Sharks fans, prepare yourselves for the Super Rugby swansong of a true legend in black and white. It’s just been announced that this year’s campaign will mark the end of Bok JP Pietersen’s time in Durban.
29-year-old Pietersen has been a Sharks player for 10 years, ever since Dick Muir plucked him from the obscurity of the second row of a local club and turned him – seemingly overnight – into a breathtaking attacking fullback. The nephew of former Natal winger Christie Noble, Pietersen flourished among the backs, his lanky frame belying a surprising turn of pace. As his experience and physical strength grew, Pietersen turned into Mr Dependable in the back three for both the Sharks and Springboks, with his try-saving tackle against Fiji at the 2007 World Cup perhaps one of the defining moments of that tournament.
Pietersen will join the Leicester Tigers on a three-year deal on conclusion of Super Rugby this year. Since heading to Japan to join the Panasonic Wild Knights for the past several Currie Cup seasons, it’s safe to say that he’s battled to rekindle the devastating Super rugby form of his youth. The top try-scorer in the 2007 Super 14 competition rarefy finds himself on the score sheet these days and while he’ll be missed as a true legend and stalwart of Sharks rugby, few fans would disagree that the time is perhaps right to look at younger, hungrier options in the three-quarter line.
All the same, losing Paula is a very, very sad thing and I’m sure all Sharks fans will join me in wishing him one last, truly great season in black and white.
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One of my favorite Sharks players ever :'(. Good luck.
Definitely one of the best wings we’ve ever had. At least we get one last season with JPP.
One of the best examples of why there is merit to rewarding club players. Good luck to the guy. Hopefully he brings his A game to one last campaign. Just an aside…i wonder if there wont be more of this…guys over 25 that have seen the cray super rugby schedule and decided that thee are easier ways to make a career
Turned into a great player
Hope that JPP can cement his status as Sharks’ legend in what will probably be his last Super Rugby tournament. Thanks for all the memories big guy.
JPP circa-2007 would have been one of the first, if not *the* first name on any Sharks/Boks team sheet I drew up. I always felt that he was done a disservice being played on the right wing, and would have much more impressive attacking stats had he played on the left (and under a more adventurous coach than Jake White). The numbers just does not tell the true story of his worth
@Culling Song (Comment 6) : Do you think Habana would then have been less emphatic had he been on the right and JPP on the left?
@SheldonK (Comment 7) : I do, yes. It’s a well documented fact that because right-handed players are more comfortable passing to the left, wings on the left tend to get more ball. In South Africa, with our poor mastery of basic skills, I expect this to hold even more true.
I’ll acknowledge that my clear and massive preference for JPP over Habs could be colouring my opinions somewhat though…
It’s a sad day for me. We met him in the Shark Cage that year as a fresh face 19 year old youngster and really liked the guy. Yes a true Sharks legend but ja time goes by and it was inevitable that at some stage the Euro would lure him away!!!!!!!! Good luck JPP and hope we get a couple of new memories before you leave!!!!!!
I’m REALLY going to miss JPP BIGTIME. HE HAS BEEN ONE OF MY FAVOURITE SHARKS PLAYERS SINCE HE SET FOOT ON KINGS’ PARK IN A SHARKS JERSEY!!!
@JD (Comment 9) : We pay our players in Pounds Sterling over this side. Worth a fair bit more than the Euro 🙂
@SheldonK (Comment 7) : @Culling Song (Comment 8) : not sure if it applies to Professional rugby but at school boy level you pick your fastest/best wing on the left as he gets more ball than the right wing. For me JPP over BH any day of the year!!!!!!!!
@Culling Song (Comment 8) : No i fully get your point though, bias aside 🙂 Just makes for an interesting thought. Had Habana been deployed on the right would he still be SA’s top try scorer etc? Its the small things that make the big difference.
@SheldonK (Comment 13) : I don’t think Habana would have been, had he played on the right. But of course, my argument falls a little flat if you start bring Doug Howlett into the picture…. Regardless, I will go to the grave believing that JPP was a much, much superior wing to Bryan Habana.
@robdylan (Comment 11) : ja ok forgot a bit, first day back at work and has been a looooooooonnnnng one!!!!!!!!!!!! 😯 😥 Same rule still apply though as both are worth way more than Rands!!!
Good move from JP. Hope he has a big season. He will be missed.
