The 1st and Article in the set discussing the Sharks Super Rugby players for 2012.

In this Article we look at the contenders for PROPS in the Sharks 2012 Super Rugby group, and what their worth will be in Super Rugby terms.

The Sharks have high aspirations for 2012 and it appears they have the squad and depth to match those aspirations.

The Contenders:

Name: Dale Chadwick

Date of Birth: 20/06/1989
Place of Birth: Durban
Position: Prop
Height: 1.83m
Weight: 114kg
High School: Westville Boys High School
Club: Jonsson College Rovers

Dale a home-grown Shark, attended Westville Boys High School and made his provincial debut for the Sharks against the Leopards in 2009.

With a front row decimated by Springbok call-ups in 2011, Dale came of age in the Currie Cup competition with some outstanding performances for The Sharks. Locally schooled, he has a bright future of him and with the loss of Tendai Mtawarira to an ankle injury for the early part of the tournament, will find himself in the thick of things from the start.

He has big boots to fill in 2012.

Name: Jan Nathaniel (Jannie) du Plessis

Date of Birth: 16/11/1982
Place of Birth: Bethlehem
Position: Prop
Height: 1.88 m
Weight: 118 kg
High School: Grey College (Bloem)
Club: Bluff Superspar Harlequins

Jannie made the senior Free State Cheetahs side in 2003, and continued playing for the Cheetahs through the 2007 Currie Cup.Du Plessis was also named to a South African squad that faced a World XV at Ellis Park in 2006.

Du Plessis made his Super 14 debut in 2006 for the Vodacom Cheetahs. His 2007 Super 14 campaign was hampered by an ankle injury.After recovering, he was named to the Springboks squad for the first time during the 2007 Tri Nations, making his debut in the starting XV on 7 July against Australia during the Boks’ home leg. The match was significant for him in another way, as his younger brother Bismarck made his Boks debut as a substitute in the same match while he was still on the field. This made the du Plessis brothers the 23rd set of brothers to earn Springboks caps.

Neither Jannie nor Bismarck was named to the Springboks’ original squad for the 2007 Rugby World Cup, but both eventually joined the squad. Jannie was named to replace BJ Botha after Botha blew out a knee against the USA in the Boks’ final pool match.He received the call notifying him of his selection from Springboks selection panel member Peter Jooste early in the morning of 1 October, shortly after finishing an all-night shift at a Bloemfontein hospital on the evening of 30 September, during which he performed a Caesarean section. When interviewed after his selection, he said that his first sleep since 29 September was “an hour or so on the plane from Bloemfontein to Cape Town”, where he travelled to do his required paperwork before joining the Boks in France. On 7 October, little more than a week after the aforementioned all-night shift, he was starting for the Boks in their quarterfinal against Fiji, having been named to the starting lineup after CJ van der Linde was ruled out with a knee injury.

A week after the Boks’ victory over England in the Rugby World Cup final, du Plessis was in the squad for another final—the 2007 Currie Cup final, in which the Cheetahs defeated the Golden Lions 20–18. Because of his late call-up to the World Cup squad, he was the only member of the World Cup winners to play in enough Currie Cup matches to qualify for the final (at least four are required). Du Plessis joined three members of the 1995 Rugby World Cup winners as the only players to earn World Cup and Currie Cup winners’ medals in the same year.

He followed his brother and fellow front rower Bismarck to Durban (“A childhood dream”) and has since established himself as one of the premier tighthead props, not only locally but also on the international stage.

Jannie is a qualified medical doctor – having a powerful impact at the set phases as well as in loose play and relishes the opportunity to mix it up with the opposition.

We expect big things from Jannie in 2012 and hope that as senior member at the Sharks and at the Springboks he can contain his sometimes over-rubust temper.

Name: Wiehahn Jovan (Wiehahn) Herbst

Date of Birth: 05/07/1988
Place of Birth: Klerksdorp
Position: Prop
Height: 1.80 m
Weight: 114 kg
High School: Klerksdorp High School
Club: Varsity College Old Boys

Wiehahn represented South Africa Under 19 in 2007, South Africa Under 20 in 2008 and made his debut for the Sharks in 2009.

