Kolbe takes over the 14 jersey from Nkosi who drops out of the squad. Rassie insists the plan (box kick ad nauseam, hope the opposition drops the ball, defend like demons, scrum and maul, kick the penalties) won’t change and the 6-2 bench split seems to be an indication that we can expect more of the same.
I do hope Rassie has planned a few surprises for the English, because this English pack can stand up to the Boks physical onslaught and the English backline is much better skilled than the Boks and play very intelligent rugby. Likewise the English will try and exploit our back three’s weakness under the high ball as well as the gap we leave out wide in our defensive system. Rassie is a pretty smart coach himself, but he is up against one of the smartest coaches in rugby assisted by a very experienced coaching team.
That said this does remind me of 1995 expect that this time it was England that trounced NZ in the semi (scoreline flattered the Kiwis) and not the other way around. Most pundits have pretty much written England’s name on Bill, but… South African teams do pull off upsets when they are completely written off through simple sheer bloody mindedness. And Rassie’s team oozes bloody mindedness.
Go Bokke. Please do not let Feral lift the Cup.
15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Subs: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Franco Mostert, 21 Francois Louw, 22 Herschel Jantjies, 23 Frans Steyn.
Tweet
Pretty much as expected from Rassie. It will take one hell of an effort against a very strong England side. England will put us under a lot of pressure and conceding numerous penalties could see us fall behind early on. Just a thought- the last time these 2 sides played in a RWC final it was one tackle and a huge Frans Steyn penalty that proved the difference…
It’s going to take a HUGE effort, but I’m backing the boys all the way on Saturday.
BOKKE!!!
All Blacks are doing to the Welsh what England did to them. The logical conclusion is that England should take the title quiete easly.
But will they.
Unfortunately, i don’t feel confident about tomorrow. Rassie’s pedantic approach has taken me by surprise and i can’t see this approach getting past the english.
Boks play some good running rugby so far
Lood off with what looks like a dislocated shoulder
England not having their own way and making mistakes
Brilliant defense from the Boks
Pollard doing well when he takes on the line
Rassie has definitely change his tactics
Didn’t we win the last 2 finals 15-12
@jdolivier (Comment 11) : Nevermind last final vs England was 15-6
More of the same please. Just watch for silly penalties.
Our scrum demolish the English again and again
Anyone who said Beast was over the hill before the world cup…well…WOW! Take a bow, sir! You have had a truly awesome world cup!!
Brilliant Boks!
Garces having another great game
And now we allow England to scrum us to bits. Poor concentration from the Boks
@Bokhoring (Comment 18) : Concentrate Boks…
Come on Boks…concentrate!!
Boks allowing England back in the game
No daylight in that penalty also playing pollard on the ground
Clever move from the Boks. Typical Rassie move
18-9 record score for Boks in a final
Feral sneaking in the penalties. 18-12
Mapimpi has improved his contest today
Brilliant brilliant Boks
First Bok try in a WC final
Damn. That could have been another
25-12 12 minutes left
Mapimpiiiiiiiiiiii!!!
And a big tip of the hat to Am…
Sharks boys deserve a huge pat on the shoulder there…or just a bear hug!!!
Critical Bok scrum on our 5m line
10 minutes left
Boks playing clever to waste time at scrum time
Jaaaaaaaaaa!!!
Let me be the first to say it…
Rassie Erasmus…I salute you! You biscuit!!!! He was brilliant….
Huge, huge, HUUUUGGGGE humple pie from me. Rassie got it right today
Who said I was drunk early when I called a change in game plan
What an amazing performance
Rassie outsmarted Eddie Jones. Well done. And well done Boks
A most amazing World Cup. Well done Japan – both on and off the field
@Bokhoring (Comment 42) : Really amazing
And well done Jerome Garces
Sorry round ball fans. Rugby really is the most beautiful game
@Bokhoring (Comment 44) : And romaine poite oddly enough
I love how everybody goes on about our huge pack when we gave 20kg to England and if I recall 30kg to Wales
@Bokhoring (Comment 47) : At one stage England had 30kgs over us, but we breed them tough in RSA even “little” kolbe managed to manhandle some English boys
I gotta take my hat off for Rassie, I was critical about certain aspects of his plan (not as critical as some) but it clearly worked out, I would be saying this even if we had lost.
More casual rugby fans seem to be thinking that his riding off into the sunset now, nope, his still going to be in charge from his post as director of rugby, but I believe his going to appoint a head coach to basically work under him now. My understanding is that former Southern Kings coach Deon David’s is the front runner for the head coach post.
Another aspect that interesting is that we have a very good chance of doing the double and winning the next RWC with all the talent we still have to choose from even though certain players like Duane and beast may well have played their last game for the Boks or at the very least will have to be slowly replaced leading up to the next rwc
Interest how I though for sure that guys JLDP, Jaco Kriel, akker would be at the wc this year, but for many different reasons they were not picked (injury, lack of fitness, form etc), and yet we still won.
