The Sharks will take on the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein in their Vodacom Super Rugby campaign with arguably the strongest side available to them and will be captained by Francois Steyn.
Coach John Plumtree said that he had very tough decisions to make in naming the team and of course to find the right balance as some positions had atleast two players fighting it out for the jersey.
What was evident is that Plumtree went for youth, experience and mobility and if one takes two positions as an example, at scrumhalf you have the youth and flair of Cobus Reinach with Charl McLeod providing cover off the bench and amongst the loose forwards he went with Ryan Kankowski, back from a six month stint in Japan and starting at No 8, alongside fellow loose forwards Jacques Botes and Marcell Coetzee with Jean Deysel providing cover off the bench.
Coetzee might only have 23 caps, but he has represented the Springboks 12 times already, despite being just 21 years of age, while Botes and Kankowski boast nearly 200 caps between them (Botes is a centurion himself).
In the second row, Anton Bresler partners Franco van der Merwe, which hopefully will settle the line-out woes that faced the Sharks towards the end of last season and no real surprises in the backline as it is pretty much as expected with Pat Lambie at flyhalf, Frans Steyn partnering Paul Jordaan in the midfield and Springboks JP Pietersen and Lwazi Mvovo out wide, with Louis Ludik completing the line-up at fullback.
“It was a case of the experience factor with the tight five I’ve chosen” said the Sharks coach. “The way the Cheetahs play influenced a lot of the selections, they have a lot of speed and genuine threats in their backline and we have to be able to match that defensively.”
“We’ve picked a side that has the most experience for the occasion. Scrumhalf was a horses for courses selection in terms of the strengths I require for the day.”
The Sharks
1. Tendai Mtawarira 2. Craig Burden 3. Jannie du Plessis 4. Anton Bresler 5. Franco van der Merwe 6. Jacques Botes 7. Marcell Coetzee 8. Ryan Kankowski 9. Cobus Reinach 10. Patrick Lambie 11. Lwazi Mvovo 12. Francois Steyn (Captain) 13. Paul Jordaan 14. JP Pietersen 15. Louis Ludik
Replacements: 16. Kyle Cooper 17. Wiehahn Herbst 18. Pieter-Steph du Toit 19. Jean Deysel 20. Charl McLeod 21. Meyer Bosman 22. Odwa Ndungane.
Excellent team. Thought Deysel might start, but not totally suprised to see Botes there. Almost the same loosies we finished with end of last season except Keegan is out injured.
Herbst will cover prop, PSDT covers lock and blindside flank, McLeod covers scrumhalf, Bosman covers centre and flyhalf, Odwa covers wing and fullback. We are well covered on the bench and it is a very good bench too.
Looking forward to seeing Franco playing. Hope our lineouts is far better than it was in the CC final.
GO SHARKS! CAN’T WAIT…………. Come on Saturday! ……..
All the best to Fransie on his first captaincy in Super Rugby. Have a good one boet we are expecting a lot from you.
Strong looking team even without Alberts and Bismarck
If this star studded Sharks team does not snot klap the CC relegation playing Cheetahs by 50 points then the moral victory will be with the Cheetahs.
Good grief , this is a good, very good team. Shame Cheetahs, maybe next time.
Very bloody good side… and Sharks depth is impressive.
Only thing which might assist the Cheetahs to get some parity is home ground advantage…
If these Sharks fire, then it will be NAGGGGG for the Staat.
@ grootblousmile:
And what if the Cheetahs fire? Nag TJAAARKS!
I remember axCC match a few years back, where the Sharks were also hot favourites, in Dirtbin nogal! Final score Cheets 53 – Anchovies 32!
You just never underestimate the Cheetahs, especially not when you have guys like Goosen, van Zyl, Rhule and le Roux out wide!
7 @ Cheetah4eva:
Want to put 6 beers or 6 sletsappies on the result?
Game will be even for about 60 minutes, as Goosen takes control, but the Staters will fall apart as he limps off injured. He is a great player but far too injury prone. Guppies to win this one quite easily.
@ grootblousmile:
learnt a long time ago, not to bet on something I have no control over. I just think the match will not be fait accompli, as everybody is making it out to be. Sharks will miss Bissie big time, and should have considered Deysel, but the nightmare of their misfiring lineout is haunting them. The Sharks bench doesn’t really add any value to the starting team with the exception of Steph-du Toit and Deysel.
If the Cheetahs get enough ball, they will be more than a handful, Steyn may be a big bloke, but he will struggle to keep up with the pace the Cheetahs have in the backline!
10 @ Cheetah4eva:
No faith in your side for a win… that much is obvious…. lots of bravado though…
Cheetahs
With the wealthier unions all poaching Lions players the Cheetahs finally got to keep theirs. Oh my, you know it’s a good backline when Rocco Jansen can’t even make the 22. Fantasy favourite “Super ”Sarel Pretorius has been named on the bench probably because Piet van Zyl can tackle. Willie Le Roux, Johan “Wunderkind” Goosen, ”Everybody Loves” Raymond Rhule and Robert Ebersohn are all very dangerous but the Sharks have managed to contain Cheetahs backlines in the past by starving them of good ball. Ultimately it will be down to the forwards ensure the Cheetahs backs can’t strut their stuff.
The Cheetahs will be led by captain courageous Adriaan Strauss who will be hoping his props will hold up to the Shark’s Springboks. The Bloem outfit have their best scrummager on the bench which means Coenie Oosthuizen is not 100% yet; that being said he may have to come on early. The Cheetahs will struggle at lock with both Andries Ferreira and Martin Muller out injured. Their backrow of Philip van der Walt, Lappies Labuschagne, and Frans Viljoen is good but they really could do with a certain Heinrich Brussow.
Sharks
John Plumtree will be on the look out for which Cheetahs players he wants to take back to Natal with him; hopefully he leaves Charl McLeod behind. The great news for Sharks fans is that Tendai Beast Mtawariwa’s heart seems to be fine now and he’ll be running out on Saturday with fellow Springbok Jannie “Doctor” du Plessis. The Sharks tight five has also been boosted by Franco van der Merwe with the promising Pieter-Stef du Toit returning from injury to warm the bench. The Sharks should have the upper hand in the back-row with Ryan Kankowski, Marcell Coetzee and veteran Jacques Botes.
It’s hard to believe he’s only 25, rugby veteran, and youngest player to win a World Cup, Frans Steyn has been made captain and will be standing outside Pat Lambie. The Sharks have some firepower of their own in Paul Jordaan, Louis Ludik, JP Pieterson and Lwazi Mvovo. This match has all the potential for an exciting free-flowing game of rugby. Although a true free-for-all would definitely suit the home side.
Ok so do I nominate Pat Lambie or Morne Steyn as my fantasy kickers for the weekend? Probably Lambie.
@ grootblousmile:
Ha ha, that isn’t going to work! I back my team, always have! I just don’t bet on sports. Too many variables for my liking.
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