Tendai ‘Beast’Mtawarira
Bismarck du Plessis
Jannie du Plessis
Willem Alberts
It seems the Sharks supporters in general are taking serious exception to recent critisism in the media and here on Rugby-Talk, against suggestions that Jake White has overplayed a lot of the Sharks’ Springbok players and candidates.
We are even experiencing a silent boycot by some of the regular Sharks contributors here on Rugby-Talk, for us daring to speak out in the comments against the lack of national interests by Jake White and the Sharks… not that it has negatively impacted on Rugby-Talk at all in any form or by any means.
Friends, this is not a “Hit Out” against the Sharks, this is a worrying trend, which is showing true results at present!
This morning, I had the fortune of meeting and speaking to one of our regular Sharks supporters’ Father-In-Laws, here in my office… so Sharkie_Forever, you have a grand old Father-In-Law, a singular gentleman, even though he also supports the Sharks.
The older gentleman is also in agreement that Jake White is overplaying some of the players, so there you have it, the wisdom of the older generation!
In SA Rugby media circles, there are probably not a more fervant Sharks media man than Rob Howing, the Sport24 reporter, so I thought that adding an article penned by Rob, is probably apt in the circumstances!
So, here goes:
Sport24
Many of them are staple presences in Springbok sides picked by coach Heyneke Meyer, but the significant Sharks contingent in his plans are also showing increasingly glaring signs of mental and physical fatigue.
Disturbingly, that is with the Test portion of the 2014 season only about to begin, against Wales in the first of two clashes at Kings Park on Saturday.
A common denominator in Saturday’s non-Test, 47-13 victory over the so-called and frankly overly-hyped World XV at Newlands was the fact that the six players in Meyer’s starting line-up from the Super Rugby log-leading Sharks generally struggled to do full justice to their known, indisputable reputations.
It is not a criticism … it is simply the sobering reality of the majority of them having played more or less non-stop for nine weekends, including a four-week Australasian tour with their franchise.
The pressures have been greater than for any other compatriot outfit, because when you are riding high and pushing desperately hard for rights to that important, possible home final, there is just no room for stepping off the pedal.
As a result, Sharks coach Jake White has demanded routine duty from his hard-core Boks, and his talk before the overseas leg of rotating certain hard-pressed troops largely amounted to nothing.
The Durban-based franchise had little reason to beef about their itinerary this year, given its massively heavy emphasis on home matches in the first half of ordinary season which allowed them to become pace-setters pretty swiftly and stay there — even if the rest of the playoffs-chasing pack has closed in threateningly of late.
But one drawback was a tougher second half of fixtures, plus the Sharks’ two byes coming a bit too early to allow them a decent breather near the business end: the last of their two sit-out weekends was as far back as April 4/5.
Inevitably, various Boks from the Durban-based team have begun to shed some sharpness, even as their professional pride keeps them ticking as best as possible.
That probably applies especially to the forwards, who take the greater bodily pounding: little wonder, then, that the normally trusty front row of Tendai Mtawarira, Bismarck du Plessis (vastly improved in the second half at Newlands, mind you) and Jannie du Plessis were way down on scrummaging effectiveness against the cobbled-together “global” crew.
Blindside flank Willem Alberts — custodian of another notoriously taxing position physically – also struggled to consistently impose himself on the day, even as he did some chores well.
In truth, both teams had farcically little prep time for the game, and it may have been one reason why a good many discerning rugby followers opted to give the contest a wide berth in terms of attendance; there were all-too-noticeable swathes of empty seats at the venue on a blustery but rainless Cape winter’s evening.
It is entirely possible that, subconsciously, a few Bok players knew they had to somehow leave enough gas in the tank for the three Tests to follow the useful enough friendly, and Meyer was probably quite justified afterwards in suggesting that his side’s scrum angst (the most notably shortcoming even as several other boxes were comfortably ticked) isn’t going to give him nightmares for the next few days.
At least the shortcoming came into the open in a non-Test environment, with improvement next Saturday now quite likely as a result, and he also made the point that South Africa were sturdy scrummagers with similar personnel at their disposal last year.
Even so, Wales will offer a stern challenge on that front, with such gnarly front-row veterans as Adam Jones and Gethin Jenkins on this safari, and the tourists will be well aware that such players as Mtawarira and the older Du Plessis brother have been over-employed in recent weeks and possibly vulnerable as a consequence.
A problem for the Bok brains trust is that decent alternatives – if they feel that is a consideration – hardly fall off the trees in the orchard.
Neither of substitute props Gurthro Steenkamp or Coenie Oosthuizen (the latter still swimming rather against the tide to adapt to tighthead?) set the turf alight when introduced on Saturday, whilst remember that last year’s youthful option at No 3 for Meyer, Frans Malherbe, has sat out several weeks in the wake of a clearly nasty concussion.
How is Meyer to handle the “Sharks fatigue” situation?
It is delicate, because he needs to win Test matches and justifiably his instincts are to engage his most desired names on paper; stability is a key hallmark of his coaching ideology and he hates handing out caps willy-nilly.
But maybe he is simply going to be forced – whether this weekend or thereafter – to indulge in the sort of rotation practice that, in a country like New Zealand with its more central contracting and priority for the national side, should really have occurred in Super Rugby, preceding the June Bok agenda.
For instance, is versatile back Frans Steyn, with his confessed chronic knee condition, really going to get through further rugby every week for the next three unscathed?