It’s weird how beast is still really effective at his advanced age, especially for the Boks, less so for the sharks of late.
I would like to apologize to Frans Malherbe I was overly critical of him, though I can’t seem to remember him making a carry or a tackle, it still didn’t matter. We would the whole flipping thing.
I had a look at Frans Steyns Wikipedia to try and figure out which RWC he missed between 2007 and 2019, as all the article seem to indicate that this is his third WC
I remember him in the team in 2011, was he in the 2015 team coach my HM?
Also not sure who edited his Wikipedia but at the end it just states “Frans steyn you legend” lol
@pastorshark (Comment 15) : If the northern hemisphere scribes had their say, Beast would have been Player of the Match NH payer ratings have him top. He has been amazing for 11 years now.Remember how he dismantled the :Lions in 2009 and 10 years later was as dominant against the English. What a treasure.
Reading the reports after about Rassie’s planning and reasoning behind the 6/2 split and game plans for the QF and SF, he certainly planned this very well indeed and did give into the public criticism of it. For me this game reminded me of the first British Lions test in 2009- Beast was fired up and destroyed Phil Vickery which laid the platform for the win, and the same transpired in this game. Going to be interesting to see what Beast does now…obviously another Lions tour is a big drawcard…but also going out on this high would be good.
What an amazing victory. Thank you Rassie and the Boks for proving us doubters wrong. Just a fantastic rugby day overall.
@SheldonK (Comment 52) : I think had SA not won the WC, it would have been an easy decision to hang the boots up, but it will be tough to leave such a young squad with so much more potential to do even more than they already have
@Karl (Comment 54) : Well if we take the side that played on the weekend and made a few refreshments for youth:
1. Kitshoff 2. Mbonambi 3. Mahlherbe 4. Etzebeth 5. De Jager 6. Kolisi 7. PSDT 8. Coetzee 9. De Klerk 10. Pollard 11. Small-Smith 12. De Allende 13. Am 14. Nkosi 15. Kolbe
Bench: DuToit, Marx, Koch, Mostert,Kwagga , Jantjies, Willemse, Kriel
@SheldonK (Comment 55) : Gqoboka will be in the mix at loosehead and deservedly so. Similar to Beast at the start of his career.
@Dancing Bear (Comment 56) : Yip. Nche as well. Loads of talent coming through. I’d hope to see the Dup twins getting an extended run going forward as well. Plus Nohamba and Jaden and Boeta. Pleeenty of young talent. Hopefully they’ll be managed correctly so they can reach their potential
@Karl (Comment 57) : I like Ox and very happy he is a Shark, I just think that Gqoboka is as good in the set piece and better in the loose.
If any of you have some time, you should watch the Dan Coles and Joe Marler pre-match presser. Joe Marler is freaking hilarious 😯 😀 😆
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f75cCJToeeA
@Dancing Bear (Comment 56) : Yes true, also Trevor Nyakane at tighthead. Will be interesting to see SARU’s policy on selecting overseas based players going forward.
@SheldonK (Comment 60) : Beast announced his retirement from all rugby. 🙁
@Dancing Bear (Comment 61) : Going out on top. What a legend! All the best, Tendai
@Karl (Comment 62) : I wonder how many professional players can say they never moved to another club/province from start to end of their careers. Not many, even of you look at other sports too…
@Karl (Comment 63) : It is indeed a rarity in professional sports.
1 RWC
1 Rugby Championships
1 Tri-Nations
1 B&I Lions Series win
4 Currie Cups
117 Bok caps
159 Sharks SuperRugby caps
Wow is all I have to say a true Legend, I hope the Sharks are able to find a place for him n the organization. I imagine he could make an excellent scrum coach.
@Dancing Bear (Comment 61) : The reports I read said just International rugby, but I have a feeling its all rugby. What a champion he is, definitely going out on top. And who says scrums don’t decide matches…Beast proved that wrong on 2 massive occasions- a BIL Tour and World Cup Final.
@SheldonK (Comment 65) : Latest reports that he will still play for the sharks until 2020
@SheldonK (Comment 65) : @jdolivier (Comment 66) : Until 2020? 2020 starts in a couple months….
The BBC report said international rugby but was very limited in the information provided. The official release included statements by Beast about how much he enjoyed playing in the green and gold and the black and white, and he would miss both his Bok and Sharks teammates. That sounds to me like he is retiring completely.
