Hey guys – remember the Sharks?
Of course you do – just checking. In case you don’t, here’s a cool picture, courtesy of our good friend Steve Haag, to remind you who they are.
Now, while I will never pass up the opportunity to shamelessly publish a pic of our boys with the Currie Cup, there is actually a point here. As you all know, the Sharks will effectively be “resetting the clock” as they welcome yet another new head coach in Jake White ahead of Super Rugby next year. Since it’s a Friday and there’s not much news out there, here’s a challenge for the reader:
If you were Jake, what would your first match 22 look like?
To give you all a bit of a head start, here’s a rough list of who the Sharks should have available for the competition next year. Good luck with your selections and have fun!
Forwards: Beast Mtawarira, Dale Chadwick, Danie Mienie, Allan Dell, Jannie du Plessis, Lourens Adriaanse, Wiehahn Herbst, Bismarck du Plessis, Kyle Cooper, Monde Hadebe, Anton Bresler, Peet Marais, Edwin Hewitt, Ettiene Oosthuizen, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Marco Wentzel, Stephan Lewies, Marcell Coetzee, Justin Downey, Jacques Botes, Francois Kleinhans, Willem Alberts, Jean Deysel, Ryan Kankowski, Keegan Daniel, Tera Mtembu
Backs: Charl McLeod, Cobus Reinach, Stefan Ungerer, Hanco Venter, Patrick Lambie, Fred Zeilinga, Tim Swiel, Rob du Preez, Hansie Graaff, Frans Steyn, Tim Whitehead, Heimar Williams, Paul Jordaan, Andre Esterhuizen, Tyler Fisher, JP Pietersen, Odwa Ndungane, Lwazi Mvovo, S’bura Sithole, Sizo Maseko, SP Marais, Jaco van Tonder, Sean Robinson
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Won’t it be a match 23 from next year?
Hey Rob
You forgot Tim Swiel…
My 22 would be:
15. SP Marais
14. JP Pietersen
13. Tim Whitehead
12. Francois Steyn
11. Lwazi Mvovo
10.Pat Lambie
9. Charl McLoed
8. Ryan Kankowski
7. Willem Alberts
6. Jean Deysel (c)
5. PSDT
4. Peet Marais
3. Jannie du Plessis
2. Bismarck du Plessis
1. Beast Mtwarira
Reserves:
16. Dale Chadwick
17. Kyle Cooper
18. Lourens Adriaanse
19. Stephan Lewies
20. Marcell Coetzee
21. Cobus Reinach
22. Fred Zeilinga
23. S’bura Sithole
Not sure if I missed anything; but would Butch James not be in the pool of players for selection?
Ettiene Oosthuizen, Isn’t Durban a bit too far away from his apron strings?
@Butchie34 (Comment 2) : Mine would be almost identical to Butchie’s but I’d swap Kankowski with Daniel.
I’d ease Kankowski into the next game and do a few other rotational changes then. The Sharks have a superb squad going into 2014. White must be licking his lips.
I think 2014 will be more about the squad than the 22. Rotation will be key to keeping players fresh and pushing for places in the side in the later stages of the comp. JW is also big on picking combinations they gel well together and that suit his style of play. There is a lot of quality in Durban I hope it all gets used correctly. And dont force the youngsters in too quickly at the expense of pushing older guys away and overseas.
@Butchie34 (Comment 2) : Not sure having Deysel and Alberts starting is a good idea. The loose trio lacks balance that way. Put Deysel on the bench, bring in Marcell Coetzee and that would be better in my opinion. Also, Id start Anton Bresler ahead of Peet Marais.
@Pablo Dinero (Comment 7) : Would also start Marcell, but maybe ease Bresler back in. He has not played for a long time
@Pablo Dinero (Comment 7) : I quite like the idea of both of them starting. I think Deysel can do everything that Coetzee can do and his ball stealing abilities will be a nice addition to those of Bismarck’s.
Plus having both of them in the starting loose trio will let Kankowski play a little more loosely and open the opposition defence like a can of tuna.
How many photo’s of the Sharks with CC Cup of 2013 are there without Bissie holding on it?
My gut feel selection would be something like this.
