The Boks managed yet another come from behind victory to secure the three test series against England with a match to spare, keeping the English scoreless for the last three quarter of the game to win 23 – 12.
I was at the game in Bloemfontein and I haven’t had a chance to see the televised game as yet, but what I can say is that the Boks now have the series and coach Rassie Erasmus is sure to experiment a little with nothing to lose in the third and final test.
That said, reports in the media seem to suggest that the test will be Newlands final International, and if true, it would only be fitting to see off the stadium with a win.
I will do a more detailed report during the week, with updates on injuries and squad changes, should there be any.
Tweet
Interesting about Newlands. Possibly due to the financial difficulties experienced by WP?
Think Sharks and Kings Park might be in the same boat soon as I have a feeling SA rugby want to shift all international rugby matches to the 2010 stadiums thus forcing rugby unions (WP and Sharks) to also move to those stadiums.
@JD (Comment 2) : maybe it is time for us too move, I’m sure theres a deal that could work some how, we could redevelop the kings park area into something the immediate surrounding needs ?
PR dept has too come up with innovative ways to fill moses mabida, free tickets too schools in KZN on a rotational schedule etc, school organises the transport, food vendors would be happy about that.
for the move to be a success, alot of work needs too be done from all shareholders.
More importantly
looks like whitely and Marx will face the sharks in some capacity next weekend (Dear god)
RJVR will not be lining up against us though, his out with a ankle injury for approx four months
@revolverocelot (Comment 3) : I agree that the Sharks need to move to Moses Mabhida. Novody is coming to Kings Park anymore
@revolverocelot (Comment 3) : @SheldonK (Comment 4) : personally I feel that I’m to far away (and visit not nearly enough) to make an informed decision about moving.
However the feeling I get is that the Sharks do not want to move (and the addition of a swimming pool prove it) but the city of Durban (and SA rugby) want the Sharks to move to the “new” 2010 stadium.
I just wonder how the Sharks supporters that goes to game regularly (especially season ticket and suite holders) will feel about such a move because I think that the success or failure of such a move will be determined by the happiness of those supporters!
Anyway we are talking about a move to another stadium across the road but here in Middle Earth they want to move a soccer team from one city to another (and trust me those supporters are not happy) so think we should be ok and live after the drama of the move across the road!
@JD (Comment 5) : You have cities in Middle Earth?
@JD (Comment 5) : The problem is the Sharks are not getting people to Kings park even with the new attempts, advertising banners cover majority of the seats. The stadium is also in need of serious maintenance and repair. The Sharks dont want to move as they are comfy where they are. The City want Moses Mabhida used and its too expensive for a local soccer side to be based there. So will some old supporters be grumpy about the move, probably. Will the move attract new supporters, possibly. I cant see anything happening in the short term but if WP move the story will gain more traction.
@Bokhoring (Comment 6) : was typing town but auto-correct changed it so I decided to just go with it in the hope that nobody would notice!
@Bokhoring (Comment 6) : Yes but they’re underground like mole tunnels.
@JD (Comment 5) : you know what would be ideal…if The Sharks moved to Pretoria… 😎 😉
@SheldonK (Comment 7) : Yep a lot too consider, there are legitimate arguments for and against us moving too mm.
WP are moving to cape town stadium cause the have no choose now.
will be interesting to see how all this uncertainty affects their sr and cc squad quality
@revolverocelot (Comment 11) : Well WP have had some guys already say they leaving, Carr etc. Vermuelen was expected to announce he is going there but havnt heard anything other than he has left Toulon. Currently the City needs the Sharks to move more than the Sharks need to move so Sharks should use that bargaining power for a lease now before City has the upper hand.
@SheldonK (Comment 12) : exactly negotiate while you have much more leverage
But like I’ve said that’s a big stadium and we struggle to fill kings Park. Thus stake holders will have to take getting decent attendence serious, or it will be dead in.there
I attended a pre season friendly between stormers and boland a cape town stadium a few years ago, it was packed, get atmosphere even the warm up game between wp and the boland second team was great.
Thelo Wakefield has just denied that this will be the last test at Newlands, saying that WPRU are going nowhere.
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 14) : Thats just becuse he doesnt want to chnage his Uber Eats delivery address
And in other news, the Supersport probe has found that there was no racism in Ashwin walking out of the studio in a huff. Ashwin did not make himself available for the enquiry.
@SheldonK (Comment 15) : Probably, he gets bigger every time I see him. They interviewed him and he was adamant that if Cpt get a test next year it will be at Newlands.
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 16) : Nick and Naas will be back in studio in a short while but not this weekend yet while no one knows what Ashwin will do because he has been evading all but he has not been suspended or any such thing. Maybe we will see him as a sideline analyst / commentator.