@Dancing Bear (Comment 67) : He probably should go north for a couple of seasons to beef up his retirement. After his dedication to the Sharks and SA Rugby, he deserves a nice payday for a couple seasons work. I think he still has that in him, and I imagine his price tag could be quite high for a 2 year contract after his RWC performance. A lot of northern hemisphere scribes felt he should have been man of the match in the final for his incredible scrum work. Let’s also not forget that he is also one of the best lifters for lineouts and kickoffs in the world. He offers so much in set play, and still has some explosiveness in his runs. His defense has also been amazing often amassing 15 or 16 tackles in only 50 minutes of play.
@Dancing Bear (Comment 68) : Let’s not pretend he wasn’t earning a lot at the Sharks… Apparently 3mil per season. I get what you’re saying though…
@Dancing Bear (Comment 67) : The article on the shark’s website says retiring from al rugby in South Africa. This makes it sound like he will still play some rugby overseas, but we will have to wait and see
Beast said: “I have had a fairytale ending to my playing career in South Africa and could not have asked for anything more as a player. I haven’t ruled out the possibility of playing overseas, but at this stage I want to absorb everything that’s going on right now and make a final decision at the end of November after the Barbarians game.”
2006–2012 Sharks XV 9 (0)
2006–2013 Sharks (Currie Cup) 37 (15)
2010 Sharks Invitational XV 1 (5)
2007–present Sharks 159 (25)
206 Sharks caps….If I’m not mistaken, only Beast, Odwa and Stefan Terblanche have more than 200 Sharks caps.
Hey Rob, if you’re out there, I only acknowledge my love child after their retirement. Love you Beastie
🙂
Thank you Beast for picking up the mantle from Os Du Rant and really setting the standard for what a loose head prop and a professional rugby player should aspire to. The Phil Vickery demolition, the holding of Anton Bresler above your head and the destruction of the England scrum in a World Cup final will always be remembered along with the shout of BEEEEEEAST in stadiums around SA.
My 2020 Sharks team selection:
1. Nche 2. Van Vuuren 3. Du Toit 4. Van Der Mescht 5. Van Heerden 6. Buthelezi 7. Paul 8. H Venter 9. Schreuder 10. Bosch 11. Mapimpi 12. Esterhuizen 13. Am 14. Nkosi 15. Fassi
Bench: Schoeman, Richardson, Majola, Andrews, J Venter, Nohamba, Chamberlain, Ward
@SheldonK (Comment 75) : I think Notshe at 8 would be a good option as well.
@Dancing Bear (Comment 76) : True…loose combo of Buthelezi, Ntsila , Notshe could be interesting
@SheldonK (Comment 77) : With the youngsters coming through and some good buys, it appears the Sharks have shored up our loosie stocks after losing our entire starting combo.
@Dancing Bear (Comment 67) : As in completing the season
Truly sad if sharks rugby loses beast, still remember when he was hailed as the next big thing at 8th man
@Karl (Comment 63) : Very true! From a Cheetahs perspective, there have been a few legends that always stayed Cheetahs players. Helgard Muller, Os du Randt, Andre Venter come to mind. Beast has been an absolute banker for the Sharks. Hopefully Ox can become that in his new role.
@Dancing Bear (Comment 78) : S15 is going to be interesting! Many players have moved on. Going to be a tough act to replace Ginger and the Twins. Henco and James Venter are good additions. Ox a good replacement for Beast too. The depth is going to be the tester for the Sharks.
Also a question mark about the coaching setup. A red flag went up for me, with the ease with which the Cheetahs dismantled the Sharks in The CC semi final.
The Bulls probably the most effected by lost players though.
@SheldonK (Comment 77) : All too similar. Need a bruising player like Henco to get the balance right. Very same Henco and Jasper Wiese, in tandem with Pokomela exposed the Sharks loosies in the CC semi.
@KingCheetah (Comment 83) : For me you select your locks and loose forwards as a combo these days and need to get the balance right amongst them. If we go light at lock with say Andrews then we definitely need some bulk in the loose forwards. If we go bulk at lock then can afford to go quicker and lighter in the loose trio. Remember super rugby is a lot more about speed than test rugby and even CC where is a lot more close contact stuff.
I see Kobus van Wyk is off to the Hurricanes…….good raiding job Plum, I think he will do well there. Good luck Kobus.
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 85) : Agreed. Watch him become one of the top try scorers of SR
@SheldonK (Comment 75) : I’m concerned about our depth and ability at Tight head prop
Tanks has been up and down in terms of effectiveness
Johnny meyer has never been given and extended run
Mchunu is the third option. Can he step up, I hope so
Any idea who else we have?