15. SP Marais
14. JP Pietersen
13. Paul Jordaan/Tim Whitehead … mmm. not sure.
12. Francois Steyn
11. Lwazi Mvovo
10.Pat Lambie
9. Charl McLoed
8. Keegan Daniel
7. Willem Alberts
6. Marcell Coetzee
5. PSDT
4. Marco Wentzel
3. Jannie du Plessis
2. Bismarck du Plessis (c)!
1. Beast Mtwarira
Reserves:
16. Dale Chadwick
17. Kyle Cooper
18. Lourens Adriaanse
19. Anton Bresler
20. Jean Deysel
21. Cobus Reinach
22. Fred Zeilinga
23. Odwa Ndungane
@Butchie34 (Comment 9) : Deysel certainly cannot do everything Marcel can do. And vice versa.
Edit: Although I would also love to see what both can do starting. I would not start both against a Saders type side.
1.Beast
2.Bismarck
3.Jannie
4.Bresler
5.Du Toit
6.Coetzee
7.Alberts
8.Daniel
9.Mcleod
10.Lambie
11.Mvovo
12.Steyn
13.Whitehead
14.Jpp
15.Marais
16.Cooper
17.Chadwick
18.Herbst
19.Deysel
20.Kankowski
21.Jordaan
22.Zeilinga
23.Reinach
@@Butchie34 (Comment 9) : Well… as the sharks dont have an out and out fetcher, you may have a point. Still think its the one area they may need to improve. Sharks have tonnes of loose forwards, but tend to struggle against teams that can get to the ball first and close it off
@Pablo Dinero (Comment 13) : Good point. I think Coetzee is probably faster to the breakdowns than Deysel but isn’t as good at ball stealing. It is a fine balancing line.
White must just go with Coetzee above Deysel because we all know his attitude towards fetchers, although that might have changed since he’s worked with George Smith.
Before you start with the blue sky thinking make sure that going forward all your ducks are in a row whilst also thinking outside the box to eventually sing from the same hymn sheet. Then you can climb the strategic staircase together taking a holistic approach to pick off some low hanging fruit.
1.Beast
2.Bissie(C)
3.Jannie
4.Oosthuizen
5.PSDT
6.Mtembu
7.Alberts
8.Kankowski
9.Reinach
10.Lambie
11.Swiel
12.Frans Steyn
13.Paul Jordaan
14.JPP
15.Marais
16.Cooper
17.Adriaanse
18.Dell
19.Bresler
20.Deysel
21.Ungerer
22.Esterhuizen
23.Maseko
Would be amazing!!!
1. Tendai Mtawarira
2. Bismarck du Plessis
3. Jannie du Plessis
4. Pieter-Steph du Toit
5. Anton Bresler
6. Jacques Botes
7. Jean Deysel
8. Ryan Kankowski
9. Cobus Reinach
10.Patrick Lambie
11.Lwazi Mvovo
12.Heimar Williams
13.Tim Whitehead
14.JP Pietersen
15.SP Marais
16.Kyle Cooper
17.Dale Chadwick
18.Lourens Adriaanse
19.Marco Wentzel
20.Willem Alberts
21.Charl McLeod
22.Fred Zeilinga
23.Odwa Ndungane
I think Daniel is better at openside but is not as good as Botes
@JJR (Comment 16) : I forgot about Mthembu.
I think that I would rather put him in at 8 and drop Kankowski down to the bench.
@Pablo Dinero (Comment 13) : @Butchie34 (Comment 14) : Sharks have Bismarck. And if I’m not mistaken Bismarck came 2nd for most steals in the Championship with the relatively little game time considering his competition in that area.
While we might not have a dedicated fetcher guys like Marcel, Deysel, Kyle, Keegan, and Steyn have all shown that they are no slouches at turning over ball when they see an opportunity.
@Butchie34 (Comment 18) : Difficult to fit all my favourites into one team 🙂
@JJR (Comment 20) : That’s the problem… if we could field a starting team of 30 that would be great!!
@McLovin (Comment 15) : I’m sure someone has to level the playing fields first
What this squad does mean is that the Sharks Vodacom Cup side should be seriously strong. I also wonder how many contracted Sharks will suddenly become Rovers players when Community Cup rolls around…
@Butchie34 (Comment 21) : Great squad…need to use a decent amount of rotation, imo.
Soo much quality!!This team can pump Wallabies no problems.
@Bokhoring (Comment 1) : I haven’t had confirmation of that from anywhere. I hope it is, though.
@Butchie34 (Comment 2) : I most certainly did not 🙂
@Shred (Comment 3) : I’m hearing he’s retired, Shred.
Why would we leave Marcell out?
