According to the Afrikaans dailies, Leopard utility forward Rob Kruger looks set to follow coach Robert du Preez to Durban.
27-year-old Kruger has established himself as a mainstay of the Leopards pack since his debut for the side way back in 2007. A bit part player for the Lions at Super Rugby level (Kruger has around 23 caps in the competition amassed over a few seasons), it’s been mostly in the Vodacom Cup and Currie Cup First division that he’s showed his mettle, initially as a loose forward but more recently as a specialist 4-lock.
It’s hard to imagine that Kruger would be of much value to the side as a loose forward, given the glut of back row talent available to the Sharks, but with proven options at the front of the lineout in short supply (only the inconsistent Etienne Oosthuizen comes to mind) the Sharks would do well to use Kruger much as the Leopards have of late. While I’ll admit to not knowing much about the player, I will predict that unless he’d seriously impressed du Preez, it’s unlikely he’d be getting a shot in Durban.
So welcome to Durban, Rob. Let’s hope this works out well and you manage to add a little bit of fire, mongrel and just good old-fashioned work ethic to the Sharks tight five.
Robert Albertus Kruger
Born 28 April 1988 (age 27) Johannesburg
Height 1.94 m (approx)
Weight 106 kg (approx)
Super Rugby caps: 23
Currie Cup caps: 9
Currie Cup First Division caps: 39 (4 tries)
Vodacom Cup caps: 22 (1 try)
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Hopefully not another Astle….
No idea who this guy is, but any option is better than the Etienne Oosthuizen option.
Welcome and good luck, Rob. 😎
Might just be surprised by someone who has something to prove.
@SheldonK (Comment 1) : Astle? OMW…. OMW.
Welcome to the Sharks! Looking forward to seeing what he can do.
Lots of Rob’s around the Sharks these days. Positive omen? 😉
@SheldonK (Comment 1) : Hopefully not another White, Oosterhuizen situation. If he is good enough to be starting lock great, if he is not don’t force him into the loose forwards just to see his name on the team sheet.
@robdylan (Comment 4) : Similar builds and pedigree prior to joining the sharks so yeh hence the comparison. @Seth101 (Comment 6) :Not sure if he is better than anything we have, perhaps only quicker and fitter based on what ive watched.
@Seth101 (Comment 6) : 9 Curry Cup caps at 27 does not full me with excitement that he is the kind of player a team looking to be a top side should be signing. Hopefully I am pleasantly surprised.
And I was getting excited thinking it was THE Werner Kruger. 🙁
@Blue Centurion (Comment 9) : Excited that you guys were getting rid of him? 😆
His wife made this end of last year: https://youtu.be/F-pSeWvNP9g
@Seth101 (Comment 6) : well, interesting if he brings a player over specifically to compete with his own sons for game time….
@robdylan (Comment 12) : Well he is not meant to show his sons favoritism. Honestly I just don’t see what this guy brings to the table. Yes we need a lock or two, but we need out and out locks. This guy is pretty short, is he really the answer to our problems? I would have to see him play first but I am thinking no.
@Seth101 (Comment 13) : From what ive seen he is a quick player with good hands. As a lock tho…hmm i dunno. Possibly but he is probably more squad cover than anything. Unless DuPreez doesnt like what he sees in Kleinhans and Majola
@SheldonK (Comment 14) : Which would be crazy because they are both good players, and both younger than this guy.
@Seth101 (Comment 13) : It’s only in the world of pro sport that you get to call someone of 1.94m “pretty short”… 😆
@Culling Song (Comment 16) : Yea I know
I felt silly doing it, but it’s true.
@Seth101 (Comment 15) : True. So perhaps they are looking to go with a much more mobile pack all round.
Interesting facts accordingly to sarugby.net:
TRIES 5
CONVERSIONS 2
PENALTIES 3
DROP GOALS 3
TOTAL POINTS 45
A lock that can drop and kick for poles!
@Seth101 (Comment 10) : Wouldn’t you be?
@Blue Centurion (Comment 20) : damn right. But that one is your mistake, you get to live with it 🙂
@blesbok007 (Comment 19) : Ahem. Victor Matfield and Schalk burger play flyhalf too. Not impressed. They play flyhalf for boks!
@blesbok007 (Comment 19) : @coolfusion (Comment 22) : but only Frik du Preez and John Eales kicked for poles!!!
@JD (Comment 23) : Ah but you forget Zinzan Brookes drop goals
And Okey Geffin a prop who did allthe goal kicking,for the Boks
@The hound (Comment 25) : 1949 boks 4-0 all blacks (test series win).also 6 victories in a row vs all blacks.good days!