LH has tons of good option
Ox nche
Majola who has a break through year in 2019
Juan schoeman
Also your team sheet has two LH on the bench
1. Nche 2. Van Vuuren 3. Du Toit 4. Van Der Mescht 5. Van Heerden 6. Notshe 7. Paul 8. H Venter 9. Nohamba 10. Bosch 11. Mapimpi 12. Esterhuizen 13. Am I 14. Nkosi 15. Fassi
Bench: Meyer, Richardson, Majola, Koelengberg, J Venter, Nohamba, Chamberlain, Ward
Pretty stacked in some places,
Guys like Tambwe, Louw, Pepsi didn’t even make my selection
We may well be abit too inexperienced at hookers as well
Lots to ponder
@revolverocelot (Comment 87) : What would happen if Nohamba gets injured?
@revolverocelot (Comment 87) : Oversight on my part in terms of the props on the bench, but agreed on your TH concerns. I think Schreuder starts if he is back and available with Nohamba bench. Jaden Hendrikse is also a good 9 available.
@SheldonK (Comment 89) : I think bokhoring was having some fun because revolver put Nohamba in twice
@revolverocelot (Comment 87) : John Hubert Meyer has been given opportunities this year during CC and the last couple of SR games but failed to make any lasting impact. He is not the answer at TH. Thomas and Ox can play both sides but going forward a suitable replacement as backup TH is required.
@Bokhoring (Comment 88) : lol oversight on my part there
Has Cam Wright left us?
@sudhir (Comment 91) : I personally wouldn’t right John Hubert Meyer off
But interesting that ox can also play TH
Let’s see how the year goes
I wonder if we can eventually get Dweba from the cheetahs considering how they only win game in SA, no offense to the cheetahs fans
Michael Kumbirai is also primarily a TH, but I have not seen enough of him to know how ready he is for SR. He is only 23 now, so still time to grow. I miss the good old days of the sharks’ scrum dominating opponents! I don’t think it will happen next year, just hoping we can be competitive.
@revolverocelot (Comment 92) : nope not that I know of. When he arrived he was the prodigal son now it seems everyone just forgot about him! 😯
@HeinF (Comment 94) : after doing some research today I also realized that we had forgotten about Mike.
His a great young player, always impressed me and WP seem to be grooming him for greatness and now thanks to their maladministration we have benefited from their player exodus lol
They lost Dan Kriel to the lions I see, and young kobus Wiese might leave them as well.
@revolverocelot (Comment 96) : Yes, I think the stormers might be in a bit of trouble next year. They have very little depth in most positions after all of the players that left. It’s good to hear that we got a decent player when we bought him. If he works hard, he should be able to get a fair bit of game time with us and put some pressure on Thomas and Meyer to perform or risk losing their spot. After the world cup, I’m really looking forward to SR next year!
Are we playing any high profile warm-up matches again next year?
I wish beast would come in to mentor
@coolfusion (Comment 98) : Hopefully in a year or two, he might. I mean, we got JP and Lambie back, hopefully he sees that and thinks that it is something that he would want to do as well
Shame to hear that Koegelenberg off to Rebels. Thought he had a lot to offer – shame we couldn’t keep him.
@coolfusion (Comment 98) : his got a lot of options, and his earned it.
He might well decide on a short stint overseas in Europe or Japan, but it’s not set in stone as his very much a family man and my not want to disturb his wife and kids by moving them.
So I can definitely see him helping out or coach at the sharks at some stage and he like many others seems to enjoy Durban.
Sad to lose Gedion to the rebels, but I guess we have depth in the lock department with Hyron, Paul, Ruban, JJ, Evans and the new guy we just recruited from Marie’s etc, so it’s ok I guess
We have tons of depth all over I’m just concerned that our props and hookers will be abit inexperienced.
In the backline we have depth for days
Has it been confirmed that Zas is no longer with us or has he been seen in pre season?
Also I’m abit concerned that Am and mapimpi are playing so many extra games for the baabaas, I would prefer those okes rested, just my opinion
@JR (Comment 100) : @revolverocelot (Comment 101) : for sure sad to see a talented player like Koegelenberg leave but then again he just never managed to secure his place in the starting 15 so ja it’s better for him to move to a place where he can maybe do just that.
@revolverocelot (Comment 101) : Is Ruben van heerden still at the sharks? Saw on the Supersport website that Everrit says he has also left. Is it true or a misprint. Perhaps meant koegies.
Watching the Sale vs la Rochelle game. Interesting to see JL Dup playing 5 lock. Also interesting to see Brock James still rocking the grip gloves!
@sudhir (Comment 103) : likely a misprint, I can’t find any evidence. Besides that would be a huge lose for us.
@sudhir (Comment 103) : @revolverocelot (Comment 105) : found the article on Supersport but I’m sure it’s a mistake as he is in a lot of pictures of the Sharks preseason training on the Sharks Instagram page. According to the info on the net he signed a 3 year deal so he should be at the Sharks until the end of 2021.
@coolfusion (Comment 98) : @revolverocelot (Comment 101) : In a recent interview with Beast, he said he has business interests in Durban and expects to work in business outside of rugby in the future.