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 17) : lol poor Theo, its too late to try and play hard ball negotiations with the city now, they know wp need the money, I hope their team gets gutted in terms of depth over the next few season, the wealth of good young players should save them.
they dont even want to fire fleckie cause it would cost too much to pay him off and get a would new team in, unless they persuade dobson to take over with most of fleckies team of treu and the kiwi backline coach etc
In other news
Seems Morne Joubert left us for the pumas a while back, and is killing it on the wing for them.
Since stonehouse got back pumas are firing on all cylinders again, pumas vs wp SSRC final likely
Pumas also have a nack of finding players we never heard of with great skills and physicality, for example that Smit kid, that plays fh for them.
also happy to see inny start at fh for the lions in the SSRC
This resistance to move is just weird.
American pro teams demand new stadiums all the time. Atlanta’s baseball and football teams both moved to new stadiums in the last few years. The “old” ones, which the teams deemed “not modern enough” anymore were build brand new for the ’96 Olympics.
Fans love it too. Ticket prices, attendance and team performance are all up.
@revolverocelot (Comment 13) : Haha, you used sharks and negotiate in the same sentence…..
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 16) : So sick of politicians and media always crying for peace and reconciliation and then always being the first to use petty issues to fuel race wars. All so they can promote themselves and create news for readership numbers. Glad SS team sorted it out like adults.
@coolfusion (Comment 23) : No real winners here. To their credit Supersport seemed to have handled it very well.
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 24) : Hopefully we can all get past this quickly and move on to the sport again.
I’m glad for the book wins. But I can’t help but think we are once again being lulled into a false sense of security. England’s discipline has been atrocious it has saved us on a few occasions during the past 2 tests. There are still some glaring deficiencies in the book team and their play…..
@revolverocelot (Comment 20) : Haven’t seen the Chris Smith play, but definitely good for our rugby to see the likes of him and Stapelberg (also ex Maties) get a run. For the life of me, I don’t see how the suits ignored Stapelberg’s talents.
With this weekends test being a dead rubber i wonder how many super rugby coaches are secretly hoping their players dont get picked to play…not that many SA teams are still in the running for Super rugby
Is there any news on Coenie’s injury? Rassie seems to think he will be available for Rugby Championship.
Also wonder if any of our super rugby guys will get a run in this weekends supersport challenge to get them ready for next week? Just thinking guys like Ruan Botha, Van Der Walt, Schreduer/Wright/ Bosch could all do with a tune up
@SheldonK (Comment 29) : Now why do I get this feeling of dejavu? 👿 Again it’s Cheetahs vs Sharks, and Sharks want to load their team with S15 players, I guess it is understandable in this case, as the Sharks desperately need points to qualify for a QF berth 👿
Cheetahs can fight fire with fire though, they have an entire Pro14 squad raring for some action. 😀
@KingCheetah (Comment 30) : Must say i feel for the Cheetahs,less so for the Kings, but how on earth do you manage guys when you playing in Pro14/Currie Cup/Supersport challenge andthose comps all slghtly overlap so that there is zero off season? I see the Sharks supersport challenge team have introduced a few super rugby players on and off, cant see them fully loading the team even though they should or guys will go into super rugby rusty.
@SheldonK (Comment 29) : So it could be something like this?
Jordan Els vs Luan de Bruin
Andrew du Plessis vs Dweba
Ross Geldenhuys vs Erich de Jager
Ruan vs Justin Basson
Hyron Andrews vs JP du Preez
Vosloo vs Jordaan
Vermeulen vs Olivier
vd Walt vs Wiese
Schreuder vs Paige
Visagie vs Stapelberg
Zas vs Maqina
Louw vs Lloyd Greeff
Ward vs Ben10
van Wyk vs Mgijima
Bosch vs Eksteen
Mouth watering clash actually.
@KingCheetah (Comment 32) : Franco Marais has been twiddling hsi thumbs they should make him play before he goes. Juan Schoeman hasnt played in a while i dont think so he must be rusty. Lewies hasnt played so would need game time. April at 10 probably. Ox Nche for Cheetahs? Mahoje?
I think Ruan Botha is still suspended / banned.
@SheldonK (Comment 33) : I know the Pro14 squad has started training. I doubt that Daan will use many of the players. The Cheetahs SRC pack has been playing pretty well together. I think we may see JP du Preez being drafted up to the Pro14 squad together with new boy Walt Steenkamp. That might see Dennis Visser getting a trott. If any changes are made it will be in the backline. They hac=ve been experimenting with various players at 10/13/15. All of Ben10, Eksteen and Stapelberg have played in various roles.
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 34) : Very true, had forgotten
@SheldonK (Comment 29) : It’s possible, as it would address too issues, we need a win and it would in theory be beneficial to give certain players game time before the huge game against the lions
However
@KingCheetah (Comment 30) : Im less certain the cheetahs will draft in many or any key pro14 players as many of them legitimately went directly from sr too pro14 and have been dying for a physical and mental break. and I believe the cheetahs would rather prepare for a strategy to try and improve in the pro14 and make a better showing in the cc since the cc will not clash with the pro14 as much as last year.