The all blacks have moved so far ahead because of the amount of rugby played when they have hit a golden era.if the boks couldve played them more in the 1937-1952 era the stats re: wins/losses might have had a very different look to them.
he is sort of short for a pro lock but canes did just win SR with a 196 and a 194 lock
not that lineout options are not important but sa coaches obsess too much about it
hopefully he can help out at 4. Right now im concerned about our options at 5. After lewies its marco 🙁 whose old, so old
i’d start lewies at 5 and Giant at 4, with ousthuizen covering on the bench
kanko should play 5
besides we have many tall lineout option flankers
@revolverocelot (Comment 27) : Canes won SR? Please tell John Plumtree, he’ll be thrilled. He was under the impression the highlanders beat them in the final….
@revolverocelot (Comment 27) : He only has to jump 6 cm more that’s not a lot….it’s about this much…..
@robdylan (Comment 29) : lmao you got me bro, i meant landers
yah im not overly concerned about him being 1.94. Im sure he can still be a option in the line out and i hope be brings that agression you need from a number 4, as the only guy that does that for us in SR is Giant
the rest are weak. Lewies mixes it up a bit but his a 5 so i forgive him
ousthuisen is so inconsistent it hurts
I miss Muller and Anton bresler at 4, we didnt know how good we had it
in some what related news
did you guys see flip to a shot at HM’s final selection (hopefully) and i agree with him. Yes Argies are good, but we have young guys that can step up and we can still get the win, guys like paige, psdt, kolisi, mvovo
@revolverocelot (Comment 31) : Much as I agree with you that a 194 lock can be useful, as Francois Uys has shown, having a guy like Lood does make a huge difference in a line out. We aren’t much better of than the Sharks in terms of lock stocks. After Lood, and Carl Wegner, we only have Boela Serfontein, Uys, Reniel Hugo and Koster, who all fall in the 194-196 bracket.
Only shining light for us, is that our backline seems to be firing, and our pack did improve slightly towards the end of CC. The Super Rugby campaign will still be a rebuild for us.
Hopefully we can have some significant signings too. Our problems more amongst the tight five, so I am quite keen to see how the Namibian international does at TH for us. That said, I am more concerned about LH and hooker.
Welcome Rob…and good luck!
Here is how I see it…Robert dP arrived, took a look at the squad with the rest of management and identified our weaknesses…and then said right, anything at the Leopards that could help us block some holes? Well, there’s this bloke who’s played 4 for us, he’s been Player of the Season for us two years in a row…I reckon he deserves a shot at 4 and he’ll give us a bit of depth in a position where we need it. Giant and Oosthuizen will be front runner in the spot and this guy is not a bad option to add to the mix. I don’t think they are thinking of him as a loosie at all. Add to that, that we have Lewies and Marco at 5 and are most likely signing Ruan Botha as our number one number 5. It all looks pretty sensible to me and much better than it was a week ago…
@The hound (Comment 24) : yes he did but he played 8 and did not place kicked!
@KingCheetah (Comment 33) : you can get Chumlee for free!!!!!!!
@JD (Comment 37) : Chumlee?? Do I even want to know? 👿
the height of locks is a big debate in rugby union yep
even more so than the size of your backline player (wp’s backline has proven that you can have what people would term small guys, they like all other players on the field have to be able to prove that their there to perform at a high level, although i feel a back three of all smaller fast guys as wp does sometimes isnt very efficient, one bigger player kobus van wyk helps the balance abit. Certainly bulls backline flops like olrik bayers and jugern visser has killed the idea of bigger is always better in the back three)
theres a balance in relation too thr height of locks also, he cant be so tall but does have muscle to protect his large frame, like the lions young lock who played SR abit this year, but didnt play a minute of senior cc as they were molding him in the u21 team, he looks abit frail for his height and he is the tallest person ever to play SR if im correct
cheetahs atleast have torsten (the viking) van jaarveld dude
@pastorshark (Comment 35) : wait!!
Is this ruan botha speculation for real ?
I thought you okes were joking around, thats awesome
I was hoping since wp would have eben,psdt, jean klyn, van zyl, jurie van vuuren
and botha, that we would get one of the young okes from that list
I totally rate him. He had a poor currie cup final but played well all season
please sharks make a move, marco is a great guy but his too old to be our back up 5 option is SR
and hyron andrews looks great but need to be managed properly
the young johan du toit looks a future option at 4 or blindside also, but also needs to be properly groomed
Sharks need a hooker. Malcom Marx will be 3rd choice at lions. Maybe Smith can convince him to join us. Or what about Deon Four ie.