So curwin signed for 2 more years, good news
@jdolivier (Comment 108) : great news
@Dancing Bear (Comment 107) : good for him, sounds like he will likely rather not take up a overseas contract. Save your body, and brain.
@revolverocelot (Comment 110) : He didn’t rule out a short term contract overseas, but for me, if he hasn’t been signed by a NH team at this point, it is unlikely that he has made himself available. Apparently he has been working with this particular business for some time now, through most of his playing days. I would imagine that is what kept him in Durban his entire playing career. A combination of his true dedication to the Sharks, while also ensuring his financial future is taken care of without having to uproot his family. He is clearly very intelligent and thoughtful, certainly someone to be looked up to and a role model.
@Dancing Bear (Comment 107) : @revolverocelot (Comment 110) : will not be surprised if it was something to do with Fidelity Group of Wahl Bartmann as I’ve seen both Fidelity and Wahl in a lot of his Instagram posts.
@JD (Comment 112) : You are most likely correct. Good idea to use local businesses to provide incentives for players to stay in Durban and supplement their income which makes a move overseas less of an incentive. Of course not to mention securing a player’s future.
@Dancing Bear (Comment 113) : saw last night (on a Facebook post of Fidelity) that he’s already doing work as a brand ambassador for them.
It seems Proudfoot is going to England. Interesting move since it is a lateral move to a team below us on the world rankings. I wonder if he is frustrated that he is not being considered for the Bok coaching job. It seems Nienebaar is most likely with Davids being considered but nobody else.
@Dancing Bear (Comment 115) : I saw that too. But I think he has been with the Boks long now, and he has a winning WC medal to boot. I think the pull of the pound helped his decision, and adding England to his CV as well will put him in better stead for future employment.
I see they are touting David’s as an assistant coach for now. Probably blooding him for higher honors later down the line. I just hope there is harmony among all coaches and management staff that will positively filter down to the players.
@Choochi (Comment 117) : I sort of get why Nienaber and Davids were the best options for the time being, as they’re basically “yes-men” to Rassie who’d still be making the bigger decisions. What I’d think they would need to do though, is get someone in on an assistant level like Ackers, who could run the show on his own. Because let’s face it, Rassie isn’t going to be in charge forever
A bigger decision than the head coach and assistants is the decision on which foreign players will be allowed to play? Rassie has been big on enforcing the World Rugby rule to release players, but will SARU want that? Going to be interesting with a lot of World Cup winners now overseas.
Beast is going to be my neighbor!!!!! 😀 😀 😀
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/dec/18/tendai-mtawarira-beast-old-glory-dc-washington-mlr?CMP=share_btn_fb
Am I the only one not feeling very excited about the Sharks for next years super rugby? Just seems everything has been very low key with a lot of big name departures. Think we will have a lot youngsters that will try hard but at the end of the day they could be beat up by the teams with more experienced players.
I’m in 2 minds. Super excited that I am will as of next month be living part in Durban and part in Europe so can finally attend a few. extra games. But then again maybe its a year or two too late.
@SheldonK (Comment 121) : Many pundits are picking the Sharks to top the SA conference (even over the Jaguares). Every team has lost a plethora of players, I actually think the Sharks have done better than most in their new signings, and have covered their lost personnel quite well. Sharks have signed a plethora of loose forwards, some established and some with potential. Ox is an excellent replacement for the retired Beast, Thomas must now step up at TH. Our young locks now have an opportunity and our backs are mostly intact from last year. I am not one prone to hyperbole or over-excitement before the season even starts, but I believe the Sharks may just be strong enough to top the SA conference.
@Dancing Bear (Comment 123) : Quite optimistic, interesting- I don’t share the sentiment as yet but perhaps after seeing what combo Everitt will put out I might be.
My thinking:
1. Nche 2. Van Vuuren 3. DuToit 4. Van Der Mescht 5. Andrews 6. Buthelezi 7. Notshe 8. Venter 9. Schreuder 10. Bosch 11. Mapimpi 12. Esterhuizen 13. Am 14. Nkosi 15. Fassi
@SheldonK (Comment 124) : I think Van Heerden starting in the locks. I also think Jeremy Ward is going to push our centres very hard which is great. Other than your locks, that’s a pretty strong team you named. I also think we may be seeing Notshe at 8 and Venter at 7.
Last year Coenie was average, Rob Jr was poor, JL was injured, and only Dan among those who left played well (really well). Botha was also average in the locks, and only Van Heerden looked good. I think that many who left last year didn’t contribute so much which I why I think the Sharks may do better than expected.
@Dancing Bear (Comment 125) : For me it doesn’t matter what number the loose forwards wear as long as they combine well.
