The Sharks have just announced the signing of utility forward Jacques Potgieter from the Waratahs.
1.94m Potgieter, who turned 29 last month, made his first steps into the world of professional rugby as a Sharks junior, joining the Academy back in 2005. After some good performances for the junior teams over the years to come, Potgieter made his way back home to the EP Kings (whom he’d represented at Craven Week level) before joining the Bulls in 2011. A few Springbok caps followed, before Potgieter took the road less traveled, accepting a deal to play Super Rugby for the Waratahs as a foreign marquee signing.
Having represented the Tahs for two seasons, including last year’s maiden Super Rugby title-winning campaign, Potgieter is apparently keen to return to the Republic to be closer to his family. He will join the Sharks in time for the start of the 2016 Super Rugby season and has signed on for two years. He can add great depth to a Sharks loose trio set to be somewhat weakened by inevitable post World Cup departures.
Welcome back, Pottie.
Tweet
So is this the Sharks realising they have a slight lack on loose forward cover or is some high paid loosie going or gone after World Cup? Could be a direct replacement for Alberts or the fact that we dont actually own Bothma unfortunately
Rob is this a joke after all the chat today? haha so there is some good news after all.
Lovely news, really matured and I hope it works out. We need more of these positive stories.
However, when i first saw the headline i thought it was Jacques-Louis Potgieter and i’ll admit, i was not the happiest.
Does that make you buggers happy?
I guess the Sharks were hoping to announce this a bit later but had to throw it out their to offset the mostly negative response to Smitties open letter to the fans.
Well two new players in a day, not bad. A few more and a goon crop of youngsters then maybe we can talk.
Hey rob…maybe you tweet him some more and kak him out …or speak nicely whichever did the trick…
Is there any way Bothma could stay? He is going to be huge…
Also is this why no news from kanko?
I don’t care much anymore. Yet another geriatric.
@coolfusion (Comment 8) : Bothma is staying for at least one more year.
Brilliant. If anyone was going to be the Willie alerts replacement that would be my pick.
hmm… I’ll still rather back our youngsters coming through… Secure them, coach them, make them specialists in their positions.
Jacques is good. Think he is a solid player, but he’s 29….. If he was 25, different story
Maybe a good strategy would be a cut off age for new acquisitions. If older than 27 we opt for homegrown. I must say even though we have had some great names in the past it’s always awesome to look forward to the new season when some incredibly talented youngster trots out for the first time. It shows sign of life and gives other young sharkie in the making like my son hope that one day he will be wearing that jersey.
@coolfusion (Comment 14) : how old is your son?
Maybe he’s got a shot already…
I was dreading it would be Jacques Louis Potgieter…this however is some exciting news.
Good news, I guess. Now let’s get Jesse Kriel, Herbst and Warren Whiteley to come back home too.
Why cant we just back our juniors like dick muir did. See what happens it might work out for us than sign new players if need be. If I was khaya majola this would be the last straw for me
@FireTheLooser (Comment 16) : I was dreading it would be Dewald Potgieter. 🙄
@Poisy (Comment 18) : Khaya is a number 6 whilst Jac plays 7 and 8. Deysel only signed for this year’s SR. Khaya needs to be given the 6 jersey for this CC.
@GreatSharksays (Comment 11) : Still on loan? Who is he going to play Currie Cup for?
@GreatSharksays (Comment 20) : What happened to Francois Kleinhans?
@Ben (Comment 22) : What happened to Brynand Stander,I know he went to the Force but I haven’t seen him playing this year
@Ben (Comment 22) : awful luck with injury. Two successive hand/finger breaks.
He’s benching for the Vodacom team this week
@The hound (Comment 23) : still there, has played a few times this year.
SharksRtb only 12 this year. But he loves the team. Has a pic of himself with every member of 2013 squad. But he will probably become eligible when he turns 35 😉
I doubt we will see Jessie kriel or Whiteley again they are starting players where they are now and very much appreciated by their new unions maybe there is a shot with Herbst. He has picked up a lot of experience and would aka a great replacement for du Plessis.
@coolfusion (Comment 27) : whitley was 1 of the few players that stuck to the lions in the year that shall not be named . dont think he will leave soon . unless the sharks get into more [email protected] …
My point exactly Zibbie. Like I said they are both much appreciated where they are now. And that counts for a whole lot. Wish we looked after them..but water under the bridge I suppose. As long as they are happy where they are now. And it shows they both seem to be enjoying their game especially Warren.
@robdylan (Comment 25) : Thanks I really rated that guy as a schoolboy
Good sign. Welcome Potties, I think he will add tremendous value to the squad.
Although if he is to read some of the posts here I am sure he will wonder if he did the right thing.
This is not the only place he would read and reconsider. There are sharks fans all over on other blogs and sites and fans from other unions also commenting on sharks performance also other journalists ex international players, other coaches etc…so if he hasn’t then he obviously is confident in his decision.
Good signing I reckon, I rated him highly even when he still played for the Bulls. Only difference is he’s even better now 😉
So does this mean he replaces Deysel or Alberts?
I’m very happy with that signing. Welcome Jacques!!
Immediately thought it was JLP when I saw the headline. Must be a sign of my current mindset. The worse the Sharks perform, the more I think about them. We’re a special kind of crazy I guess.
@vanmartin (Comment 35) : Or may we are just “special”.
😛
@vanmartin (Comment 35) : I need my entertainment too, Van
@robdylan (Comment 37) : So you’re “special” too?