Marcell Bok
Alberts Bok
Kanko (should have been) Bok
That’s my loosies, with Deysel rotating with both Alberts and Marcell. Keegan with Kanko and Botes in rotation.
@McLovin (Comment 15) : That sounds like the gobbledoogook one retains after hours spent in pointless business meetings.
Work been putting you in thumbscrews? 😉 👿
@gregkaos (Comment 10) : you see now why I say Bissie is going to be captain next year?
@robdylan (Comment 25) : Yeah, really need the full front row on the bench…will allow us to give Beast a break now and then.
@McLovin (Comment 15) : Agreed but you’re on a hiding to nothing if you don’t synergize your metrics to ensure paradigms are shifted.
@Letgo (Comment 28) : We all have our favourites 🙂
@gregkaos (Comment 19) : That is true, but Bismark needs to be rested from time to time, and apart from him Sharks have no consistent threat at the breakdown. Jake may not be a fan of fetchers although I suspect he was more talk than belief during the period he made anti-fetcher comments, but if you look at the top teams in super rugby in 2013, they all had a fetcher.
The rest is kinda obvious.
I would start with Reinach, not McLeod.
I would use Jordaan as a wing (rotating with Mvovo and JPP) and Timmy as 13.
Bresler and PSDT to form our lock partnership. We also have plenty of cover to rotate these guys often.
I would shift Steyn between 12 and 15, depending on how SP, Timmy, Heimar and Jordaan performs. I think he is equally good in both positions so wherever he is most needed.
Oh and Bisse will be my captain with Steyn/Lambie Vice Captain
@JJR (Comment 33) :
Deysel is 28 and turns 29 next year, Marcell I think is still 22. If anything I would choose between Alberts and Deysel. All the rest of our loosies are also heading for 30, no use in leaving a future talant on the bench, when he has already proven to be more than good enough to hold his own.
I sometimes prefer Deysel over Marcell, he had a rough SR2013, but you’d have to say the fact that he’s the only young loosie left in the squad must give him the inside track to one of the starting spots.
@robdylan (Comment 30) : Yes indeed! Poor Keegan got to hold it for about 15 seconds. At one point Jannie looked like he was going to try take it off Bissie’s hands and then promptly decided against it. 😀
1. Beast
2. Bismarck
3. Jannie
4. Anton
5. PSDT
6. Marcel
7. Willem
8. Kanko
9. Charl
10. Lambie
11. Lwazi
12. Frans
13. Paul Jordaan
14. JPP
15. SP Marais
16. Kyle
17. Dale
18. Wiehahn
19. Peet
20. Botes
21. Cobus
22. Fred
23. Tim
I’ve picked my bench for balance and the utility value of the players, especially in the backs.
Really hard to leave some guys out as we are really blessed with a great squad. With that in mind, here’s my rotational 23:
1. Dale
2. Kyle
3. Lourens
4. Hewitt
5. Lewies
6. Botes
7. Jean
8. Keegan
9. Cobus
10. Fred
11. S’bura
12. Heimar/Tim
13. Tim/Heimar
14. Sizo
15. Odwa
16. Monde
17. Dell
18. Mienie
19. Marco
20. Mtembu
21. Ungerer
22. Du Preez
23. van Tonder
I’ve gone with giving some bench guys a start and introducing more youngsters off the bench, as with the first 23. I think our coaches will be smart and introduce the new guys in slowly, get them up to pace and then start them, well that’s what I’m hoping to see.
@Letgo (Comment 35) : Can you please explain to me why Reinach? Why shift Steyn when clearly he is a no12 and we have more than enough cover at no15?
@StevieS (Comment 38) : So in effect that rotational side could be the Vodacom Cup side…
Deysel to slow for 6, but might make a good nr8…..just think coetzee as fetcher, alberts as ballcarrier and deysel to back both those players up. With kanko on in 2nd half!!! Paul jordaan needs to bulk up abit or he’s gonna be left behind just like r ebersohn was or put him on the wing….he’s fast!!!
@SheldonK (Comment 40) : Wow, you’re right! 😯 They would decimate opposition in the Vodacom Cup!
@KingsArmy (Comment 41) : Strongest backline player in South Africa…i don’t think he needs to change anything. He is 1.80 and 90-94 kg…tell me what’s wrong with that when he is as fast and as strong as he is?
Tim Whitehead is 1.9 and 90kg…now that is a bad BMI; Paul Jordaan’s BMI is hundreds.