I like Van Heerden off the bench with say Paul as both can cover either lock or loose forward which gives us options.
Tough one for Ward with Boks Esterhuizen and Am but yes definitely think he will push them. Would like to see Ward at 12 and Am at 13 to give us something a bit different.
So if I look to bench options:
Props – Schoeman, Majola, Meyer (quite weak options)
Hooker – Richardson? Not sure really ( also quite weak options)
Locks/Loosies- Van Heerden, Paul, Ntsila, Stringer
Scrumhalf – Nohamba, Wright,
Backs – Ward, Chamberlain, Mvovo
Depth seems to be a bit of an issue
@Dancing Bear (Comment 126) : JJ did well for a youngster
@jdolivier (Comment 128) : He has done extremely well, especially for a youngster, but he got very limited opportunities this past season. I hope to see a lot more of him in 2020. Of the locks we used last year, Tyler Paul seems preferred at flank, Botha was average, Koeglenberg fell short, we’ve all heard the criticism of Andrews, and Van Heerden was consistent and strong all season, while getting through boatloads of work. A combo of him and JJ offers a much stronger 2nd row in my opinion. I expect Paul to continue at 7.
@SheldonK (Comment 127) : Fez Mbatha is a good prospect at Hooker.
@Dancing Bear (Comment 129) : I thought Koegelenberg was better than that over his two seasons – was disappointed that he left. Big guy, very mobile, decent skills. With Tyler Paul, he was obviously out for much of last season and him back is a real plus. If you look at the signings though, don’t they suggest he‘ll play lock? Otherwise i’m confused by the quantity of imports given that Buthelezi
and Paul should be very strong first team challengers.
@Dancing Bear (Comment 129) : Must admit I havnt seen enough of Fez Mbatha at the top level to comment. Hopefully he progresses as Van Vuuren did.
If I look, overall I cant see us having the most physical abrasive pack so hopefully they pick a mobile pack and play a style to suit that. Trying to win games just with our forwards is not going to work
I see Leroux Roets from the Pumas is training with the Sharks, another 4 Lock option. Also see JPP is in training, wonder if he will feature at all?
@JR (Comment 130) : You have a point, Sharks have signed a plethora of loose forward options, which might indicate using Paul at 4, we could do a lot worse than having a locking partnership including him and Van Heerden. Koegies also didn’t get much of a run/opportunity with the Sharks, unfortunate.
@Dancing Bear (Comment 133) : Interesting to see both DuPreez boys being used at lock a bit during their stint at Sale so far.
@SheldonK (Comment 134) : Well-stocked back row, de Jäger leaves a gap in the second row.
Would be interesting to see how this current years group of Sharks players would fare against this team of former Sharks players currently doing well for other teams:
1. Beast 2. Akker 3. Coenie 4. Marais 5. Bresler 6. Coetzee 7. JL Dupreez 8. D DuPreez 9. Ungerer 10. Zeilinga 11. Blewett 12. Barrett 13. Jordaan 14. Speckman 15. Ludick
@SheldonK (Comment 136) : The Boks never really had an 8 other than Vermuelen all season, and in the RWC only used him, Brits, and FLouw at 8. With all three retiring it begs the question who will be the Bok 8 going forward. In an interview a few weeks after the RWC, Rassie was asked this question, and his response was that right now Dan DuPreez is the strongest candidate based on form last Super Rugby, and his current form with Sale. Perhaps he will have a chance to make that position his for a long time. JL is unlikely to crack the nod unless PSdT gets injured, with him staying in SA, World Player of the Year, and still relatively young, I see him owning the 7 jersey for a long time to come.
@Dancing Bear (Comment 137) : I think it will be interesting which overseas Boks Rassie is allowed to use, can imagine some kickback from their clubs as well as SARU to use local based players. In that regard I have always thought that Kolisi plays a lot more like an 8 than a 6. If we take overseas based guys out the picture there are a lot of Bok places up for grabs in the pack especially for guys playing Super rugby.
I see the Sharks play a couple warm up games this weekend against NWU Pukke and Russia
@SheldonK (Comment 139) : I find it very disconcerting that they are playing these games back to back, seems like a big injury risk to me….
@andredewaal (Comment 140) : I think it was be different teams playing against Pukke and Russia, I expect our main side to run out against Russia with our youngsters and fringe guys playing Pukke.
Not sure if the squad on Facebook is right – but if so, the interesting things look to be le Roux Roets in at lock, Hendrikse not there and Tyler Paul being included in the loose forwards…
Also Burden there but no JPP – and not sure if du Plessis is still with us but no obvious back up at full back to Fassi.
