The Sharks take on the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld this coming weekend, and having seen the Bulls resurgence it becomes more difficult than ever to see how the Sharks can win this one. I have no doubt as to the ability of the Sharks and that they have the players to beat the in-form Bulls.
Looking at press releases it seems both teams will be basically at full strength, also we know the permutations, and neither team can afford to lose, so what to do? One thing is a must to start with and that is “PLAYING THE FULL 80 min”
I am going to look at the team I think the Sharks should play knowing who the Bulls will play and what style they will opt for, even though in my mind I feel the Sharks will not win due to one simple factor, they don’t seem to have the ” drive, hunger, determination, heart ” but to put it mildly there is no fire in the belly.
One big problem I have with the Sharks this year is the fact that no matter how poorly some players played, they got selected the following week, thus making it impossible for form players not chosen to stay positive as well as the out of form players know their places are safe, as far as I am concerned that is a recipe for disaster.
Now what I would suggest I know would raise the eyebrows and some thinking I have thrown all logic out the window, but I can’t see us winning unless we do the unusual, leave the Bulls wondering and not knowing what to expect. Till now this season all the Sharks have done has been the same match in and match out. Is it not time to throw caution to the wind and do the unexpected? We know John Plumtree has already called the match Do or Die, so why not?
The Bulls team will no doubt be much the same as the one that beat the Sharks at the Tank just a few weeks ago, thus being fresh in their memories. Bakkies Botha will no doubt return to the starting lineup with Danie Rossouw probably moving to the side of the scrum where he played when last the two teams met. Also back will be the very experienced scrumhalf Fourie Du Preez, but after a long layoff through injury as well as the good form shown by Francois Hougaard, I thus cannot see Fourie starting.
That the Bulls will again play the aggressive game in bullying the Sharks is not in doubt, which means the Sharks will surely have to select a team that will at least get parity up front, they will have to try dominate the collusion points and hit rucks with meaning, unlike was the case last weekend. Lineout’s has been a real problem area for the Sharks this year and it is hard to see how the Sharks will compete in this facet of play.
This will no doubt lead to the Sharks when kicking up field not kicking out, thus having the Bulls with the likes of Wynand Olivier, Danie Rossouw etc running back at them, the Sharks must surely play the Running game, keep the ball in hand no matter what, and when kicking little kicks making the Bulls defense turn around should be the best way of unsettling them, but for the most the Sharks should keep ball in hand. Later in the match if things have gone according to plan and they need to defend more I feel the bench I select would be more suited to the kicking game and defense rather the attacking rugby.
In some ways the Sharks must actually do the opposite of the way they have been playing so far this year, but to do so the team cannot stay as it was till now, and mindsets of the players will have to change too, they have to believe they can win, they have to want to win, and most of all they have to play for each other as a unit, if not they can kiss their chances goodbye.
Here is the team I believe can win and should start in order to achieve this, do I think it will be easy NO, and in my mind as I sit here I feel in my heart they can win but in my mind the doubt keeps pounding away. Do I see the Sharks following this route or selecting this team? NO, and in saying one probably cannot blame the coaching staff if they do not, as it is a bad time to experiment, but in my view should have been tried far earlier in the season.
15 Odwa Ndugane, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Adrian Jacobs, 12 Patrick Lambie, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Freddy Michalak, 9 Charl Mcleod, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Jean Deysel, 5 Alistair Hargreaves (Capt), 4 Gerhard Mostert, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismark du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Reserves: 16 John Smit, 17 Wiehahn Herbst, 18 Steven Sykes, 19 Keegan Daniel, 20 Meyer Bosman, 21 Louis Ludik, 22 Stefan Terblanche (Ross Skeate or Anton Bresler to take the place of Sykes if he fails a fitness test).
Another option on the bench might be to go for a 5-2 split where it would be Stefan Terblanche to sit out with a Marcell Coetzee coming onto the bench, this might be better for the defense needed for the last 15 min, especially if the Bulls are behind or the match is very close at the time. The only other doubtful player is Odwa and should he fails his test his place would be taken by Louis Ludik.
man this coming weekends match will be from hell itself
as for sykes being on the bench well thats still touch and go , it seems there is still a chance for him to play
if not it will be either skeate or bresler to take his spot on the bench
GO SHARKSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS < sny daai bul eiers af en voer dit vir rudi 😆 😆
Brudda, very good article. With that photo I feel a lot of pride and positive feelings. After reading your article it has brought me down to earth again…hahaha. Now feeling my normal negative self, now worried about our game. Though since Saturday have had a good feeling for our game on Saturday.
I think we have to throw caution to the wind and go for it. Start with Freddie at fh and Lambie at inside centre like you say, also Adi at outside centre. That way we have a far, far better centres and our channel there will be far better with Lambie. With a great player in Freddie that will direct play and we lose nothing with Lambie at 12 but rather gain something. Also with Adi playing there would make a massive difference. Then we finally have ourselves a backline for the first time this year. Now hoping Odwa is fit and ready to start. He can handle fb well.
Our lineouts is a worry, but we had outplayed Bulls there in the CC so why not now? Sure Sykes will be out but what about Bresler? We HAVE to keep ball in hand and not keep kicking it back to them or especially out, as then we are in for a tough time. If we do kick it up get it into space and turn them around, keep the pressure on. Have we the kickers for that? Stefan then at fb would be better, but still prefer Odwa.