@vanmartin (Comment 35) : I cringe to admit that was my first thought as well.. 😆
Just wondering that since he is unlikely to be in the Bok selection frame, and Aus does not have much of a domestic comp, will he be joining the Sharks for the Currie Cup? This is a serious question, not “special”. 😆
@SharksRTB (Comment 13) : We need to be careful of being critical for the sake of it. Dan is 20 years old….and is a good bet going forward. If there is no Deysel and God forbid no Alberts, is your expectation to hand the number 7 responsibility primarily to Dan and Oosterhuizen who is a lock? This is rugby, SR mind you….players get injured and in out case suspended.. Please guys, let’s just be open minded before we criticise every move management makes. Yes they have made blunders probably 70% of the time but the 30% hasn’t been that bad. Jacques and Joe, forget their age, are solid acquisitions. Bothma has been solid. Stevens a disaster, Marco a blessing in disguise, Botha not bad, Horak a disaster, not backing Jake a disaster, letting school boy coaches run 65% of the preseason a disaster, giving Dan some exposure good, loaning Giant a solid move…. truth about our financial affairs is only coming out now.
This is great, love watching him play! Waratahs have really changed his style of play. Quality signing
@Ben (Comment 21) : RWC this year so no CC, we only have him for SR, @Ben (Comment 22) : Very good question, forgot about him. Have not heard his name in a while. Must be injured. They can share that responsibility. He however needs to evolve his game to increase his value proposition else he will find himself not realising his full potential of being a solid CC player. Same with Khaya. They need to understand that they will be competing against the likes of Karr, Kriel, Deon, Minnie, Boom etc….
We should get Du Preez and Dan Kriel back. Look for a couple of X factor young backline players from WP and FS. Look for a quality inside centre.
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 5) : Only from you. And potgieter announced it.
Good move would be to try and secure giant and Bothma. We still need to settle the prop question the backup flyhalf and scrumhalf also need to establish Pietersen and v tonder on 15 need a real wing replacement for JP and sort out center. A lot of work and the clock is ticking till two causes another big disruption. There is no reason not to use this Sr as a platform to get combos right I would be focusing only obviously that and getting young guys in
Paul Jordaan is playing VC again, should hopefully shore up OC.
@robdylan (Comment 37) : @Dancing Bear (Comment 39) : I’m sure Rob has shaved off a year or two of my life with some of his headlines over the years. 😉
Hopefully Paul gets back in the swing real quick and doesn’t struggle with handling. The sooner he can get back in the sooner we can tick off another problem on the list. Now if Esterhuizen could just come right we can use our utility back frans steyn effectively.
@GreatSharksays (Comment 41) : not criticising Jacques at all. Think he is a solid player. Not Willem Alberts calibre, but solid…
I just think Majola, Meyer, Mtembu, Kleynhans, Du Preez are the guys we should spend money on. Condition them, coach them, make them specialists. All 5 these guys have the potential to be brilliant for the Sharks
@SharksRTB (Comment 50) : 6. There are two du Preez’s
@SharksRTB (Comment 50) : @Dragnipur (Comment 4) : yes,he might be 29 but a good few years left in him and his skill set since time at the Tahs is now very high,way above WA,he can only add value
@benji (Comment 52) : and impart those skills on the team considering the clueless coaches
Can we please just sign a 13 or wing or fullback please!
Surely our back row/flank stocks are good enough?
Tired of seeing SP and Odwa dicking around slowing up our entire backline.
@SharksRTB (Comment 50) : My concern is whether they can dominate the opposition within the next two years? I am not convinced. Kleinhans is very well conditioned hey. Conditioning alone won’t make you a good SR player. He needs to evolve his game….mould his game around someone like Cooper from Australia who is a running and very mobile fetcher.
@Dragnipur (Comment 45) : Only from me what?
And the Sharks announced it, dont just read the comments, read the article (or only the first sentaence) as well.
This is a good multipurpose signing, plays lock, flank and can be used in season 2 of the Rugbyginners Vikings advert.
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 57) : Please No!!! Those have to go. 😆 The only thing worse then having my team lose is to watch those adverts after the game. 😳
@Farlington (Comment 58) : hard for all of us to swallow, but bear in mind that any sizeable cash injection is going to come with strings – and Cell C’s was sizeable indeed
@robdylan (Comment 59) : Speaking of cash injections…Growthpoint deal was for 3yrs…that makes this year 2 correct? So 1 more year then….Moses Mabhida? The lack of stadium maintenance would suggest so
@SheldonK (Comment 60) : I genuinely don’t have any insight…. and I don’t think they’re going to be making any sudden moves or big announcements like that given what’s going on at present
@robdylan (Comment 61) : yeh fair comment…altho perhaps a breath of fresh air playing across the road will recharge this Union as lets be honest we are kind of just limping along at the moment
@SheldonK (Comment 62) : I suspect we will get a fair amount of fresh air once the World cup dust settles.
@robdylan (Comment 59) : I suppose you right…but damn those adverts suck. Even before the season started I just shook my head after seeing it.
@SheldonK (Comment 62) : I always thought that a move would be a disaster. Given history and such one would “lose” all of that. But I must admit, after seeing the Moses Mabida Stadium during my last visit to Durban I’m not sure it will be a bad thing. By the way I was in Durban over Easter for a wedding and nearly went to the Crusaders game. Sure did dodge a bullet there.
@robdylan (Comment 63) : Speaking of the WC, if you look at the Super Rugby Log you can clearly see how strong the All Blacks will be this year. Man three of the NZL sides are dominating and the South-African Teams don’t look good in comparison. But then again the Aussies look even worse off. Hopefully the European conditions will level matters out.
This is so funny! About Jaques Potgieter.
‘He became embroiled in controversy earlier this year after being fined A$10,000 for calling ACT Brumbies players “faggots” during a match but apologised and later trained with gay rugby club the Sydney Convicts.’