Having come out of their match against the Blues without any serious injuries, The Sharks were able to name an almost complete replica side for this Saturday’s clash with the Bulls.
Aside from Kyle Cooper making way for Bismarck du Plessis’ return to the starting line-up for the first time this year (and re-uniting an all-Bok front row), The Sharks side to take on the Bulls has remained unchanged for the penultimate pool match of Vodacom Super Rugby 2013.
Official Sharks Media Release
Last week’s pack dismantled the Blues at scrum time in particular and laid a wonderful platform for a nail-biting win, and against the Bulls at Loftus on Saturday, a similar effort against a physical opponent is needed if The Sharks are to come away with their stated aim.
“We’ve always gone up there and known how we want to play the Bulls and that’s worked for us at times and other times we’ve been physically dominated,” explains Sharks coach Hugh Reece-Edwards.
“We are very aware of their physicality and certainly we know we need to be physical if we want to be in that game. But we also have to go up there and play our game to go and get the result we want. And that is to come back with a win to have any chance of staying in this competition.
“We have some talented players, some talented backs, and although we don’t have a huge number of backs, with what we’ve got we can certainly play exciting rugby. We know we have to keep the ball in hand for long periods of time against the Bulls and that doesn’t change regardless of the style of rugby we want to play.”
Pat Lambie reaches a milestone in this match, his 50th outing in the competition since making his debut in 2010. Last week – against the Blues – he took his Super Rugby record to over 500 points (having scored 157 this year).
The Sharks: 1. Tendai Mtawarira, 2. Bismarck du Plessis, 3. Jannie du Plessis, 4. Edwin Hewitt, 5. Franco van der Merwe, 6. Marcell Coetzee, 7. Willem Alberts, 8. Keegan Daniel (Captain), 9. Charl McLeod, 10. Patrick Lambie, 11. Lwazi Mvovo, 12. Butch James, 13. Louis Ludik, 14. Odwa Ndungane, 15. Riaan Viljoen
Replacements: 16. Kyle Cooper, 17. Wiehahn Herbst, 18. Jandre Marais, 19. Jean Deysel, 20. Jacques Botes, 21. Jacobus Reinach, 22. Jaco van Tonder.
OK I guess I am allowed to let off a little steam now and then?
For me Keegan as good a player as he is has been shocking this year and has had a very poor season to say the least.
Now although that is not a bad Sharks team I still cannot see them beating the Bulls at Loftus, and of course I want them to whip the Bulls.
What makes me doubt?
1) Keegan has lost the Plot and his form is very poor right now
2) The Bulls might be weaker that the Sharks come scrum time but their lineouts are superior and Kankowski at the back of the lineouts might just have been what the Sharks would need to attack Bulls throw ins and of course maintain own ball, we have seen this from Kanko before.
It is common knowledge that the Bulls will want plenty of lineouts to setup driving mauls, it is what they do best and with Morne in good kicking form no doubt this will be the case.
3) Sharks backline is a patch job right now and I believe this is the other area the Sharks are going to take punishment, I am not worried about Lambies poor kicking last weekend, that will be fixed this week and I still believe lambie on form is a far better 10 that Steyn so my problem is not there.
My concern is the center pairing who last week we saw struggle as a unit, neither Butch or Ludik are natural centers and their interplay as centers was not good, it also caused disruptive to the backline play in general ( I am not blaming either player here) they are being played out of their natural positions.
The Bulls however have the most inform centers on the field this weekend and their backline in general is firing.
Maybe the Sharks need to let Butch and Lambie swap just till they get their injured players back?
I forgot to mention that I am not sure what Keegan Daniel must do to get droppep due to poor performance?? what message does it send to the players that do get dropped when they under perform?
Pleased to see Bissie getting a start. Though have to say Kyle done a magnificent job this year he really played well. Just that if Bissie is totally fit and inform then no-one is better than him at hooker.
1 @ Sharks_forever:
Howzit bro,
Look I am still a Keegan fan, he was sublime last year, just this year he has been totally out of form. So with you on rather having Kanko there as last year when we really did hit form it was with Kanko starting at 8. Like you say against the Bulls we needed him for the lineouts. Last year we totally dominated Bulls in that last game. Then we were a settled team and only change was really Fransie at 12 with Kanko at 8. Now if they never wanted to start with Kanko for some reason I have NO idea. Then I would have started Alberts at 8 with Deysel starting at 7 and Coetzee at 6.
I never saw last weeks game as I was away and totally forgot to set my pvr. Saw the Highlights though you don’t see that much there. Think Butch just might be okay this week as we need a settled team. Doubt we have started a game this year without one being injured somewhere in the line up. From the game I saw against Lions thought Ludik played well at outside centre. Not too sure about last week as I never saw the whole game. Just know that JJ and Serfontein at the Bulls are playing brilliant together and hope we can stop them.
Feel for Deysel on the bench really do. He should be starting ahead of Keegan. Now that we have had our go at Keegs he just may pull off a brilliant game.
Anyhow if Bissie does not leave for overseas or the Bulls as I heard they are after him, then next year really do hope we make Bissie Captain and not Keegan.
Go Sharks. Think we could sneak in a win here.
2 @ Sharks_forever:
Just imagine if we had a full team and all totally inform. JPP at 14 with Whithead at 13 and Fransie at 12 with Ludik at FB. Jeez we have some brilliant players such a pity at every stage of this tourney we lost a player or two after each game.
@ Puma:
Truth is Puma that en-masse injuries are part of the sport.
Just imagine if the Lions hadn’t had more than 15 first choice players injured last season!
Fact is they did have and have paid the price for it. Whether or not it would have made a difference is irrelevant.
Oh, and the sum total of any sympathy was about “tough shit, get more depth to your squad” or words to that effect.
5 @ Scrumdown:
Howzit mate,
Look I know that and I was probably the only one pointing that out to everyone that was dissing the Lions last year. I stood up for your team, here and on keo, telling all, if Lions never lost so many players they could very well have ended much higher. Even the play offs for that matter. They played great rugby the year before in the CC and could have carried that off into SR last year had they not got almost their whole team out to injuries.
Sharks would have made the play offs no doubt about it if we never had so many injuries. The injuries to the Lions last year Sharks and Stormers this year has been the worst I have seen to any team. Probably Sharks this year had the most. Not a week or two off for some, but season ending with ops.
Anyhow we out of the play offs. I doubt we will make it. Just want to see us win our last two games. Now hoping no injuries to any players in this game and next weeks.
6 @ Puma:
Wasn’t trying to be sarcatic or anything, just pointing it out.
The question we should be asking is “What should be done to prevent injuries?”, and while I know full well that they are part of the game, one has to look at the overall question.
That the players (for the most part) are well conditioned should be a given, so then we have to look a whether there is just too much Rugby putting undue stresses into a body that already has to take a punding week in and week out.
Personally I tink the NFL in the USA has the right formula re the number of games that should be played.
The Superbowl winners never play more than 16 games in a season, and the majority of the game played over that season are sell outs.
Sometimes “less is more”, and as fans we all know how we can’t wait for the season to re-sart in February.
Truth is we’re spoilt rotten, whilst the players are self destructing through the amount of Rugby they have to play.
Keegan has lost the Plum I would say
Daniels is just rubbish this season.
Too much rugby for players and fans, should do S15 in conferences only, even use as Currie Cup in South AFrica with top two teams each conference playing knock out games, include Argentina to make 7th team and have wild-card 8th.
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