@Culling Song (Comment 14) : all that shows you is how great Dougy really was and also remember he played for NZ that’s way more skilled than us!!!!!! 😈 🙄
@Culling Song (Comment 14) : Doug Howlett in a totally different environment though so cant realistically compare. I also then wonder about the converse- JPP shut down a lot of the opposition left wings attack etc which was very key to the Boks defensive success…would Habana have as effective there defensively? If i take other Sharks examples…at the time there were a good few but had Craig Burden stuck with centre (he was pretty damn good), where would he be now in the Sharks/Boks reckoning? John Smit was a prop when he arrived in pmb after school…if he was never moved to hooker would he still have forced his way into Bok captain? Just interesting thoughts on how small tweaks affect careers
I’m watching the Japanese rugby. JP is playing 13. I really hope he moves back to wing for his last season with the Sharks.
@SheldonK (Comment 18) : ja that’s the great if or maybe debate you never can be sure because it just did not happen!!!!
@JD (Comment 20) : No for sure. But just shows how even the slightest decision like left or right can have the biggest career influence on both the individual and team
Dis nie lekker om JP te sien gaan maar sy tyd is reg en ons se dankie vir sy tyd by die Sharks en lojaliteit teenoor die span. Goed gaan JP en laat dit goed gaan en maak nog ‘n paar £ terwyl jy kan. Hoop die nuwe jong man bereik wat jy het vir die Sharks. Mooi loop.
@SheldonK (Comment 18) : if its done early – Marius Louw a more recent example – arrived a flank, now doing great at centre. Sometimes it works, sometimes it d
oesn’t.
One of my favorite Sharks player. Here’s to hoping he’ll have a final season that will make his departure extra hard to take.
One of my all time favourite Shark players, but being a Northampton Saints fan here on mud island why oh why did he have to sign for Leicester bl**dy Tigers Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr #coys
@SharkyTaylor (Comment 25) : it’s funny, I just can’t bring myself to become enthused about and follow any Euro team. I even went to a Tigers home match once and “tried” to get excited about them but felt nothing. It’s almost like I had to grow up supporting a team to be passionate about them. Oh well. Sharks till I die.
One of his best games where we almost made the impossible possible by beating the Reds in Australia and then came back to thrash the stormers, that for me was JPP all the way
@SharkyTaylor (Comment 25) : hahaha ja maybe time for you to change teams!!!
@Gold_Must_Fall (Comment 26) : same here even if they totally piss me off at times!!!!! Sharks4Ever!!!!
I think playing in Europe will help bring his game up again. Going to Japan has not helped him.
JPP, we will miss you. Go well…good luck. Thank you for your contribution and your loyalty. You were always a fan favourite and very much appreciated! Cheers…
I do think this is the right move for JPP…and also for the Sharks…
@JD (Comment 12) : It definitely also applies at the professional level. In general you pick 11’s for your fantasy league teams because they get far more opportunities. There are exceptions, but in general it is true…
@pastorshark (Comment 33) : Geez this makes me feel stupid because I know this and never used it when playing fantasy league. 😯 😆
@JR (Comment 23) : I agree with you. I think a lot of the time a guy will be played in a position at school that his school team requires but its not necessarily the best position for him long term.
@SheldonK (Comment 35) : that’s true but also sometimes coaches sees a player “perform” in a certain position in grade8/9 and he’s then earmarked in that position for the rest of his school days but growing up things can chance but coaches is reluctant or unwilling to pick him in a deferent positions because he’s such a good player in that position.
@JD (Comment 36) : 100% correct
@JD (Comment 34) : Damn, did I give away one of the ingredients of my recipe for success…?
@pastorshark (Comment 33) : Of course, it can backfire…e.g. It took me way too long to put Naholo into my fantasy league team last season…
@pastorshark (Comment 38) : yes boet yes you did!!!!!!!!!!!! 😈 hahaha thank you very much!!!!!!!
@JD (Comment 40) : Bet that would have been an evil laugh if I could actually hear it…
@pastorshark (Comment 41) : Whahahaha Whahahaha you know me to well my friend!!!!! ;-P
@Gold_Must_Fall (Comment 26) : also probably due to the fact that pansy NH rugby is not a patch on SH rugby the real rugby ,SR being. Testament to that
JPP was one of the great wings but since 2010 his heart was not in it for the Sharks so yes time for change and now especially in NZ all wings are like JPP,big physical fast units
JPP has been a true Sharks man. Even thou he has played some rugby in Japan the last few seasons he always returned to the Tank to play for the Sharks. He has more than paid back the Sharks for giving him an opportunity. Thank you for your service during the years. You will be missed “kameel perd”. Good Luck and may you have a blinder of a season.
On a side note. I think apart from JP the only last remaining player from the 2007 campaign is Odwa? Or I’am I missing something? I still feel for the class of 2007… they really deserved to win.
@Farlington (Comment 45) : yes they did and they were an awesome team but on the day the just did not do enough to lift the trophy.