The captaincy curse has struck the Sharks again, with Patrick Lambie ruled out for six weeks with a neck vertebrae injury just one week into his tenure as leader of the side.
Lambie took a stinger to the neck during Saturday’s humbling at the hands of the Crusaders – to his credit, he was one of the few on the field who actually made some tackles so it’s a sad irony that it was exactly this activity that saw him go down.
With the flyhalf now ruled out until some time after the Sharks’ tour, two immediate problems raise their heads. One is to find a replacement at flyhalf, although Fred Zeilinga has been called upon to step into those shoes before and has done so reasonably well.
It’s replacing Lambie as captain that is trickier; Bismarck du Plessis and Frans Steyn are suspended – as is Jean Deysel – while Tera Mtembu is injured. That’s the entire leadership group that was identified at the start of the campaign out of action. Marco Wentzel and Ryan Kankowski are the only remaining options, it would seem and it’s interesting that the latter has been named to attend Thursday’s press conference with Gold – perhaps an indication that the rangy number 8 will be asked to step into the breach.
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Sigh.
Get well Lambie…..dont give Heyneke any excuse or reason to call up M Steyn….please!
Aww nuts. Rest up well Pat! Fred looked sharp on Saturday, they should back him!
Get well soon Pat.
Let’s see what Zeilinga and Cronje can bring to the table then.
Bloody hell – things just get worse by the day 🙁
Lucky break Pat!
Would prefer Wentzel – not sure that Kanko need any extra pressure.
@Big Fish (Comment 7) : Captain Planet gets my nod too
Get well soon Pat.
@Big Fish (Comment 7) : I saw Lewies walk around the field on Saturday and he looks match ready,if he is fit Wentzel shouldn’t start.
Where is Alberts time for him to step up and I think he should be the Captain.
Exactly the guy you need to lead on a down under tour.
Kanko just doesn’t do it for me anymore,he looks soft.
It does not matter who is captain, fix the bigger problem. The old boys club in the team. Use the young players and get them ready for next year. This year is over.
@The hound (Comment 10) :
If those are the 2 choices, then it has to be Wentzel. Kanko needs to focus on his own game first. He should be more than just a lineout option.
Get well soon Pat.. You will be missed.
Time to back Fred and Lionel.
@Big Fish (Comment 12) : Or else you take a leaf out of the Aussies book,when Cheika looked at the ragtag collection of undisiplined of old boys available to him,Horwill,etc and with Pocock months away from recovery he went to a 23 year old Folley as his captain and started to build the team around him.
Maybe give it to Marcel,get no arguments from me if he did.
@The hound (Comment 14) : Marcel will work quite well as captain. As you say though, Gold will have to cut the “fat”.
I truly wish they do something brave and extraordinary for the rest of the season. A nothing to loose thinking. By backing the youngsters and focusing on the brand of rugby they punted before the season.
@JarsonX (Comment 5) : Compared to Lambie, both Zeilinga and Cronje are lame duck options, but out of the two i would probably opt for Cronje who seems a little more settled and reliable on the field.
It might sound defeatist but I say Sharks coach should not focus on winning the super anymore. I think its highly unlikely. however doesn’t this present him with a great opportunity to just take this season and blood his younger team members get his own combo’s (not old guys) going and build a new sharks team. keep the experienced guys to play from the bench. starting should be
HK – Cooper/F Marais
Adriaanse / Chadwick
Du Toit /Mtawarira (LH)
Mtyanda/PSDT (when he is ready)
Lewies/
Coetzee/
Oosthuizen/
Mtembu/Bothma (8)
Reinach/Ungerer…Please make Janno Vermaak and offer!!!
Lambie/Zeilinga
Mvovo/??
Esterhuizen/H Williams
Jordaan/??
Sithole/Wilson
SP Marais/Van Tonder/Cronje
@coolfusion (Comment 18) : are you SURe you want to make a journey man like Vermaak an offer ? dont think he will stay beyond 2016 at best
@bokbok (Comment 16) : The coaching staff have been talking an excellent game, but today I am honestly not sure if they and the players actually have any idea how to implement it.
@Zibbie (Comment 19) : Agree on that,everyone going off about us buying has beens,and we have the two best young 9’s in the country, homegrown Natal boys Ungerer and Wright,please keep Claasens away as well
@Big Fish (Comment 12) : Amen. I got chastised for saying that about Kanko before!!
I actually think we will be fine with Zeilinga. Steyn at fly half just suppresses any flair in the backline. Great player… just not a fly half. Get better soon Lambo!
I reckon…
1. Beast
2. Marais
3. du Plessis
4. Botha
5. Wentzel
6. Coetzee
7. Bothma
8. Kankowski (c)
9. Reinach
10. Zeilinga
11. Mvovo
12. Williams
13. Pietersen
14. Ndungane (vc)
15. Marais
16. Cooper
17. du Toit
18. Adriaanse
19. Mtyanda
20. du Preez
21. Ungerer
22. Cronje
23. Wilson
@David12246 (Comment 24) : @David12246 (Comment 23) : Fred Z will have to step up now but I think keeping that shocker CR to combo him is a big mistake rather Ungerer & Wright and build that 9,10 into a serious force as currently its so weak Sharks caneven get out of own half
@benji (Comment 25) : I disagree. I think that Reinach will do brilliantly as long as he isn’t asked to kick so much! His strength is in his running and passing game.
@David12246 (Comment 24) : It’s still a team that looks good on paper…now they just need to get their heads and their plans right. Come on, men!