Rob du Preez senior has confirmed a piece of news that has by now been so widely hinted-at that there is nothing left in the bag but a vague lingering smell of cat pee. Rob Junior – flyhalf architect of Western Province’s Currie Cup Final triumph – will return to Durban and play for the Sharks next season.
As bittersweet news goes, this one is pretty much tugging all the “feeling strings” and as a disappointed Sharks fan, perhaps just a little bit of schadenfreude comes into play as the only thing we really have to gloat about is that at least we’ve nicked their flyhalf, after they nicked our bloody trophy! Scant consolation after all, but with an eye to the future, this is a move that makes a lot of sense in the medium term and one that we should be pretty happy about.
When Pat Lambie left, the Sharks were plunged into a flyhalf crises that didn’t seem as bad as it is due to some highly encouraging performances from 20-year-old Curwin Bosch in the Currie Cup. That Bosch is a rare talent and a match-winner is not up for debate, but the latter stages of the tournament, when games started to get ugly, also showed us that he’s a bit like an Italian sports car that is all but useless when what’s called for on the day is a Toyota Hi-lux. Curwin is young and fresh and boasts a silky set of skills but as we saw on Saturday, has a tendency to disappear in the rough stuff.
Rob du Preez Junior is certainly a very different player in that regard and is just the man you’d want in the the flyhalf channel against an aggressive opposition backline refusing to allow even an inch of space.
To perform well in Super Rugby, a coach needs a toolbox with one of everything – the hammer as well as the chisel – and du Preez senior will feel that his older son is just what he needs to provide steel and competition in a squad chock-full of young flyhalves. Ben Janse van Rensburg is perhaps the closest thing in that group to a physical flyhalf but his brief appearances in Super Rugby this year have shown that he, like Bosch, has a way to go. Robbie is ready now and is probably the in-form local flyhalf – as such, this is a coup for the Sharks.
The challenge, of course, now that the entire du Preez family is to be re-united in black and white is to ensure that the Sharks brotherhood truly does encompass everyone – and not just those who share DNA with the coach. Du Preez Senior’s challenge will be managing the inevitable tussle between Junior and Bosch for the flyhalf jersey; a task set to be made all the more difficult by a family connection that cannot be ignored.
Tweet
Sad to see him go. Wish him every success.
So when is Bosch leaving for Europe? 😈 😉
RDP Jnr is the type of flyhalf the Sharks and Boks need.
So if we look at a possible lineup for next year, injuries aside:
1. Beast 2. Marais 3. Oosthuizen 4. Botha 5. Lewies 6. Van Der Walt 7. DuPreez 8. DuPreez 9. Schreuder 10. DuPreez 11. Mvovo 12. Esterhuizen 13. Am 14. Mapimpi 15. Bosch
Bench: DuToit, Chilliboy, Meyer, Paul, Vermuelen, Claasens, April, Van Wyk
@SheldonK (Comment 3) : Mvovo and Cam?
@SheldonK (Comment 3) : What about Nkosi??
@Bokhoring (Comment 4) : I have Mvovo at left wing. Cam Wright seems to be 3rd choice behind Claasens so will need to battle it with him to make the match day side. April also seems to be ahead of Ryno Smith so thats why i went there….if Van Rensburg matures id pick him over both of them. And the probably Ward over Van Wyk now that i think of it.
@jakkalas (Comment 5) : No room unfortunately. Unless he goes ahead of Mapimpi- but is he in red hot form currently. It will be a tough choice on the wing as all of Mvovo/Van Wyk/ Nkosi/Mapimpi will want to play
@SheldonK (Comment 6) : Claasens was poor when he came on for the Sharks. He is showing his age. I would rather use him as the back up in case of injuries
Was so expecting Mvovo at 15 that I missed him on wing. I would prefer Nkosi, Mapimpi and Mvovo at 15 with Bosch as the 10 / 15 reserve. I reckon we should also make use of more rotation to keep players fresh and motivated.