1. Beast
2. Bissie (c)
3. Adriaanse
4. Bresler
5. PsdT
6. Botes
7. Coetzee
8. Alberts
9. Reinach
10. Lambie
11. Mvovo
12. Steyn
13. Heimar
14. JPP
15. Marais
16. Cooper
17. Chadwick
18. Jannie
19. Deysel
20. Kanko
21. McLeod
22. Zeilinga
23. Jordaan
Jeez, so many good players not included in this 23 man squad????
My team:
1. Beast Mtawarira
2 Bismarck du Plessis
3 Jannie du Plessis
4 Anton Bresler
5 Pieter-Steph du Toit
6 Marcell Coetzee
7 Willem Alberts
8 Keegan Daniel
9 Charl McLeod
10 Patrick Lambie
11 Lwazi Mvovo
12 Frans Steyn
13 Paul Jordaan
14 JP Pietersen
15 SP Marais
16 Kyle Cooper
17 Dale Chadwick
18 Lourens Adriaanse
19 Jean Deysel
20 Ryan Kankowski
21 Cobus Reinach
22 Fred Zeilinga
23 Heimar Williams
Anyone here ever seen Oosthuizen play?
He will be the only out and out number 4 in our squad (except for hewitt, he’s a bit short). Also our heaviest lock…he’s made for the number 4 jersey.
Paul jordaan was awesome in u/21 as a wing, but hasn’t impress me that much at 13 yet. Fall off a couple of tackles in s15. Just don’t want to see another great player not reach his potential…..but his still young
@robdylan (Comment 30) : Rob. Check this pic of the Sharks after they won the CC.
http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/the-sharks-celebrate-victory-after-the-absa-currie-cup-news-photo/185954557
Even if they make someone else the official captain… that player will still have to answer to Bismarck.
We have the player depth and variety to choose a team based on who we play.
Two weaknesses though,9 & 13. If Aurther Murrey plays like he did in CC final great,if his usual self ,big problems,Ungerer untested at SR level,& when oh when are Sharks going to get a proper 13 and fix a huge weakness that goes back to Steph Terbl days
@benji (Comment 50) :
This is your brain on drugs. 😯
Aurther Murrey???
Does anyone have the cc final on dvd?
@Uli (Comment 39) :
Because although McLeod might be a better option on their best days, Reinach has a more consistent game that is improving by the day.
McLeod has been too erratic in his performances and especially the quality of his service to the backs and the rate at which he makes silly errors has been an issue for me of late. Yes he had a couple of good stints in CC, and was outstanding in the final, but I’ve found that on a regular basis he has been to erratic for the Sharks. Plus he’s turning 30 next year and I’d like Cobus to turn into our first choice. The kid has mad talent, which with same time, could develop into something special for the Sharks. IMO.
I agree Steyn is a 12, but we are lacking depth at fullback and have some depth coming through at center. For the sake of giving a few centers playing time and SP a break, I would rotate FSteyn to 15 for a few matches. Also I think he’s kicking game has gone backwards very badly, since not playing at 15 or 10 at all for a while and it will do him good to have to take the kicking responsibility of a 15 for a few games. If it can help get the accuracy and especially power, back into his kicking game, it will be more than worth (btw, I’m talking about 3 or 4 games during the season, as a rotation option).
@50shadesofblackandwhite (Comment 52) :
Not yet, but planning to.
@Uli (Comment 39) :
Although, based on CC final I would probably start with McLeod in the hope that he would pick up where he left of, but with Cobus waiting on the bench I see no reason continuing with him if he has a bad day.
Neither McLeod nor Cobus is Jake White type scrummies though. He likes a scrummy that has an astute boot (with some power behind it), a strong and accurate pass and will be able to run things from behind the forwards. Both Cobus and Charl lack in these areas.
Another 105kg-110kg (fit)player in the backline wont hurt either-well,maybe the opposition.
Dont know if we can expect whitehead to suddenly gain a quick 10kg of lean weight in the off-season.perhaps go to the islands?
@50shadesofblackandwhite (Comment 56) : since i dont think either cuthbert or north would be available.perhaps jw can find a good big skillful youngster via his australian contacts.