Not the tallest front rower, he is, however, a devastatingly powerful young prop with considerable strength and technically adept at scrum time. A committed defender and accurate support player, making him a valuable addition to the squad, and with his youth means his progress has been kick-started as a senior player and will continue to grow.

Name: Tendai (Beast) Mtawarira

Date of Birth: 01/08/1985
Place of Birth: Harare
Position: Prop
Height: 1.88m
Weight: 116kg
High School: Peterhouse
Club: Jonsson College Rovers

He attended Peterhouse Group of Boarding Schools in Marondera in Zimbabwe, along with fellow Springbok player Brian Mujati. Notably, despite living in South Africa and representing the country internationally, Mtawarira was a Zimbabwean national until late June 2010. He qualified for South Africa by three years’ residency, as allowed under International Rugby Board rules.

Mtawarira attended Churchill Boys High School for 5 years before being given a full scholarship to Peterhouse. At the age of 15, while at Churchill, he was spotted by legendary Zimbabwean Coach Joey Muwadzuri who invited him to join the Under 19 side at the National Schools Festival. Later that year Coach Joey invited him to be part of Cats and Dogs Rugby Academy Team that won the National Seniors 7’s tournament. He played with Stars Dan Hondo,Pete Benade,Tonderai “Kawaza” Chavhanga, among many others. Despite his young age he used his strength and will to learn to tread with the bigger boys. He also represented Zimbabwe in the under 19 age group.

After a fantastic 2008 Super 14 season with the Sharks it was apparent that he had fantastic potential and his speed would be beneficial with the new rules (ELV’s).

He was then selected in the Springbok squad and at first received limited game time. Later on he had the opportunity to be a reserve during the test against the Wallabies in Perth. Once he came on his impact was significant and had two long distance runs with the ball. He went on to be a part of the starting lineup in all the subsequent Tri-nations tests.

The highlight of Mtawarira’s career to date came in the first test of the British and Irish Lions Tour in 2009. Scrumming against Phil Vickery, Mtawarira dominated his more experienced opponent, leading to Vickery being substituted after 45 minutes, and a man-of-the-match award for Mtawarira.However, he conceded several penalties in the second test when playing opposite Welsh prop Adam Jones. Similarly, in the third test, Mtawarira was largely ineffectual in the scrum, with the returning Vickery, and replacement John Hayes, subduing him up front.

This crowd favourite, with chants of “BEASSSSTTTTTTTTT” is unfortunately injured at present and is expected to miss about 3 months of this Super Rugby campaign.

One of the most instantly-recognisable rugby players on the planet, and a crowd-pleaser regardless of where he plays, he has become a firm favourite with the fans and a valuable member of The Sharks with his powerful driving play and committed support play, while his pick and goes and his increasing potential as a dominant loosehead prop added to his repertoire.

He was a SA Rugby Player of the Year nominee, 2008. Sasol Young Player of the Year nominee, 2008.

Name: Julian Redelinghuys

Date of Birth: 11/09/1989
Place of Birth: Pretoria
Position: Tighthead Prop
Height: 1.76 m
Weight: 110 kg
High School: Monument High School
Club: Jonsson College Rovers

Julian attended Krugerdorp North Primary School and then Monument High School.

Julian played for the Golden Lions Under 16 Coca-Cola Grant Khomo week in 2005, then for SA Schools in 2006 & 2007 as well as for the Lions Under 18 side in 2006 & 2007. In 2008 he joined the Sharks where he represented them at the ABSA Under 19 Competition.

In 2009 Julian represented South Africa at the IRB Junior World Championships, played for the Sharks Under 21 side and also for the Sharks senior side in the ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division.

In 2010 he played for the Sharks in the ABSA Under 21 Competition and in 2011 he played for the Sharks in the ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division.

Another youngster who has come through the ranks of the age group system. A short, but technically sounds scrummager and committed support player who adds good depth in the front row.

Starters:

Dale Chadwick and Jannie du Plessis are the logical starters for the first 3 months, till Tendai (Beast) Mtawarira recovers fom his long term injury.

Wiehahn Herbst should do regular bench duty.

This was the FIRST article in the range dealing with the Sharks, the HOOKERS will be up next.