Broadly speaking, the Bok coach probably wishes to build on the many promising signs displayed against the World XV, and thus not tinker too extensively with his side for the first Wales Test.
But he also knows deep down that some players are close to running on empty … perhaps with grave longer-term effects.
Bloody good article by Rob Howing… well written old chap!
Puma and SL, please hurry back, all is forgiven …we miss you SO….
The current situation in mind, it begs the question what SARU plans to do about Central Contracting in South Africa, doing what they should primarily be doing and that is to look after the National Interests first and foremost!
I think a heap of the blame must be levelled at the feet of SARU, for not having the foresight or any control over their Franchises and their most valuable commodity, the players.
This must serve as an indictment against SARU and their toothless goblins!
“………………………………………………. not that it has negatively impacted on Rugby-Talk at all in any form or by any means.”
Sharkies will not take this shiit lying down.
Ooops better put a smilie with that.
😉
grootblousmile wrote:
They’ll do what they always do, (no GBS, not conquer the World). They’ll do sweet FA.
4 & 5 @ cane:
I certainly hope they don’t take it lying down!
and people want to brush this off as a nothing test series. when we are playing the bulk of the british and irish lions last year in a two match series… this is not going to be easy at all.
6 @ Scrumdown:
I understand that the tail wags the dog in the SA Rugby hirarchy and specifically in the President’s Council… but heck man, surely it must make clear sense for even the doffest okes that SA also are in dire need of a Central Contracting system.
I wonder what SARPA (SA Rugby Players Asscosiation) makes of all of this?
This game was actually typical of a first test of the mid-year test window.
The Boks were “blunt” and lacked cohesion. Even in the second half they were anything but sharp. They were better, but not sharp.
They will get better after a few games, but I had the distinct feeling that many of them thought it was a “waste of time” game.
I felt that HM would have been better served playing his fringe players and giving some of his personnel a week off.
The problem with that though is that if the World XV managed a win, he (HM) would have been under “moerse” pressure.
I can’t think of a Rugby playing country that puts their National coach under as much pressure as we do here on the tip of Africa.
This whole “June test window” is just another excuse for the likes of SARU to garner a few more TV rights dollars IMO.
It’s not particularly good for the National side (the NH sides rarely send full strength squads), and it really screws with the Super Rugby competition.
I’m not sure what the short term solution is, but for the sake of the long(er) term development of Rugby Union as a worldwide sport, surely a global season is needed?
If February, statistically SA’s hottest month, is not too hot for Super Rugby, then surely the weateher in the NH is not too hot for Rugby in their “Summer”.
How good is this backline for the bokkies?
15. Jesse Kriel
14. Sergeal Petersen
13. Dan Kriel
12. Andre Esterhuizen
11. Duhan van der Merwe
10. Handré Pollard
9. JP Smith
and the backline isn’t even the strongest part of our team 😮
12 @ MacroBok:
The pack was awesome against NZ.
Goose flesh stuff…..
snotske doen dit met strauss, uys, willie sadie en benjamin ook, almal doen dit dis n simptoom van super rugby siekte in sa
@ smallies:
Daar is een groot verskil tussen die diepte an die Cheetahs en die Sharks voorspelers, ons kan saamstem dat Fransie belangrik ir die haaie was om pale te skop want hul twee loskakels is beseer en Swiel sukkel om die mas op te kom… maar daar is net geen verskoning om die oorspelers so hard te speel nie.
Puma, S_L and the other Shark fans on strike?
Now where have I seen this movie before?
Rage wrote:
Maybe it’s just a combination of people being…em….. less than complimentary about the Golden Era Black and White Dynamite and the fact that these tests don’t count as it’s inferior opposition, so they are waiting for the proper rugby to start when the Sharks continue their surge towards crowning glory.
Of course, the fact that the Sharks lost to a ragamuffin bunch of Stormers obviously didn’t help, the absence started round about that time
Gelukkig het ons Bakkies
Bakkies Botha is so sterk, hy kan ‘n bladsy uit facebook uit skeur
Bakkies Botha bel nie die verkeerde nommer nie, jy antwoord die verkeerde foon
Bakkies Botha has already been to Mars; that’s why there are no signs of life.
Bakkies Botha can strangle you with a cordless phone.
Death once had a near-Bakkies Botha experience
Bakkies Botha can slam a revolving door.
Bakkies Botha doesn’t need a GPS. Bakkies Botha decides where he is.
The sheep on Bakkies Botha’ farm are the ones that give us steel wool.
Bakkies Botha will never have a heart attack. His heart isn’t nearly foolish enough to attack him.
Bakkies Botha can speak Braille.
When Bakkies Botha throws a boomerang it doesn’t dare come back
Bakkies Botha does not fart, nothing escapes Bakkies Botha
Bakkies Botha can tweet from a pay phone
Toe Alexander Graham Bell die foon ontwerp het, was daar 3 missed calls van Bakkies Botha af
`The Vredefort dome was not created by a meteorite, Bakkies Botha decided to put his foot down
Die enigste tyd wat Bakkies rustig raak is as Riaan die nuus lees om 7
Wanneer Bakkies melk op sy rice crispies gooi, bly hulle tjoep stil
Die eerste ding wat Bakkies doen wanneer hy by die see aankom, is om twee lengtes te swem
@19
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