@revolverocelot (Comment 39) : Jip Torsten is solid enough. Franco is doing a good job, and I am keen to see what he can get out of the guys after the off season. News from the players is that he encourages them to play whats in front of them, which was evident against the Lions in the CC semi, and against the Sharks. Still have to see what the form is like, but a possible squad can be:
LH: BG Uys/Mienie/Stephan Kotze/Caylib Oosthuisen/Steph Roberts
Hkr: Jacques du Toit/Torsten/Huggett/Neil Rautenbach
TH: Maks van Dyk/Aranos Coetzee/Luan de Bruyn/Ewald vd Westhuizen
4: Lood/ Boela Serfontein/Nepgen
5: Carl Wegner/Uys/eniel Hugo
Flanks: Boom Prinsloo/Paul Schoeman/RJ Liebenberg/Mohoje/Uzair Cassiem/Jason Colin-Fraser/Henco Venter/Tienie Burger/Neill Jordaan/Willie Britz/Gerhard Olivier/deWet Kruger
SH: Shaun Venter/Tian Meyer/JP Smith/Tiaan Dorfling
FH: Zeilinga/Neil Marais/Sias Ebersohn/Clinton Swart/Andre Swarts
Wings: Rhule/Sergeal Pietersen/Ntabeni Dukisa/Blommetjies/Benjamin/Ederies Arendse/Alshuan Bock
Centre: Francois Venter/William Small-Smith/Michael vd Spuy/Nico Lee/Tertius Kruger/Jonothan Francke/JW Jonker
FB: Coenie van Wyl/Gouws Prinsloo/AJ Coertzen/Henry Immelmann/Eric Zana
So it’s not all doom and gloom in Bloem
Great loose froward depth, and great prospects in the backline. Only Lood as a recognised bok, but further test players in Aranos Coetzee and Torsten. Think Franco can get a pretty useful team together out of that.
Was trying to work out whether the Botha stuff was informed or not – great news if so. I’d love Marx – but I suspect he’s not third choice
@revolverocelot (Comment 40) : So the little birdies say…true story… 😆 I think it is GREAT news…
@sudhir (Comment 41) : Gee that is a scary thought. Malcolm Marx and Mark Pretorius, are both fine young players. Luckily we also have junior bok hooker Jacques du Toit and Joseph Dweba.
@sudhir (Comment 41) : Marx THIRD choice? Behind who? I reckon he will be second pushing very hard for first…
@KingCheetah (Comment 42) : That looks a useful squad…tight 5 the biggest concern? I would give an arm and a leg for your top two centres!! 😆
@JR (Comment 43) : Informed…but not confirmed… 😀
@pastorshark (Comment 47) : Yes, particularly loosehead, hooker and lock. Think between Aranos Coetzee, Maks van Dyk, Ewald vd Westhuizen and Luan de Bruin we should be ok at TH. Caylib has never worked for me, but BG Uys showed some promise. Maybe Kotze and Mienie can fill the blanks.
haven’t really seen much of Small-Smith since he went to the Bulls, but I recall him being a pretty skilled centre. Venter has been in sparkling form, and Benjamin can still play a welcome utility role. Able to play SH, centre and wing.
@pastorshark (Comment 46) : Robbie Coetzee and Akker van der Merwe. His line out work needed work, but it has improved.
@KingCheetah (Comment 50) : indeed, im impressed how well the lions mananged those three options last year,aker seem to play best off the bench though, MM struggled at first but gained confidance as the year went on
first time I saw mm play was at the 2013 cc final here in cape town
me and a few friends went early so we could watch the u19 and u21 final
its was def bulls (p anthony’s unbeaten team) vs lions in the u19 final
and bulls with pollard in their starting team getting schooled by a wp team with tim swiel at pivot
I had never heard of MM before then, but there was a guy that we spoke too who sat close to us who seem to be watching the lions closely, turns out he was a mate of MM and was on school with him and had come to the game to watch the final and see his friends in the lions team play. He gave us the whole career plan set out by the lions too MM, that he was big and could play 8th man or even lock (his words, i dont know mm’s height) but the lions saw him as the new bissy and that they would groom him to turn his weaknesses like lineout throwing into strength and make him a all round force.
The kid has talent
stormers: two good hookers and a solid back up
lions: options for days
sharks: three flawed options it seems (prove me wrong guys)
cheetahs: a clear number 1 hooker in torsten
kings: unclear at this point but edger is good
bulls: struass, maku and a few others in the mix
@revolverocelot (Comment 51) : Yes I think Torsten has the inside track. He may not be in the Strauss/Bissie class, but he gets stuck in, and does his basics well. I have been impressed with the youngsters in the Cheetahs setup. Hugged is a pocket dynamo, and Jacques du Toit has shown why he was the Junior Boks hooker. Rauetnebach comes with a rep from the WP, but haven’t seen enough to decide. And waiting in the wings is the very promising Dweba.
maybe sharks should look to get either one of 2 cheetahs u20 boks hookers into the pre-season training squad?
