By Craig Lewis
There is no doubt that the Sharks are at present in the habit of winning, with the team relaxed, confident and acutely aware of what their strengths are.
But they will also know just how quickly things can change, and that should keep them on their toes this Saturday when they face the Griquas at the Absa Stadium.
Over the past few weeks, the Sharks have certainly performed with aplomb, and even without key players and during periods of play when they’ve been under the cosh, they have had the composure to find ways to win.
However, things can just as easily start to unravel, as they learnt in 2009’s Super 14, and they can ill-afford to take their foot off the gas against the log-leading Griquas.
“We know Griquas will be hurting after their first loss of the season against the Bulls in a match they perhaps should have won,” Sharks coach John Plumtree said on Monday.
“They’ll be very physical and our forwards will need to muscle up.”
Unfortunately for the Sharks, though, a number of front-rowers are nursing injuries after Saturday’s bruising game against the Lions, with Deon Carstens carrying a niggle, Pat Cilliers suffering from a hamstring strain and young Wiehahn Herbst battling with a bit of a back injury.
All three will be very closely monitored throughout the week, and with the Sharks likely to be without their Tri-Nations Boks – including Jannie du Plessis – they will be desperately holding thumbs that things are looking a little brighter later in the week.
Nevertheless, Plumtree said he had expressed to the team that they would have to be ready to tackle numerous challenges during the next few crucial rounds of the Absa Currie Cup.
“This group is now going to take us through to the business end of the competition and they are the ones who will determine what position we are in when the Springboks return. In 2008 we were able to get onto a winning roll at about this stage in the tournament and we need to repeat that if we hope to be in a good position to make the play-offs later on.”
And this weekend the Sharks may well look to keep the ball in hand a bit more after having to make an inordinate amount of tackles against the Lions, which ultimately saw them drop off the pace and let in three tries in the last 10 minutes of the match.
Certainly, they will have more of a licence to attack if game-breakers such as Juan Martin Hernandez and Rory Kockott are passed fit for this game, but both may well need to be brought back slowly after being sidelined with an ankle and shoulder injury respectively.
Either way, the likes of Monty Dumond, Riaan Swanepoel, Andries Strauss and Stefan Terblanche are certainly steering the backline in the right direction as it is.
In addition, the Sharks will also have their second-row stocks bolstered in the near future, with both Johann Muller and Alistair Hargreaves not looking far away from a return to action.
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- This article was originally published on page 18 of Daily News on August 18, 2009
@Ed_the_Lion –
Julle probeer hard elke jaar. Die dat julle die swakste s12/s14 span ooit is.
@Supa Die Bloubul – Kyk lets face dit. Die leeus/cats op hulle swakste was nog nooit so swak soos die bulle op hulle swakste nie. Ten minste is ons konsekwent 🙄
@K9-MonsterLeeu –
Swaai hom soos jy wil. Dit gaan niks verander aan die feit dat die Leeus die afgelope TIEN JAAR nie eers n enkele CC of s14 kon wen nie. Soos Kpaul altyd se, die Leeus is n grap.
@Supa Die Bloubul –
Hulle het dem naby gekom aan die CC, as dit nie vir Tewis se drie in die doodsnikke was nie…..teen OVS.
@Supa Die Bloubul – En ons kan nogsteeds nie daai rekord breek nie.
@Pietman –
Toe skop Willem nog uit die hoek uit oor.
124@Pietman –
Ja, daai jaar was hulle groot kans om weer te wen want die Bulls en Sharks het albei minstens 10 top spelers gemis. Maar hulle kon dit nie toe doen nie. Niks BMT nie. So nou sal hulle nog meer sukkel.
116@Ed_the_Lion – Ed my vriend, ons maak nou mos nog altyd grappe met mekaar en ons spanne, wat nou skielik die beswaardheid, of lees ek jou verkeerd ?
@Ed_the_Lion –
Julle sal nooit ons rekords van trofees wen kan breek nie, aanvaar dit.
@bdb – Ek sukkel BDB. My asmapomp is leeg. 😆
Speel net met jou mater. Geen beswaardheid nie.
@Supa Die Bloubul –
Jy onthou nogal goed…..deesdae 🙂
@Pietman – Dis reg Pietman…..leer bietjie vir Supa. 😉
@Pietman –
Ek probeer by jou kersvashou.
@Supa Die Bloubul – Nooit is ‘n baie lang tyd. Die wiel draai mos maar of hoe? Webmonster….argief asb daai comment van Supa? Vir latere verwysing.
@K9-MonsterLeeu –
Ja ek kan baie by ons ouer Bulle leer. 😆
@K9-MonsterLeeu –
As dit ooit sou gebeur, sal jy verseker nie hier wees om my daarop te wys nie! 😯
@Supa Die Bloubul –
Is so.
Hulle gaan nou n tydjie sukkel daar in Jozie, na al die laaste tyd se omwentelinge.
Ek dink die spangees is nie te waffers nie.
120 @Pietman – Dankie Pietman ! Ek gaan jou voorstel uitvoer en kyk of ek ge-‘ban’ gaan word omdat ek my nick verander het. As ek ge’ban’ word, onthou om vir my ook ‘n ‘free BDB’ konsert te reël ! 🙂
@Pietman –
Rather 10,000 relevant posts in 3 weeks than 100,000 drivel posts in 3 days!
Howdy Pieta!
Afternoon all, Supa, Ed, K9, SuperBul and BDB that I can see.
@Supa Die Bloubul – wille aannames vandag sien ek
@Pietman –
Stem saam. Die Leeus begin weer onder na Loffie se drie jaar plan. Bulls sal nog n hele paar jaar kompeterend wees. Ons het nog klomp nuwe jong ouens en ons 0/21 is elke jaar in die finaal. Ja, die wiel draai, maar vir party spanne draai hy darem heelwat langer as ander!
Dis belangrik vir SA rugby dat WP/Bulle/Cheetahs/Sharks en Lions sterk is .
Op die oomblik neuk dit by Lions en WP, swak werksetiek en bestuur by die unies.
En hulle wil dit met geld regmaak.
Gaan nie werk nie….
@OCO – Afternoon OCO!!!!!
130 @Ed_the_Lion – jy het my lekker uitgevang met daai een, jou, jou … leeu.
@OCO –
Good afternoon!
@K9-MonsterLeeu – 100,
Ek berus my daarby dat ons alles gesmaak het van heel onder tot heelbo, waar ons tans is. Snaaks hoe wonde heel. :LOL:
114@bdb –
nou hoekom moet jy nou kleur by die gesprek inbring
@Pietman – die Leeus splash nou nie eintlik geld uit nie. Probeer agterkom wat hulle probeer. Bring jong ouens deur. Maar die ervare ouens daar is oor die algemeen ervare kak…soos bv Willem Stolz!!
139 @OCO – OCO, het julle ‘n kans om die GKW te klop, of dink jy julle gaan ver verloor ?
150
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