The Sharks have made a few changes this week, with the elevation of Danie Mienie to the match 22 for the first time possibly the biggest.
As the only completely uncapped member of the match day squad, the Sharks lose out on nearly 30 caps by bringing Mienie in for Dale Chadwick. That is offset to an extent by the inclusion of Tim Whitehead (20 caps) for the similarly-inexperienced Heimar Williams. At 22, Mienie is a few years younger than Chadwick; the rotational inclusion of Rayno Gerber in the starting fifteen, however, raises the average age of the starting pack to just over 28 years – with fellow 30-somethings Jacques Botes and Marco Wentzel also doing their bit. Mienie and Peet Marais are the only men in that outfit under the age of 28, with a few more relative youngsters on the bench.
At 34, Butch James is the oldest back in a starting backline that averages just under 26 years old. Speaking of James, he’ll reach a milestone as he earns his 50th Currie Cup cap for the Sharks (and 64th overall). Craig Burden (70th), Louis Ludik (40th) and Kyle Cooper (30th, if he comes on) are on the brink of lesser milestones this week. Charl McLeod earned a 50th Sharks cap last week, but will earn a 60th career cap this week if he comes on, having represented the Valke on 9 occasions before moving to Durban.
An interesting statistic this week sees only two players from KZN schools make the starting team – and ironically, both of those attended Maritzburg College. Three further Natal natives have been included on the bench. Glenwood and Outeniqua are the only other schools to feature more than one player in the match 22.
| Surname | First Names | Height | Weight | Age | School | CC Caps | CC Points | |||
| Sharks | Other | Total | Sharks | |||||||
| 1 | Mienie | Daniel Jacobus | 1.79 | 111 | 22 | Merensky | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Burden | Craig Bruce | 1.84 | 105 | 28 | MC | 69 | 0 | 69 | 115 |
| 3 | Gerber | Rayno | 1.90 | 120 | 32 | Framesby | 4 | 40 | 44 | 0 |
| 4 | Marais | Peet Celliers | 1.98 | 115 | 22 | Welkom | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| 5 | Wentzel | Marco van Zyl | 2.00 | 117 | 34 | Outeniqua | 4 | 35 | 39 | 5 |
| 6 | Daniel | Keegan Rhys | 1.88 | 97 | 28 | Dale | 95 | 0 | 95 | 155 |
| 7 | Deysel | Jean Roy | 1.91 | 112 | 28 | Hentie Cilliers | 55 | 0 | 55 | 35 |
| 8 | Botes | Louis Jacques | 1.82 | 97 | 32 | Potch Gim | 113 | 27 | 140 | 200 |
| 9 | Reinach | Jacobus Meyer | 1.75 | 84 | 23 | Grey Kollege | 18 | 0 | 18 | 10 |
| 10 | James | Andrew David | 1.84 | 98 | 34 | MC | 49 | 14 | 63 | 401 |
| 11 | Mvovo | Lwazi Ncedo | 1.85 | 94 | 27 | Maria Louw | 48 | 0 | 48 | 105 |
| 12 | Whitehead | Timothy John | 1.88 | 90 | 25 | Grey High | 7 | 13 | 20 | 0 |
| 13 | Ludik | Louis | 1.83 | 92 | 26 | EG Jansen | 39 | 43 | 82 | 35 |
| 14 | Maseko | Sizophila Sabelo | 1.84 | 88 | 22 | Ermelo | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 15 | Marais | Sarel Petrus | 1.84 | 92 | 24 | Paarl Boys | 3 | 15 | 18 | 10 |
| 16 | Cooper | Kyle Lorran | 1.78 | 109 | 24 | Glenwood | 29 | 0 | 29 | 5 |
| 17 | Herbst | Wiehahn Jovan | 1.80 | 113 | 25 | Klerksdorp | 44 | 0 | 44 | 0 |
| 18 | Hewitt | Edwin Westley | 1.96 | 117 | 25 | AHS | 4 | 12 | 16 | 0 |
| 19 | Downey | Justin | 1.91 | 105 | 26 | Northwood | 4 | 29 | 33 | 5 |
| 20 | McLeod | Charl | 1.80 | 88 | 30 | Wonderboom | 50 | 9 | 59 | 50 |
| 21 | Zeilinga | Frederik Johannes | 1.75 | 82 | 20 | Glenwood | 4 | 0 | 4 | 27 |
| 22 | van Tonder | Jaco | 1.86 | 96 | 22 | Outeniqua | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
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Interesting that our forward have collectively scored more tries than our backline..
