The message from the Sharks is clear; if you’re a top player with Bok credentials, then we want you in our system. According to Volksblad’s Gerdie Karstens, Griquas strongman Lourens Adriaanse will play for the Sharks in 2014.
Adriaanse, who came within a whisker of Springbok selection this year, only for Heyneke Meyer to make a baffling about turn and insist on Coenie Oosthuizen as his reserve tight head for the Rugby Championship, made up for that slight in the best possible way last weekend – by delivering a display of power scrummaging in his side’s Currie Cup opener that left the Sharks scratching their heads. As the cornerstone of both the Griquas – and Cheetahs Super Rugby – pack, his absence will be keenly felt by the central unions, with the Sharks now set to boast the best tight head depth in the country, if not the competition.
Confirming the move, Griquas CEO Arni van Rooyen told Volksbklad, “Lourens received a very good offer from the Sharks and has decided to accept it. We tried hard to keep him in Kimberley, but that just didn’t prove possible in the end.”
Adriaanse will join a tight head contingent including Jannie du Plessis as elder statesman and another young man knocking hard on the Bok door, Wiehahn Herbst. With depth in the tight five a key part of John Smit’s plan for the Sharks, the onus will now be on Brendan Venter and Brad Macleod-Henderson to work out an effective rotation strategy to see all three men adequately served in terms of game time for next season.
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How old is he?-he certainly performed well in the last match with the new rules-its a good move this way lourens can be rotated with jannie dup-who is always playing every match
@Bok-Clyde-Kiwi (Comment 1) : 25
It’s gonna be tough competition with Herbst and Jannie already there. We could end up seeing Herbst on the loose-head a lot more.
@David12246 (Comment 3) : I’d rather have the competition than having to hastily try and get a junior or CC1Div prop in if Jannie or Wiehahn gets hurt
if you’re a top player with Bok credentials, then we want you in our system.
Why would we want a player who is going to become a HM drone?
Great player, but once the Boks have a hold of him…
@KSA Shark © (Comment 5) : If we get enough of them into our system, maybe we can fix HM’s broken machine
have the Lions spoken to HErbst yet ? 😈 😛
@KSA Shark © (Comment 5) : he’s a prop…. i think we just need to settle down 🙂
Good move, especially seeing as how we’ll be using a rotation policy. This’ll extend the careers of all three players.
@Zibbie (Comment 7) : That is what I asked aswell…. 😀 😀
Now all we need is another quality loosehead.
Welkom Lourens!
Great buy well done Mr Smit and co
@robdylan (Comment 8) :
Do you think they might try and convert Herbst or Adriaanse into looseheads?
Brilliant buy!
@Pokkel (Comment 13) : I think there’s a resonable chance that one of them is going to have to move over.
Then again, I think we’ll have 23-man squads next year. That means 2 tightheads in every matchday squad. Remember also that under the new scrum calls, it’s anticipated that you won’t get much more than 50 min out of your tighthead before he’s completely buggered. So to my mind, having 3 guys rotating in the position is just downright common sense.
Welcome Lourens,now all we need is another loosehead of quality,’cause sadly Chadwick have been found wwaaaaaayyyyyyy wanting for a couple of seasons now!
Hmmm this is a good buy but I just wonder if its not the reaction to the possibility of Jannie or Herbst leaving next year? Rather cover your basis sooner than at the last minute.
A poor man’s Brok Harris!! 😈 😆
This is a great buy! Good to see that we’re boosting our squad ahead of the SupeRugby season
@wpw (Comment 18) : Nobody beats ‘Brok the Rock’ I can’t imagine how he’s not a Bok yet. 😈
@SheldonK (Comment 17) : no, definitely not.
C’mon guys – no need to start negative rumours where there is no basis to do so.
@Pokkel (Comment 20) : well he’s a better fokken flyhalf than Morne Steyn anyway…. #JustSaying
🙂
Chadwick should go to the lions or wp
@robdylan (Comment 22) : 😆 😆 Maybe the Sharks should sign him as back-up for Lambie!
Brok who,u must be joking. Great move ,good player,now Herbst can go laze around off the field instead of on it.
@benji (Comment 25) : bit of a chop thing to say, that, but at least it’s in character
@benji (Comment 25) : You sure you’re not mistaking him for another prop?
Heyneke ruined Brok’s flyhalf career. 😉 😈
@Pokkel (Comment 27) : that comment is just so breath-takingly stupid, I can only assume you’re right.
I don’t think he knows who Herbst is.
Nah Brok from the netball players,Lourens way better in all departments
Great move by Smit and Lourens. He’s only going to get better learning from Jannie. Jannie will also finally have a chance to rest… on occasion… if he even knows how to rest.
This was a good move – I think he is a good player.
Hell this is good news!!!!!! Now Sharks must just sign his brother……….. can’t Beasts brother play hooker….. make the front row a family thing. Hahaha!!!!
Excellent news, depth at tighthead is invaluable.
Any news on the Sharks Academy and changes, if any, that Smit and Venter have bought in yet?
I would just like to know, Smit is getting all the praise for the recruitment, but what happened to oom rudi? I thought that’s his job?
@Uli (Comment 35) : I think Oom Rudi is being sent to watch schoolboy rugby
@Gaff (Comment 34) : I’m hearing that there will be changes, but I don’t think anything is being said right at this moment… that’s more of a longer term thing.
Franco Smith’s name gets mentioned occasionally.
It is loss for the Cheetahs region, but I reckon Coenie will be just fine at TH. Nyakane also able to play TH, and with Jon Roy Jenkinson and Rossouw de Klerk in the wings we will be fine.
Sharks scrum hasn’t really been bad this year, it the rest of their rugby that has been up and down, largely due to injuries.