and playing rugby because they love it is going to kick the sharks asses by ±50 points
@Flippie (Comment 25) : you finished your duties in the village for the day?
I am done now its only my opinion and last I checked I got the right to say what I want
Why do all the KZN boys leave………..Gavin Melvill on his own bat thinks they not good enough.
@Flippie (Comment 25) : @robdylan (Comment 26) : At Sharksworld, everyday is “Bring-a-troll-to-work” day 😈
@Flippie (Comment 25) : 😈 At last someone that knows what he is speaking about….LOLOL @robdylan (Comment 26) : I think you should add a star or two to this mans profile
@Lassy_lion (Comment 30) : I’m just waiting for him to figure out how to load a picture, so I can graft a pointy hat onto it…
@robdylan (Comment 31) : 😆 😆 😆
Lions fans, what the hell is going on?
Now I see a team in other places that has Jantjies at 10 and no sign of Boshoff at all?
ok, I’ve updated the side. Seems the one we were sent yesterday was completely wrong.
@robdylan (Comment 33) : They changed the team…. We know how scared the SHARKS are for Jantjies….We comming for you HAHAHAHA 😈 😈 😈
@robdylan (Comment 33) : Boshoff is at fullback and Crysander Botha moved to the bench….
@robdylan (Comment 34) :
“He played in that side along with one Patrick Jonathan Lambie, as well as a flanker by the name of Brynard Stander, who is likely to be on the opposite side on Friday”
The 2008 Craven Week side also included current Sharks Francois Kleynhans (GWD) and Monde Hadebe (Westville)as well as former Sharks junior and SA Schools hooker Shaun Malton (GWD). The Michaelhouse representatives were Lambie, Ruan Combrinck (who would almost certainly have played on Friday were he not Injured) Robert de Bruyn, Reef Nakin (who played U19-21 at the Sharks),tighthead Louis Albertse who is now playing in France via the Lions and Bulls, and wing Awande Khumalo. Pat Howard played CW the following year.
@steve (Comment 37) : jeez… what a team hey?
Disappointing that so few are with the Sharks now.
@steve (Comment 37) : Nakin was a tidy flyhalf. Is he still playing? Seemed to fall off the bus a little, that one.
@robdylan (Comment 39) : I thought he was very talented – relatively small but tough and rarely missed a tackle. Perhaps size counted against him progressing.
@steve (Comment 40) : I also wasn’t completely sure his head was in the game after school… just stuff I picked up. Lots of parties…