@JR (Comment 143) : Isnt DuPlessis with the 7s? @JR (Comment 142) : I cant see the Sharks keeping Hendrikse without giving gametime, he was on World Rugby u20 player of the year shortlist
Couldn’t agree more. Nohamba also looks special but unless he’s injured, you’d think they would be trying to keep both happy
@JR (Comment 145) : Well I can imagine its tricky giving all of Schreuder, Wright, Nohamba and Hendrikse gametime. But yeh unlikely see us keeping all 4 for very long.
Any chance you could post those facebook teams?
Don’t have Facebook on this phone – it’s on the Sharks Supporters page.
SHARKS SUPER RUGBY SQUAD
Props: Thomas du Toit, Mzamo Majola, Khutha Nchunu, John-Hubert Meyer, Michael Kumbirai, Ox Nche, Juan Schoeman.
Hookers: Kerron van Vuuren, Fez Mbatha, Craig Burden, Dylan Richardson.
Locks: Hyron Andrews, Andrew Evans, JJ van der Mescht, Ruben van Heerden, Jordan Sesink-Clee, Le Roux Roets.
Loose forwards: Phendulani Buthelezi, Kwanda Dimaza, Tera Mtembu, Tyler Paul, Luke Stringer, Sikhumbuzo Notshe, James Venter, Henco Venter, Evan Roos.
Scrumhalves: Louis Schreuder, Cameron Wright, Sanele Nohamba, Grant Williams.
Flyhalves: Curwin Bosch, Jordan Chait, Boeta Chamberlain.
Centres: Lukhanyo Am, Marius Louw, Jeremy Ward, Andre Esterhuizen.
Wings: Makazole Mapimpi, Sbu Nkosi, Lwazi Mvovo, Madosh Tambwe.
Fullbacks: Aphelele Fassi.
@revolverocelot (Comment 148) : My thoughts at this stage is that the Sharks have a decent team
I don’t exactly see us winning SR in 2020, as I feel we are abit too in experienced in key areas, namely: hooker, 8th man, fly half and fullback.
In relation to players that did not appear on this list, that still does not mean they won’t be involved in some capacity so long as they play a certain amount of games they will be available in the play offs should we qualify
The SA conference is very unpredictable
And for some reason the bulls have had our number for 2 seasons
In relation to our glut of scrum halfs, I would have thought we would have let either LS or cam leave for Europe for this season with so many other options, my guess is that Hendriks has been asked to learn his craft abit more at age group and SS rugby challenge level and fight for a SR place, being a young player there is merit in that.
Personally I really like notshe at 8th man, but it also relates to what game plan we have.
We do have a few lose forward options now, but are any of them the effective ball carriers that JLDP and Dan are?
Where is Andile Ntsila? He’s the loose that we recruited from the Kings. He played some Currie Cup for us and I think he was invited to the Bok camp 2 or 3 years ago and played for the SA A team.
If you think about it, with Bosch, Am, Nkosi, Mapimpi and Fassi – the driving game doesn’t really play to our strengths. We’re not going to beat New Zealand running everything so a fast, direct gameplan makes sense to me. Paul, Notshe and Venter? And potentially Roets and van Heerden in the second row to give us go-forward.
@ChrisS (Comment 150) : you read my mind, I would also like to know were he is?
Maybe his still with the sharks, will have to study the training pictures
@revolverocelot (Comment 152) : I hope that we still have him. He was great at eighthman for the Kings.
Does anybody have team lists for the games tonight?
@revolverocelot (Comment 149) : Just interesting with the scrumhalves that Nohamba and Hendrikse the same age and at SA u20 level Hendrikse was preferred but Nohamba seems to be preferred at the Sharks. Hendrikse reminds me very much of a Rory Kockett, whether that’s a good or bad thing remains to be seen.
I feel the Sharks tight 5 are perhaps a bit soft and naiive, willing to be proved wrong but just my feeling.
If you looking for suggestions Sean Everitt:
1. Nche 2. Van Vuuren 3. DuToit 4. Paul 5. Van Heerden 6. Buthelezi 7. H Venter 8. Notshe 9. Schreuder 10. Bosch 11. Mapimpi 12. Esterhuizen 13. Am 14. Nkosi 15. Fassi
Bench: Schoeman, Richardson, Kumbirai, Van Der Mecht, J Venter, Nohamba, Chamberlain, Ward
@SheldonK (Comment 155) : Apparently Esterhuizen is in Japan sp won’t be available for Super Rugby.
@ChrisS (Comment 156) : why was he named in the official SR team?
He may well be in Japan (I hadn’t heard) but if they name him in the team that means that they figure he will be in the mix sometime in the season, if I were the coaching staff I’d let him come back, get a three week rest and slowly bring him back into the team seeing as we also have Mara louw, Am and ward who can all play 12, though none are battering ram 12’s like andre
@ChrisS (Comment 156) : Ive seen him in the training photos at the Sharks recently though?
