Sharks make a few changes with a few small surprises, one still cannot see this team being world beaters with the backline as is.
Willem Alberts will start his first Super 14 game for the Sharks when they tackle the Crusaders in Christchurch on Friday.
Kick-off is at 08:35 SA time. Alberts, who was at the centre of a pre-season legal tug-of-war between the Sharks and Lions, played off the bench in the Sharks’ defeats to the Chiefs (19-18) and Cheetahs (25-20). With Alberts starting on the blindside flank, Jean Deysel drops down to the substitute’s bench.
Other changes see lock Johann Muller return to the second row after missing last week’s loss to the Cheetahs with a knock he took in the opening game against the Chiefs.
Captain John Smit returns to the tighthead prop position, with Bismarck du Plessis coming in at hooker. England flyhalf Andy Goode will get his first taste of Super Rugby off the bench.
Sharks: 15. Stefan Terblanche, 14. Odwa Ndungane, 13. Waylon Murray, 12. Adrian Jacobs, 11. JP Pietersen, 10. Ruan Pienaar, 9. Rory Kockott, 8. Ryan Kankowski, 7. Willem Alberts, 6. Jacques Botes, 5. Johann Muller, 4. Steven Sykes, 3. John Smit (captain), 2. Bismarck du Plessis, 1. Tendai Mtawarira Substitutes: 16. Deon Carstens, 17. Jannie du Plessis, 18. Wilhelm Steenkamp, 19. Jean Deysel, 20. Keegan Daniel, 21. Andrew Goode, 22. Riaan Swanepoel
Puma
Well good luck nevertheless….
31 – Blouste, Thanks. I can only hope hey!!! Very tough tour, very tough.
Both the Saders and the Sharks will be desperate for this game…. should make for a tight, high intensity but low-scoring game…
#33
This is probably going to be the worst game of the Super 14…
Gonna drink till I die…
Sharks won’t make it this year. Backline is shit, no structure. Hopeing to avoid the wooden spoon. We need some change in the team.
Think its a big school any error not playing the hard man Deysel,he would have combined well with Alberts now that the fetching role is not as important as previously 🙂
35 – Snoek, You right our backline is not up to much. We have Mvovo but they keep on with Odwa. Our centres not up to much either. Maybe Adi but he should be playing at outside and not inside centre. Swannie will be on the bench and will come on. Will Adi go to 13 or will he go off when Swannie come on?
Stefan is reliable but now the speed has gone there too. Maybe when Ludik is fit and ready we may have some speed there.
Will just have to re-build and think of next year. Just hope we can win on Friday or if we don’t really hope it is not a thrashing. So far we have lost but have not been thrashed by any team yet. Both games were close.
36 – Hello Winston. I would have had Deysel at 6 Alberst 7 and Kanko 8. That would be a great loose trio. Now we have Deysel on the bench. So daft not to use him really.
34 – Saint both teams could surprise you and have a blinder. 😉
Remember Stormers face Brumbies that not going to be easy, but it will be a cracker of a game for sure. Looking forward to seeing that game. The Bulls and Tahs, Canes and Lions. Cheetahs may just beat the Landers. I hope so.
After the great game Reds had last week also looking forward to seeing them against the Chiefs. Some good teams playing each other this week. Should be some class games to watch.
GBS, Don’t forget tomorrow the cricket is on. Thread please boet. Our 2nd odi game against India.
Good luck and best wishes to the Sharks, but that will not be enough I’m afraid.
‘Saders to take this one comfortably. They would have been shocked by the Reds and will take their revenge on whoever is next, which is unfortunately the Sharks.
Doing my homework for this weekend…..are ‘we’ saying Reds or Blues?
Think I am 75% decided on the rest!
Can I have some help here? 😀
If Saders were ‘shocked’ by the Reds, is that enough?
41 – Hokaai, They also have McCaw back. Makes a huge difference to that team.
43 – Carol, Saders were shocked by the Reds but they wont mess it up like that again. Far too good that team. Thorn and McCaw are back too.