@Bokhoring (Comment 8) : Rotation is key but also needs to be balanced with consistency. Think Mvovo over Bosch at 15 is perhaps harsh. Think Mvovo needs to fight it out at wing with others and then play at 15 if needed. Injuries and loss of form often help when it comes to tough selection issues.
@SheldonK (Comment 9) : Mvovo for me is much better under the high ball, obviously defensively as well as busting tackles. Bosch has an amazing boot, a great appreciation of space and pretty fast. However IMO the coaches need to get him on a programme to fix his tackling technique and maybe just bulk him up a bit to handle the collisions better. So I would give him reasonable stints of time off the bench and a couple of starts through the season. The oke is still young – give him time to develop.
@Bokhoring (Comment 10) : Yeh look i think Bosch’s best position is 15. I also think he needs to add some beef to his frame, but he is still young so that could come with age. Him being part of the Boks doesn make leaving him out trickier, same as Chilliboy as questions will be asked. Ive been a fan of Mvovo for ages, but lets see what kinda shape and form he returns in from Japan. Does anyone know if the Mapimpi thing is a done deal?
15 Mvovo, 14 Mapimpi, 13 Am, 12 Esterhuizen, 11 Nkosi, 10 Rob Dup, 09 Schreuder, 08 Dan, 07 JLuc, 06 VDWalt, 05 Botha, 04 Lewies, 03 Coenie, 02 Marais, 01 Beast
Reserves
16 Akker
17 Ross /Hubert
18 Thomas
19 Paul/Drosty/Andrews
20 Vermeulen/Keegan/Mtembu/
21 Wright
22 Bosch
23 Van Wyk
Depending who we are playing against, for example at Center there is enough depth with Ward, Deysel, Louw, Blewett as backup.
@Bokhoring (Comment 10) : Correct, Mvovo us by far the better option at 15 right now, we can race about Bosch and Apr all we want but until they learn to read the game better and most importantly tackle they will be a disadvantage to the team.
@Bokhoring (Comment 10) : U knew and had said on various sites, we are weak defensively in the backline and that us why we would lose, I was sitting in the stadium just about praying I would be wrong, but alas Bosch and April just failed to make any tackles and that put WP on the front foot.
I don’t want to be down on April, I really don’t, but at like 75kg he’s not even a speedbump on defence. I don’t like little fullbacks
@robdylan (Comment 16) : Would you include Bosch in your last few words there?
@SheldonK (Comment 17) : Im trying not to compare the two. Curwin is 20, Garth is 26. Curwin can and must learn, whereas Im assuming Garth is what he is and is never going to be anything more.
I don’t think Curwin lacks size. We’ve seen a guy like McKenzie operate at SR and test level at the same size Curwin is today. The thing that scares the crap out of me, though, is that Curwin may lack heart on defence. I hoe you can coach that, but I’m not 100% convinced that you can.
I don’t want to bash him though. I think he’s a phenomenal talent. He was exposed on Saturday, though – very cruelly and if we try to pretend it didn’t happen then we’re deluding ourselves.
@robdylan (Comment 18) : 100% Rob, defence/ tackling is about attitude, Cuts in needs to be taught that.
@robdylan (Comment 16) : Just saying that GA is 80kg, 1 less than Damian Mckenzie.
Defence is not solely about weight, which we love to ascribe the most value to in SA, size that is.
@robdylan (Comment 18) : Fair comment. I asked as some people seem to be using Bosch as the scapegoat for Saturday and want to cast him aside for Super rugby already. I think he is not good defensively- he has been that way since school, cant see it changing. I also dont think 10 is his best position as he has to deal with a lot of hits and heay traffic in that area. I do feel that 15 is his best position and where he should be playing. He attacks well from there and hopefully with age will improve defensively there…not that many if any 15s in SA tackle well.
@robdylan (Comment 18) : Yep Mckenzie is pretty fearless going into tackles. He might not always stop the guy but you can see he’s giving it his all and he’s made some surprising tackles. Bosch will need to learn to put the shoulder in and not just try to hug the player if he can.
