It’s always an exciting time when we get to run the rule over the first Sharks under 19 side of a new season. Let’s have a look at the team that Paul Anthony has selected for Saturday’s clash against Western Province and see if we can figure out where they all come from!
with the Sharks not contracting as widely at under 19 level as other teams (for instance, WP’s intake for this year was 35 players!) the under 19 squad from Durban is always going to comprise a combination of hand-picked contracted stars and less well-known players from the Academy and local club scene.
Glenwood’s Morne Joubert (who has one Sharks under 19 cap from last year) is at fullback, with big Jeppe winger S’busiso Nkosi and Kearsney’s Chris Lines at wing. Lines also played a good few times for the side last year, despite still being at school. The centres are Hiltonian Tristan Blewett and Paarl Gim captain Wayno Visagie, with another Natal schoolboy player, Tristan Tedder from Kearsney, pulling the strings at flyhalf. Completing the “foreign” contingent in the backline is scrumhalf Jaywinn Juries from Hentie Cilliers in the Free State.
Captaining the team from openside flank is another Bolander, Michel Meyer from Paul Roos, who lead his team last year and represented Western Province at the Academy Week in 2015. Following in the footsteps of Hoërskool Port Natal’s most famous son Marcell Coetzee is another Portie loose forward, Ruan Smook, who starts at number 8. Bernardus Haring is at blindside – a former student of Ligbron who played for the Pumas at Academy Week last year.
The locks are both contracted – and both hail from various parts of the Cape. Christie van der Merwe from PiketBerg played Varsity Shield rugby for UKZN this year and will wear the number 5 jersey, alongside Noordkaap’s Rikus Zwart. Northwood’s Kabelo Motloung is at tighthead prop, with another local boy, Brad Roberts from Michaelhouse at hooker. Completing the team is a young man from Pionier in Vryheid – a far-flung corner of the last outpost indeed – loosehead prop Wentzel Vorster. Twin brother Johnathan is on the bench.
Sharks under 19:
15 Morne Joubert, 14 S’busiso Nkosi, 13 Tristan Blewett, 12 Wayno Visagie, 11 Chris Lines, 10 Tristan Tedder, 9 Jaywinn Juries, 8 Ruan Smook, 7 Bernardus Haring, 6 Mike Meyer (capt), 5 Christie van der Merwe, 4 Rikus Zwart, 3 Kabelo Motloung, 2 Bradley Roberts, 1 Wentzel Vorster.
Subs: 16 Ulric Sellar, 17 Marq-Anthony Lombard, 18 Johnathan Vorster, 19 Rowan Coetzer, 20 Armand Grobler, 21 Gervin Rossouw, 22 Stephan Nel, 23 Brent Christoffels
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So to summarise…we not too sure what to expect. WP away to start doesnt get tougher…
@SheldonK (Comment 1) : Bulls at Loftus afterwards.
@robdylan (Comment 2) : How delightful. No pressure Paul Anthony…
Hopefully enough Tristans pop up that people start spelling the name right without having to read it 😆
@Seaton (Comment 4) : Tristan was a couple years under me at Hilton, but I remember him being a damn good player.
@Seth101 (Comment 5) : which one? Blewett?
@robdylan (Comment 6) : O didn’t notice there was more than one. Yea, big kid, he played 1st team in Grade 10 if I’m remembering correctly.
WP won the game 10-6. Not a bad result for our boys.
@robdylan (Comment 8) : Look, it may be a loss…but it seems to be a really good start for our juniors!! Well done…