The Cell C Sharks’ hopes of being able to call on a Super Rugby second-row pairing for Saturday’s Currie Cup opener against Griquas look slim to none, if a report on the SuperSport Website is to be believed.
Gavin Rich, who caught up with backline coach Sean Everitt earlier in the week, maintains that both Stephan Lewies and Etienne Oosthuizen are struggling with injuries sustained during the Super Rugby semi-final embarrassment in Christchurch and that neither is rated as more than 50% likely to feature in Kimberley.
The second row, which should be one of few areas of strength for the Currie Cup Sharks when all are fit, now looks decidedly thin, with veteran Marco Wentzel and greenhorn Wiehan Hay joining Boland import JC Astle as the available options.
The Sharks team will be announced on Thursday morning.
Tweet
The Sharks team for the Kwasse will probably be one of the least experienced CC teams in many years.
Jislaaik juffrou! It’s starting out tough to defend this title!
Yet every year we release players early from their contracts. Clowns.
bliksem, we’re going to get p****d if we go in with a green second row in addition to a first-time-together loose trio and rookie at scrumhalf.
What do we look like at th?
Can’t think of much outside of Adriaanse.
Our backline seems to be the best stocked, which in past years used to be our problem area, now we have problems with our tight five.
@FireTheLooser (Comment 5) : Adriaanse and Stevens
@robdylan (Comment 6) : With Stevens there, I can’t really accuse the Sharks of being “thin” at th
Ouens how is PSDT doing??? I don’t want to push but cant he start to make a comeback already?
Interesting to read HM response to Matfield injury….”“I was very happy with Stephan Lewies in that one game, but with all due respect Scotland aren’t the best in the world.”
This was the same opponents he professes that Pollard has arrived!Double standards much?
@R Hayward (Comment 8) : no, afraid not. Still out for the whole year.
You don’t want to screw around with ACL
@BarendL (Comment 9) : ag man…. jy weet mos
@robdylan (Comment 11) : lol 😎
@robdylan (Comment 4) : This is all playing into our hands perfectly! After all, our most successful game plan in the Currie Cup in the last decade has been “lose to Griquas in the first game = win the Currie Cup”…
Without wanting to be negative it seems like we are seriously regressing under the new director. I feel that we are so far from where Brendan Venter left us as a unit. Trying to force youngsters into positions prematurely can lead to serious injury and impact very negative on the union. Is the bond between John and Jake a bad thing or can John make the hard calls when required? I do not like the current vibe where boys like Tim is just shoveled off like ssssnow. Something has got to give me thinks
Wow just good news this week!?!?!?!
@KILLER SHARK (Comment 14) : I kinda agree with you, The Great White had me very excited at the start of this season, but as the SR progressed, more red lights went on then when Plum was in charge. I somehow feel we losing the Doc from the western Cape, BV, was our biggest lose yet, even if he was the one who approached White initially. Its almost as if the beautiful culture Dr Venter initiated during the CC last year faded the more Jake enforced his own coaching philosophy. Last year there were talks about making the players become more than just “rugby players”, are we still standing by that philosophy or has that goal taken a hike along with Brendon Venter?
@BarendL (Comment 9) : This is why I will only support the Boks after Heyneke vacates his current post. Double standards like that irritate me