Pretty sure Rob Jnr will start at FH in super rugby and he deserves it. Bosch will be backup and possibly fullback because holy hell he kicks the ball a mile.
@sharks_lover (Comment 12) : that looks about right, we will have to access all the player that played in japan to see if their fitness if up to standard, if not conditioning program for them. is a long season.
in addition to these players, we have ben, inny chilli, louw, ward, april, smith all ready to come in and play.
Mvovo did great at fullback last season so I say keep him there, bosch off the bench as great cover.
Bosch is 20, robbie is 24, we should be really pleased that we have them both.
Its actually quite strange because he is not scared to make contact with ball in hand.
@Bump (Comment 20) : is that so? McKenzie is a fair bit taller than April though?
@robdylan (Comment 25) : actually looks like they’re pretty much exactly the same size
@robdylan (Comment 18) : Bosch and April were shown up in the last regular season match against WP. I’m somewhat surprised some of us thought that would be different this time around. Even Kolbe has more heart defensively than Bosch and April right now. I think it is less size and more attitude. McKenzie is a tough little fellow and punches above his weight, so does Kolbe, neither April nor Bosch do at this time.
Bosch is only 20, and had a nightmare first cap for the Boks, and a not very good U20 Championships. He is young, the BMT will develop….hopefully.
@Dancing Bear (Comment 28) : feel a bit like too much has happened too quickly for him this year? I think th test call up was a mistake.
@Dancing Bear (Comment 27) : Exactly read post 19, I said just after we lost the final league match that unless we make changes we are in trouble, so not surprised at all and as sad I was at the stadium on Saturday I was not even angry as I was prepared for the loss.
@robdylan (Comment 29) : Again 100% Rob, April was also rushed in a year or so ago and has never been the same since.
Again take Odwa as an example and you will see if with lack of pace how much effort he put in and what a great attitude he has and it is for that reason why i have always been a huge supporter of him.
Another problem for me is the lack of quality recruits, I know some will say I am being unfair to the likes of Bosch or April or even Ward but take a look at the Bulls Lions and WP recruits?? their back lines are all big guys, we recruit a lot of small players and also we look at how well the school kids run with the ball, but do we look at how strong they are defensively?
I agree Bosch is a super talent but until he learns to defend? his talent will go to waste because he can only be carried for so long then it becomes a major issue.
@robdylan (Comment 26) : Both lambie and Goosen small and defend way better even at that age. I’ll bet Rhyno Smit would also defend better, if he ever got the chance.
@coolfusion (Comment 33) : But I must also say that opposition would rather pass than take on a Esterhuizen or Frans Steyn if they are at fullback.
Bad news for JLDP – seems he fractured his ankle.
@robdylan (Comment 29) : I agree, and I think it is also a mistake to have him in the current Bok tour squad. Not sure why he was included ahead of Rob Jr. I would like to see him spend this off-season bulking up a bit, work on his physical strength.
@Dancing Bear (Comment 36) : or he can spend 4 weeks with Brenden Venter….. that could have benefits too
I don’t agree with the comment that we need to recruit big back line players only. Bigger is not always better. It can be an advantage but if your tackling techniques is good and you commit 100% to the tackle the small player can easily take down the big guy. Bosch doesn’t shy away from tackling like April does. His technique is wrong. A small guy tackling a big guy high is going to get bounced.
Rob sr said he’s not going to change anything for the final. This played into the WP hands because they knew what our strength and weaknesses was going to be. The finals that we won we tweaked a couple of things and surprised the opposition.
Faf de Klerk is proof that size is irrelevant if you have the guts and will. Bosch and April just don’t seem to possess the cojones for defense and I can’t see that changing.
@robdylan (Comment 37) : The same Brendan Venter that forgot to coach defense at one point?
😯 😆
@robdylan (Comment 37) : Are you including the week Brendan will be assisting Italy?