That having been said the players the cheetahs have in reserve after their front line player, are not bad and all and they player like a club team that has been together for years, were as the sharks sr team is better than the cheetahs pro14 but our second team is not as dangerous as the cheetahs second team IMHO
@SheldonK (Comment 31) : Last year was an abomination! There is less overlap with Pro14 and CC this year. There has been a lot of player movement, but as Franco Smith said, it is the end of a three year cycle. There are new players ready to make their mark. Exciting times. If Cheetahs can maintain/improve on their debut season, they can conceivably be in with a shot at EC participation, when/if that option becomes available, and that is where the real money is. That will greatly enhance their ability to contract top players.
@revolverocelot (Comment 37) : I agree, Cheetahs will focus on conditioning. They may use players from SRC that can likely be drafted into the Pro14 team, but these are new signings. The Sharks have certainly held sway over us in Super Rugby, but I think the gap might be narrower now. Cheetahs have learnt to defend, which was one of their major weaknesses. Hope we can see them face off sometime with full strength teams.
@coolfusion (Comment 26) : Seeing that books are inanimate objects and don’t even have arms or legs it’s hard to believe that this book rugby team you speak of has won anything at all 😆
Anyone know at what time the team announcement is?
@Quintin (Comment 40) : Eng – 11:45 BST. Boks probably around same time.
@Quintin (Comment 40) : Well they have just won 2 games against one of the volumes in the Encyclopedia Britannica. Pretty good for a book team.
@Quintin (Comment 40) : 13.00.
Cipriani in for Ford.
@McLovin (Comment 44) : That was to be expected
@Bokhoring (Comment 45) : Indeed. Doubt it’s going to change much.
Nice of Rassie to give some of the 2nd choice players a go.
@Quintin (Comment 40) : Yes we’ll see you sing another tune when the books dominate the Readers World Cup.
@SheldonK (Comment 33) : @revolverocelot (Comment 37) : Cheetajs SRC vs Sharks XV:
Erich de Jager, Reinach Venter, Luan de Bruin, Sibabalo Qoma, Dennis Visser, Neill Jordaan, Stephan Malan, Jasper Wiese, Paige, Ryno Eksteen, Vuyani Maquna, Lloyd Greeff, Ben10, Ali Mgijima, Darren Adonis.
Marnus vd Merwe, Boan Venter, Gunther JvV, Justin Basson, Ntokoza Vidima, Ruan JvR, Sango Xamlashe
As expected very few Pro14 players selected. Both Jordaan and Basson back from injuries. Still a pretty powerful pack, that should test a Sharks xV
@KingCheetah (Comment 49) : thats a solid team from the cheetahs, now lets see who the sharks select
Ben once again at outside centre, interesting stuff
The Cell C Sharks XV
1. Juan Schoeman
2. Franco Marais
3. Ross Geldenhuys
4. Hyron Andrews
5. Stephan Lewies
6. Philip van der Walt
7. Wian Vosloo
8. Tera Mtembu (C)
9. Louis Schreuder
10. Curwin Bosch
11. Lwazi Mvovo
12. Marius Louw
13. Jeremy Ward
14. Leolin Zas
15. Courtney Winnaar
Replacements
16. Kerron Vuuren
17. Jordan Els
18. Khutha Mchunu
19. Andrew Evans
20. Cameron Wright
21. Garth April
22. Rhyno Smith
Sharks going all out for that win
No Johan Deysel for a few weeks now ?
@revolverocelot (Comment 51) : Very good team with lots of experienced players. Can’t see the Cheetahs beating this team. We will hope for a BP to ensure we make the QF’s. Regarding Ben10, he has actually played a few games at 13 Now, and the versatility will be handy.
@revolverocelot (Comment 51) : Makes sense to give guys a hit out as have had no game time since last super rugby game. Interesting lineup, especially the loose forward combo and the backline
@SheldonK (Comment 53) : @KingCheetah (Comment 52) :
Lions doing a similar thing, mixing in some seasons vets that need game time, warren, malcom, skosan, combrink
next weeks game against the lions in super rugby will not only be exciting but also vital too our season, chance of us making the play offs are not great. I’d still want us to get there though, the experience of a quarter final is good for the development of a team IMHO, even if we will be under dogs, if we are lucky we get thr lions at ellis park in out quarter, we could well go to NZ/OZ and win over their, anything is possible. We first gotta make it too a top 8 post though.
Kobus van Wyk still not getting any game time?
@revolverocelot (Comment 54) : Will be interesting to see how Bosch goes at flyhalf having only been at 15 this year….
@coolfusion (Comment 55) : He played last week http://www.sharksworld.co.za/2018/06/17/cel-c-sharks-xv-to-face-twfel-larger-griquas/
@Bokhoring (Comment 57) : Ah. And how did he go?
@coolfusion (Comment 58) : JD may know. I did not watch the game
@Bokhoring (Comment 59) : We shouldn’t let these lesser picked guys rust. Some of them every bit as good as the incumbents. Some scenarios even better.