Hooker is a worry.if chiliboy ralepele does join the sharks,he will only be eligible to play from the 10th of april.hope kyle cooper can regain form and develop his line-out throwing skills.(seriously thinking the sharks should look to coenie as hooker).georgian rwc hooker simon maisuradze (33 caps) is playing federale 1 rugby in france.
@revolverocelot (Comment 40) : Ruan Botha is definitley in talks with the Sharks….
@KingCheetah (Comment 49) : That sounds spot on…
@KingCheetah (Comment 50) : I thought he was better than Coetzee basically all Currie Cup…and I reckon Marx will be pushing hard for the number 1 spot…
@grant10 (Comment 54) : Well, I for one hope that goes through…
@KingCheetah (Comment 42) : interesting that you see Lood as a 4?
@grant10 (Comment 54) : no shit.
Patrick Lambie, Johan Ackerman, John Smit and Heyneke Meyer are all on a SAA flight from Johannesburg to Durban when the plane started to go down. The pilot came out and said “I have bad news, there are only four para shoots” The pilot then grabbed one and jumped out of the plane. Heyneke Meyer said “I am the smartest coach that ever lived and the boks need me” so he grabbed a shoot and jumped out. John Smit said “I am the CEO of a big rugby union, I must survive” So Smit grabs a shoot and jumps out. Johan Ackerman looks to Pat Lambie and says “You take the shoot, you have a bright future ahead and you are a very talented player” Lambie looks at Ackerman and says “No need to worry Akkers, we both can live, the smartest coach ever took my tolk bag”
@Mutley (Comment 60) :
@robdylan (Comment 59) : Definitley a deal being discussed….
@pastorshark (Comment 57) : It will be a real loss to wp…..perhaps a deal was struck during the psdt negotiations…
Traveling in a train were Heyneke Meyer, Patrick Lambie, a spectacular looking blonde and an older lady. After several minutes of the trip, the train happens to pass through a dark tunnel, and the unmistakable sound of a slap is heard. When they leave the tunnel, Heyeneke Meyer had a big red slap mark on his cheek.
(1) The blonde thought – “That horrible Meyer wanted to touch me and by mistake, he must have put his hand on the lady, who in turn must have slapped his face.”
(2) The older lady thought – “This dirty Meyer laid his hands on the blonde and she smacked him.”
(3) Heyneke Meyer thought – “That bloody Patrick Lambie put his hand on that blonde and by mistake she slapped me.”
(4) Patrick Lambie thought – “I hope there’s another tunnel soon so I can smack that stupid Meyer again.”
@Mutley (Comment 64) :
😆 😮 Gold!
In 1985 3 kids were playing in the street in Pretoria when they were hit by a train. They all go to heaven and God says to them, “You weren’t supposed to die, you were all supposed to live out your lives. This was not your time. To make it up to you, I’ll let you choose what you want to do with your life. Take a running jump off of that cloud over there, and as you’re flying back down to Earth, shout out what you want to do. And so it shall be.”
The 1st kid takes a running leap and shouts “Lawyer” and so, 30 years later, he is a very successful lawyer, making lots of money, with an upcoming appointment to the Bench.
The 2nd kid takes his turn and shouts “brain surgeon” and so, 30 years later, he is the most admired man in his field of medicine and making a ton of money saving lives.
The 3rd kid goes to take his turn, and as he runs he trips over his own feet and stumbles of the cloud muttering “stupid clumsy arsehole.” 30 years later, he’s coaching the Springboks.
@grant10 (Comment 63) : I don’t think so. I think WP just got greedy and went out to sign another lock when they already have 5 on their books. Wouldn’t be surprised if a few others are looking around too.
The Springboks rugby practice was delayed nearly two hours today after a player reported finding an unknown white powdery substance on the practice field.
Head coach Heyneke Meyer immediately suspended practice while police and federal investigators were called to investigate. After a complete analysis, investigating forensic experts determined that the white substance unknown to players was the try line. Practice was resumed after special agents decided the team was unlikely to encounter the substance again.
@robdylan (Comment 67) : Perhaps….but we all know depth is crucial to win a superrugby title….personally I would also take PSDT before Botha…..but point is Smal is not standing in his way, and that is a good thing for SA Rugby…..
@robdylan (Comment 58) : Well he is able to play both roles. And of the available locks, he is the most likely to play the enforcer role. Uys, and Carl Wegner more likely to play 5.
@Mutley (Comment 66) : I guess he had a choice, coach the Boks or run a country (insert any country that grabs your attention)
Kom Rob Du Preez kry nog ons het baie backup nodig – dink aan die agterlyn van die Leopards – dink nr 9,12 en ek dink ook 15. Kyk ook aan Pumas Trompie Pretorius en Watermeyer.