@Letgo (Comment 55) : Look I am not going to delve deep into this. But seriously, I have never seen his pass being better than McLeod, in fact it has always been the opposite. The other thing and maybe the biggest thing is McLeod’s play compliments Lambie. You can go through all your tapes and show me one game Lambie played like he has 2010cc final/2013cc final, Go through all the games Lambie was top form at fly half. They all return with one similarity, McLeod. The fact that he is 30 means nothing in my eyes, to me he can easily play till 34. that gives us at least another good 4 years out of him. My personal obsession with Reinach is not that he cant play, it his pass to the FH from scrums, quickness at rucks, and time taken to get to rucks. these are basics in scram half play. There is allot of other good things he does yes, but he needs to do the basics well first as those are most important in scrumhalf play. This is were to me Fourie and McLeod is very similar, even though their general play is very very diffrent, their quick hands at rucks, their time taken to new rucks and their passes long and short are top class.
On the JW matter I don’t necessarily think that JW only wants that type of scrumie, my feeling is he will pick who he deems best on his game plan. The fact the we had Fourie when he was the bok coach I dont think had much to do with his own game plan, it was more of the fact that Fourie you could not leave out your team. It would have been madness.
@Letgo (Comment 53) : My feeling is if you start rotating Steyn why don’t you just rotate Steyn and Lambie at no15 while you at it? my point is just why rotate positions as I am sure you don’t want Lambie to play no15, why are you willing to do the same to another player? Let the players settle in their best position and rather rotate with a up and coming player and let him get exposure 😉 Long and short term its a win win situation 😉
1 Beast Mtawarira
2 Bismarck du Plessis
3 Jannie du Plessis
4 Anton Bresler
5 Pieter-Steph du Toit
6 Marcell Coetzee
7 Willem Alberts
8 Keegan Daniel
9 Cobus Reinach
10 Patrick Lambie
11 Lwazi Mvovo
12 Frans Steyn
13 Paul Jordaan
14 JP Pietersen
15 SP Marais
16 Kyle Cooper
17 Dale Chadwick
18 Lourens Adriaanse
19 Peet Marais
20 Ryan Kankowski
21 Charl McLeod
22 Fred Zeilinga
23 Heimar Williams
Gutted Herbst is now going to be our third choice, so much potential! 😐
When they picked the bok squad so many of u were upset that Mcleod didn’t make it and now he’s not even good enough for the sharks team…..that’s so funny!!!
@KingsArmy (Comment 61) : I didn’t complain! He’s a great player but HM would never give him a cap anyway since it will be only du Preez/Pienaar, so why bother taking him at all? Better to take a youngster to get used to the Bok environment and game plan. I was just disappointed the chosen youngster was Schreuder and not Reinach/van Zyl!
I chose Reinach in my starting Sharks lineup instead of Charl because while Charl is probably the more complete player right now, I believe Cobus offers more going forward and needs the experience. I want them to rotate next season anyway, they both make good impacts off the bench! 🙂
I want to see us rotate partnerships and combinations next year, rather than individual player rotation.
For Example:
1. Beast Mtawarira v 1. A N Other
2. Bismarck du Plessis v 2. Kyle Cooper
3. Jannie du Plessis v 3. Lourens Adriaanse
Although, considering how much rugby Jannie has played, you’d probably find Lourens in that “first choice” front row more often than not, with Wiehahn Herbst in the “second choice” bracket.
4. Etienne Oosthuizen v 4. Peet Marais
5. Pieter-Steph du Toit v 5. Marco Wentzel
This is where we have a bit of difficulty because, for the first time in ages, we actually have depth at lock. Some of that depth is raw – Lewies, Marais – with lots of potential and some of it is limited in ability, but makes up for that fact with willingness and effort – Hewitt, Bresler (I know some will disagree here, maybe it’s just my bias against the mullet). I don’t know enough about Oosthuizen to really comment, but of all our locks, the only Springbok class player is PSdT. I hope Jake can mould Peet & Etienne into players of that calibre.
6. Marcell Coetzee v 6. Jacques Botes
7. Willem Alberts v 7. Jean Deysel
8. Ryan Kankowski v 8. Keegan Daniel
Again, lots of choice here – but the back row will more than likely be dictated by injury. It always happens; Deysel and Alberts will be out injured at the same time, leaving us with a lightweight loose trio with minimal go-forward. I think Keegan has become quite a good leader, and I think he’s a fantastic player, but I don’t know if he’d be my first choice as captain…
9. Cobus Reinach v 9. Charl McLeod
10. Pat Lambie v 10. Fred Zeilinga
I like how Brendan Venter managed to keep both scrumhalves on their toes during the Currie Cup – spurring them on to try to outdo the other for match impact. So maybe a more individual approach should be taken for 9-10. I like McLeod, but age should dictate that Reinach starts the majority of matches, with the focus being on establishing him as our first choice 9 for many years to come.