Rapport has him playing SupeRugby at the Sharks this year and then off to one of the London clubs (cant remember which, cant really remember if it was London or Paris either)
Did anyone bother to go and have a look at our guys losing to the Pukke and smashing Russia all on the same day?
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 160) : Pukke game was mostly juniors, club players and 6 lads that matriculated last year, not much to read into this game, the Russian game was 2 teams over the 2 halves, all super rugby players. Brendan nell has all tries on video on YouTube
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 159) : Saw photos from the games on Friday, Esterhuizen played vs Russia so seems he will play super rugby.
@jdolivier (Comment 161) : Thanks, will check it out.
@SheldonK (Comment 162) : That would fit in with the Rapport article.
Fantastic news! I saw 2 articles listing him as playing in Japan and having left the Sharks. I’m glad we’ll have him for this season. We need the depth.
Interesting to see that Louw played part of the trials at flank. Anybody know the reason for that?
@ChrisS (Comment 165) : Probably because the Sharks are short of loose forwards, yeah right.
Cape Town – The Sharks have named their side for their second pre-season match against Russia on Friday.
Register your interest for the British & Irish Lions tickets in South Africa 2021
The two teams met last week with the South African franchise side running out easy 64-14 winners.
The Sharks side for this clash is a mixture of both experience and youth with the likes of
Craig Burden at hooker, SA Under 20 captain,
Phepsi Buthelezi at No 8 and new signing,
Jordan Chait at flyhalf.
The match is scheduled to kick-off at 15:00 at Kings Park.
Teams
Sharks XV
15 Thaakir Abrahams, 14 Mtungwa Mapantsela, 13 DJ Falconer, 12 Murray Koster, 11 Ayanda Kunene, 10 Jordan Chait, 9 Cameron Wright, 8 Phepsi Buthelezi, 7 Celimpilo Gumede, 6 Evan Roos, 5 Jordan Sesink-Clee, 4 Lunga Ncube, 3 Khutha Mchunu, 2 Craig Burden, 1 Juan Schoeman
Substitutes: 16 Cullen van der Merwe, 17 Bandisa Ndlovu, 18 Michael Kumbirai, 19 Jandre Labuschagne, 20 Andisa Ntsila, 21 Kwanda Dimaza, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Jaden Hendrikse, 24 Le Roux Malan, 25 Rynhardt Jonker, 26 Lwandile Menze
Andisa Ntsila is there, happy to see him, even if we wasn’t named in the SR team he will still be able to fight for a SR place
@ChrisS (Comment 165) : @Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 166) : Louw played there as a youngster and was moved to 12 when he was at the sharks Academy. Maybe they’re trying to see if he could give the forwards some “grunt” as the Sharks are (seemingly) well covered at Centre (and Kok also coming later this year).
On a lighter note Andre improved his play after he was moved to 7 so maybe they’re trying the same with Louw or they spoke to Jake about their centres? 😈
@JD (Comment 168) : Interesting article I read where Sean Everitt said they played him there as the Sharks have identified the need for an openside flanker in the traditional sense as they havnt had one since Marcel Coetzee left. So they are looking at all their options in that position, who Louw who played there as a junior being one of them, even if he is covering 6/12 from the bench.
@revolverocelot (Comment 167) : Interesting that its unlikely that any of those in that team will feature against the Stormers in that super hero day. Also looks like Jaden Hendrikse is being looked at as a flyhalf option as Grant Williams is the scrummy on the bench. If memory serves me correct that starting loose trio was the same one that played in the very successful sharks u19 side a couple years ago
@SheldonK (Comment 169) : Not a terrible idea. I was hoping that rumours were true of Werner Kok moving to 6 when he gets here. Funny enough, in that Jersey reveal series the Sharks did last year, they never showed Kok’s number.
@SheldonK (Comment 170) : indeed since the two games are so close to one another I don’t see any of these players also playing against the stormers on Sunday
You are correct, this is the starting lose trio that did very well at u19 level, lots of potential
@SheldonK (Comment 169) : also read that article. Must say I agree a bit and with Louw at 6 Sharks could have a very fast loose trio.
@JD (Comment 173) : It does seem that the Sharks have recruited guys that all have speed and ball handling ability. I think Louw’s career as a centre has stalled and pretty much reached its potential, but being an option at 6/12 does make his bench inclusion quite appealing
@SheldonK (Comment 174) : yes he has some tough competition to get into Sharks team as a centre! Then again with the new loose forwards signings he will also not have it easy to get a spot there. One thing I know now is that the coach is looking to change things so this is going to be an interesting season!!!
@JD (Comment 175) : I was looking at the preseason lineups of all the sides in SA, NZ and OZ, definitely going to be interesting as a lot of departures in terms of household names and experience.
@JD (Comment 173) : Where did you see that article?