And if Zeilinga had started, the forwards would have scored more points collectively than the backline had scored, including kicks.
What school in Ermelo did Sizo Maseko go to?
@KingRiaan (Comment 2) : Ermelo Hoërskool, I think
@robdylan (Comment 3) : or rather Hoërskool Ermelo, to be more correct
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 1) : Great observation! I guess a forward pack that includes Burden, Daniel and Botes are always going to skew the stats though 😀
@vanmartin (Comment 5) : I wonder if any hooker in CC history has a better tries-per-game ratio than Burden
@robdylan (Comment 3) : So same school as another previous Sharks flyer, Henno Mentz
@KingRiaan (Comment 2) : @robdylan (Comment 4) : Thats right, and so did the 2 young Pongola (KZN) Blue Bulls, Jacques du Plessis and Ulrich Beyers.
Go Sharks! This one wont be easy!
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 8) : wow… I love it when guys from these smaller schools make it. So much more refreshing than seeing 9 Grey old boys in the team.
@KingRiaan (Comment 7) : EHS was at one time one of the top rugby schools in SA when Jimmy Stonehouse coached there.
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 11) : What years was that? I was there from 1999 to 2001 but can’t remember who was coach.
I think I am backing the WP this weekend…. Read this 🙂
http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/CurrieCup/Jake-White-spotted-at-Newlands-20130905
@Lassy_lion (Comment 13) : Let this be a lesson to
us for kicking Jake White in the teeth when we desperately needed a world class coach to get our act together.
You may be right about backing wp this weekend, I suspect he`s got a score to settle with the sharks and gave AC some crucial pointers. 🙄
@robdylan (Comment 10) : For sure, its almost as if these guys have to work 100 times harder just to get a foot in the door. I imagine that there are many talented club players that feel the same way when hoping to get recognised at a higher level.
@Lassy_lion (Comment 13) : Ian MacIntosh was spotted at Kings Park.
Wait, let me write an article
@KingRiaan (Comment 12) : Ill have to wrack my brains on that one but it was a while before that. Did you live in Ermelo. Lekker koud in die winter ne.
@Lassy_lion (Comment 13) : @Original Pierre (Comment 14) : Soooo WP by 50 then??? lmao
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 17) : all I remember about “ERRRRR-muh-loooowa” is that we fetched out first German Shepherd puppy from there.
@R Hayward (Comment 18) : sounds about right. One session with Jake White and WP are going to play EXACTLY like the Brumbies
Is Gerber really 32? I thought he was a youngster!
@David12246 (Comment 21) : where’s ya been? 🙂
@R Hayward (Comment 18) : No ways that won`t happen.
Sharks always likes to get my hope up until the final minute.
@robdylan (Comment 20) : Lets think positive! Maybe JW was there to sign Juan de Jongh for the Brumbies?!
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 17) : Yeah, grew up there. Its bloody cold there, so glad I live in Durbs now. EHS won the Beeld Trofee in 1999 if I remember correct, I still carried the trophy when they got the new trophy cabinet. Damn heavy wooden trophy that.
Were you at school with that prop from Piet Retief (I think it was Beneke) that went on to play for the Sharks juniors?
Don’t remember him, but I do remember Henno and MJ Mentz though
Surely SP Marais must weigh more than 80kg?
@woody (Comment 27) : you’d think, but that’s what the Sharks and SA Rugby both reckon he weighs
I’m sure that must be a typo or something on their behalf. Probably meant to be 90kg
SP Marais weighs 91 or 92kg, there is no way in hell he only weighs 80kg
http://www.skings.co.za/player-profiles/sarel-petrus-marais/
@robdylan (Comment 28) : The Sharks site take their stats from SA rugby who often have it completely wrong
What is going on with Hansie Graaff. He was injured a few weeks back, but haven’t heard anything since opening week.
@Here be dragons (Comment 32) : he’s training – just waiting for a chance to crack the match 22, I reckon.
@Saffex (Comment 30) : thanks 0 I’ll update based on that. Looks more accurate