@robdylan (Comment 29) : Agreed 100%.
So i know its getting to silly season in terms of player movements etc but what are we looking at in terms of the Sharks?
Rob DuPreez Jnr is confirmed, then ive heard Mapimpi and Zas are coming-any truth there? Any word regarding any forwards? And anyone leaving? (Besides Odwa)
@SheldonK (Comment 44) : no talk of any new forward acquisitions. It’s just du Preez, Zas and Mapimpi, all of whom seem 100% confirmed (although not by the Sharks)
@robdylan (Comment 45) : And guys leaving? Seems like we will finally have some continuity moving forward.
@robdylan (Comment 45) : Interesting that they feel they need the re-inforcements in the outside backs department.
Well I still think Bosch is still going to mature into a great player. Du preez semi to already have that temperament so good for us on both scores.
Now can we entice Kollisi as well?
@robdylan (Comment 45) : The only forward movement that has already been made known is Gideon Koeglenberg that returned to us.
@coolfusion (Comment 49) : We don’t need him, I am hoping Robert sees what I saw in Wian Vosloo and that is that he could be the next Marcell coetzee, he may not be a fetcher but he sure as hell has the build to be one and he is damn strong. He also seems to have a bit of pace something the 2 Du Preez boys do not have. but yeah lets see.
I also think Dick Muir returning as assistant coach will do wonders for our backline.
@sharks_lover (Comment 52) : Is that confirmed? Who is getting the boot- Everitt?
@SheldonK (Comment 53) : I’m waiting for confirmation before I write about this.
@robdylan (Comment 54) : Tis the season for sensational rumours…
@robdylan (Comment 54) : good luck on that ,despite phoning in and emailing six times I am still waiting for the stadium manager to get back to me about selling my season ticket parking at the archery club, on Saturday
Since Monday morning he has been in a constant meeting and unable to take my call.
He is not going to get off as lightly as he thinks,I am retired and have plenty of time and no meetings to attend.
@The hound (Comment 56) : haha good luck, let us know how the saga unfolds. My guess is they will say they were unaware and it was out of their hands. #parkinggate
@SheldonK (Comment 55) : https://citizen.co.za/sport/south-africa-sport/sa-rugby-sport/1709872/sharks-playing-with-fire-if-they-appoint-dick-muir/
@coolfusion (Comment 58) : Reckon they just stirring up a story
@The hound (Comment 56) : who is the stadium manager?
@SheldonK (Comment 59) : The reports have come from different sources since August. However no one who matters has committed to the validity. Neither a year or a No. So for now it’s just a story.
@robdylan (Comment 60) : Probably Athul Guptha,the way he behaves.
@The hound (Comment 56) : hahaha give them hell!!!
Some interesting players released by the Lions…Jaco VD Walt, Fabian Booysen and then Bader Pretorius and Curtis Jonas of KZN schoolboy fame.
@SheldonK (Comment 64) : Jaco van der Walt? I missed that name….
@SheldonK (Comment 64) : @robdylan (Comment 65) : see they released (opted not to renew contracts) 18 players so it almost looks as if they did what the Sharks did a while ago.
@JD (Comment 66) : Interesting development booysen and Jaco will draw interest from cheetahs, kings, overseas teams etc
or wp could grab jaco. after letting coleman, rob and thomson go, all they have at fh is damian willemse and dup, both good plays, but is that enough depth.
I think whats happening is lions are only willing to pay big bucks to a core group, cant blame them, dont want to go the wp route and end up in the red.
Lets talk Lambie for a moment
some are saying we should have kept him since he looks sharp in france. I say glad we allowed him to leave, he seems happy, and the change in environment seems to have put the smile back on his face, now he has new challenges and new goals. who knows, maybe one day he returns to the black and white.
@revolverocelot (Comment 67) : Lambie was in a bit of a rut in durban and needed a change to refresh his career. Good ove by him and i hope he gets back to his best soon. He has enough caps to still be a Bok option