I think the only reason our heart are not in it might be that horrendous travel that awaits the players if we make it. It must be still fresh in their memories that horrible tour we had to do then off to London and back. So daft, that sure did come back to bite us on the backside. If we were playing for a semi spot, I bet there would be plenty heart out there for Saturday. Then again, we came out in the 2nd half against the Lions and just went for it and we almost pulled off a win. Why can’t we do that for 80min? Also another game at altitude! Our 3rd one this week. Our team should have stayed up at altitude since the Cheetahs game. Gonna be tough against the Bulls the last 20min if we are just gonna have a tight game. But heck we can do it and hoping we do.
GO SHARKSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.
I like the loose trio as well. Will Alberts be ready for this week though?
@ Puma:
according to an article in news 24 yes alberts is ready , odwa is not certain and sykes a bigger worry
sorry it comes across negative in the article , but i wanted to point out the situation were in and how we feel , but at the same time point out there is hope and that it is possible to win
i think also the negativity comes out as we have not seen plum show some adaption when the going got tough
@ sharky_forever:5 – No worries, I am always negative before our games. Always worry we might struggle. Daft I know. But this week had felt a lot more positive and had a good feeling until reading your article…….hahahaha. Now the worried about the game is back…hehe.
Plum should have taken chances and tried some of the other players way back already. Adi should have been give and start long time back. Bosman has just not been playing well at inside centre either. I would even had given JLP a go there. Now like you say we need to try it out in a must win game. Will he do it though? I think he has no choice but to just throw caustion to the wind and go for it. We could just win.
Also hope that Kaplan has a good game. Really have no idea why he blew for full time in Bulls/Stormers game so quick. Really thought that was advantage. But not to be. Stormers were right on Bulls line just about at the time. So hope. Other than that Kaplan had a very good game.
@ sharky_forever:5 – Cheers brudda. Off to bed now. Catch up tomorrow.
Good article. Why don’t you have Rob put this up on Sharksworld? Would make for a great discussion over there. Where we are more Shark Supporters?
Anyhow, cheers for now. Catch up tomorrow.
Banana Boys!
I
m sorry, but I think all that can get you into that semi-final spot is if the Waratahs lose.
Lets think about this.
When you read “Willem Alberts, Beast, Jean Diesel, Bismarck the Destroyer” you are thinking “We should at the very least get physical parity”. But thats not been the case since maybe the second week of the competition… These guys, or subsets of them, have been bullied like they should not have been too many times this season.
Unless they have a collective mental awakening, and klap the Bulls fwrds around on Saturday, a win, Im sorry to say, is not in the cards.
Basically, I think the game will be won or lost before the match, depending on wether or not the Sharks fwds bring an inferno or a bic-lighter.
I thought the Sharks showed a lot of guts and determination in the last 25 minutes against the Lions, but then the revious 50 minutes and many games during the season they reminded me of looking at someone trudging through mud, it is almost as if they just couldn’t click.
There is no way Stephan Terblanche will be on the bench, I just can’t see Plumtree doing that.
The Sharks do have a chance, but they will have to open the game up, offload before the tackle is made and avoid forward confrontations. The Bulls with Danie Rossouw, Bakkies and Victor will be very physical indeed, and the Sharks will have to watch their discipline.
Having said all that, I think the Bulls are formidable at Loftus and will pull this one through.
THe Sharks shot themselves in the foot by not trouncing the Lions.
I better edit this Article… They are not the Blue Bulls but the Bulls (Vodacom Bulls), … and they are playing at Loftus VersFeld…
@ grootblousmile:
😆
hehehehe i cant wait for rudi’s response 😆
Pity I’m missing this match, stuck at a bloody wedding in Parys (Vrystaat) on Saturday, one that I cannot get out of.
12@ sharky_forever:
Don’t EDIT other people’s comments my friend, it is a NO-NO, the sanction a ban!
The only EDITING of comments allowed is to preserve the integrity of the site, or changes to accomodate how the site is formatted for the Mobile version (like I sometimes do with Loosehead’s loooong Vrystaaaaaaaat). Obviously we also remove spam and comments which totally break the rules here or is against the ethos of the site.
I don’t even correct Puma’s spelling….. hehehehe
@ grootblousmile:
sal net van jou n beter mens maak
@ grootblousmile:
🙄 i need time off the net 😆
sharky @ 16
you’re gonna miss us, lol … anyway i think ou gbs is in a bad mood … he doesnt like the FACT that the stormers have nearly beaten the bulls playing just SEVEN MINUTES OF RUGBY!!! 😉
@ Ashley:
😆 ashley , dagse ou grote
@ Ashley:
it’s that time of the month lol
gbs @ 13
was in the same situation a few weeks ago … good thing for me though was that it was held close to where i live, so i just ate very fast, and then slipped away, lol.
my wife’s take on it was: as i long as i WAS there, noooooooooo problem, hehehehe
sharky @ 19
😆 😆 😆
sharky @ 18
hello broetsie!!
hey morné!
i see you!! come and chat a bit!!
good day morne
@ Ashley:
Morne saw it was you that called and ran out 😆
sharky @ 24
lol
anyway, i’m out of here for the moment
chat again later
Morning gents.
AFTERNOON morné
you bietjie deurmekaar after the stormers’ loss? 😀
@ Ashley:
Haha, not in the least, I called it even!
@ grootblousmile:
GBS, dankie vir al die klein regmakies of “editing” op my artikels, ek vergeet partykeer om die goed te check.
morné @ 28
traitor!! 😀
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