12. Francois Steyn v 12. Tim Whitehead
13. Paul Jordaan v 13. A N Other
This is harsh on Heimar Williams, but I just don’t see Tim Whitehead as a 13 and I think Heimar is below him in the pecking order at 12. That said, Brittle Bones McGee (Whitehead) will probably be out injured most of the time, leaving us with the need to recruit another 13 anyway. Unless Graaff proves an inspired signing…
11. Lwazi Mvovo v 11. S’bura Sithole
14. JP Pietersen v 14. Odwa Ndungane
15. SP Marais v 15. Tim Swiel
I have a sneaky suspicion that Jake White will take decisive action for the sake of Pat Lambie’s Springbok career and will select him at 15, hence the Swiel signing. Personally, I don’t like that – I think Pat is a fantastic 10 – but I can see the logic in it. It’s something I wish someone had done for the sake of Brent Russell’s career (I think he would have been a fantastic 9, if played there early on). That leaves us with the possibility of rotating two very green 10’s at Super Rugby level, but it would be a long term decision; something previous managerial setups have been seemingly unwilling to countenance.
So, I think an experienced loosehead prop and an outside centre should be added to the mix. I have no idea whom the captain should be. Bismarck is too aggressive (perhaps immature?); I used to think the captaincy would temper his “loose-cannon” nature, but I’m not so sure anymore. I don’t like selecting a back as a captain; it should be a hooker, a lock or a loose forward. It would be Jean Deysel, if he wasn’t always injured or unable to pip Alberts for a starting berth.
I think what I mean to say by this essay is: “Good luck Jake White!”
Sorry, that’s quite a bit longer than I meant for that comment to be! I clearly don’t want to study. #Procrastination
@JJR (Comment 16) : Just you would need a good Vice Captain when Bizzie looses the plot.
Steyn and Jordaan at centre wil be a great combo!!! Steyn is a good passer of the ball and jordaan can break tackles one on one. If steyn can draw two players and release jordaan we wil score a lot of tries. Jordaan reminds me of stephan tereblanch. Everyone said he was small and not a good playmaker…BUT! And its a BIG BUT. He could finish a move and get over the whitewash. Jordaan is something special and can be the next great finisher for the sharks. And with steyn next to him he could be the top try scorer in SR 2014!!!
1.Beast 2. Bismarck 3.Jannie 4.Anton 5. PSTD 6. Marcell 7. Alberts 8. Mtembu 9. Cobus 10. Swiel 11.Mvovo 12. Steyn 13.Jordaan 14.Sp Marais 15 Lambie. 16.Cooper 17. Adriaanse 18.Lewies 19.Deysel 20.Mcloed 21.JPP 22. Williams
@Letgo (Comment 54) : please keep me informed,will you?
In other news: Hugh Reece-Edwards and Jaco Gouws will be coaching Rustenburg Impala next year
@Baylion (Comment 69) : no ways! He found a job!
My Sharks 23:
15. SP Marais 14. JP 13. A.Esterhuizen 12. Frans Steyn 11. Jordaan 10. Lambie 9. Reinach 1. Beast 2. Bismark 3. Jannie 4. P.Marais 5. PSDT 6. Daniel 7. Alberts 8. Coetzee
16. Cooper 17. Adriaanse 18. Chadwick 19. Bresler 20. Deysel 21. McLeod 22. Swiel 23. H.Williams
@JJR (Comment 43) : henry honiball was about the same stats as whitehead then -1.90m 90kg -though even see him listed as low 85kg.didnt deter from his tackling.i guess it doesnt come down to size everytime.that said,i dont feel the sharks have a honiball or pieter muller tackler in the team.would help a lot,though!big hits intimidate the opposition-even the abs.
Did like the enthusiasm shown by the sharks team in the cc final-we “out-enthused” them to use an nfl term (but ive just heard it used once,so dont know if it was just the commentator ).the team seemed keen on tackling,and making those tackles count.
No one mentioned Hanco Venter at 9, he was first choice 9 in 2012 for under 21 and again for Vodacom Cup and under 21 in 2013. Ungerer was only selected when Venter were ill before world cup. His pass is stronger,cleans faster and kicks better. What about Venter and Reinach for 9?