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.