Saders lost to the very poor Landers last year 6/0 and still came back to be in the semi. Never count them out they are a class team.
Just hope my Sharks can pull this one off. The travel, two losses behind them, so they wont have too much confidence but a will to win YES, they will have that. So hoping they can do it.
TightHead see you up there. What is your take on our game for Friday against the Saders?
Sharky see you up there. What your feeling for the Saders game. McCaw back and Thorn? They going to be tough to beat on their turf.
I’ve now been instructed to do a Blog about Bath.
This is where Butch plays his rugby now…seeing Natal flyhalves are so topical at the moment.
This was a backwater with hot springs until about the 4th century, when the Romans put it on (the then) world map. They built a temple with an inner sanctum dedicated to the goddess Sul as they worshipped the deities of the earth and water mostly those days. The hot springs are water that fell as rain approximately 150 kms from Bath about 500 years ago and go right down to the tectonic plates of the planet and then move sideways and bubble up at Bath. The water is full of sulphur and supposed to be very healthy for people with joint complaints (arthritis, etc). When the Romans left Bath retrogressed into a backwater again until Elizabethan times, when the current Abbey was built, where there are church services conducted to this day (the church windows are some of the finest I’ve seen in England). Where royalty went the people followed, Elizabeth 1, William of Orange, Queen Anne all made use of the therapeutic qualities of the hot springs at Bath. the last great resurgence was during Georgian England and the bulk of the towns architecture is Georgian. The old city is a delight with winding lanes and streets with the most wonderful and quaint shops and establishments. A pub called the “Volunteer Rifleman” is a must to visit and the Landlord and (freehold) owner Paul will make you most welcome. Decor is 2nd world war posters and art themes. There is a “bizarre Bath” comedic tour which kicks off at 2000hrs every night, with the tour guide (a comic) poking a very English irreverent finger of fun at everything. He asked if there were any people from overseas and then said to the Aussie “welcome back” and to me “South African” I will try and talk slower, very funny and a must do. There is also a group of tour guides who do walks around the city twice a day 1030hrs and 1530hrs, all locals who do this volunteer work for no pay. Very informative. The river Avon runs through the city and with all the waterworks and canals the place is almost reminiscent of Venice. Bath is a byword amongst Europeans of all ilks now and travellers come from far and wide to go to the Spa (modern and updated) which is seperate from the old inner sanctum of the Roman temple, to experience the unique character of this lovely town with its lovely people. The accents are West country and the burr of the Cornishman can be heard in most voices. there is a plethora of B&B’s, all of which appear to be very busy. Very good restaurants (I ate at “Tillys bistro”, service and preparation of food was excellent, I had Cornish mackerell which I didnt think was that great, but then South Africans are spoiled by very good fish obtained in Southern oceans). there was a music festival jazz and classical at this time, with a number of independent bands and musicians performing at the “fringe festival” which is run in a huge Marquee on the famous Bath rugby club grounds. Pubs to visit, “Volunteer Rifleman, The Royal Oak (sporting pub no smoking, most pleasant) the Huntsman (where the bizarre Bath tour kicks off)”. Restaurants to get to, “Tillys bistroand Sally Lunns (oldest house in Bath, reportedly 1480, but more realistically probably about 1680), plenty more Restaurants that looked very inviting, I just didnt have the time, what with being in the pub watching the rugby and eating stout pub food, which was absolutely fine and filling . On the walking tour I found a famous graffiti artist “Banksy” drawing on one of the sandstone walls hidden in an alley, thats probably worth £100,000. The tour guide had not heard of Banksy. Nicholas Cage has just bought a Georgian house in the Royal Crescent area and celebrities are a dime a dozen. Definitely worth the trip. 75 minutes from Paddington station London to “Bath Spa” (the correct station for city centre), so a quick hop skip and a jump from London, return ticket under 50 quid, B&B’s price 20 to 50 quid per person, so very reasonable. If you are wanting to do a barge tour of the inland waterways of England, Bath is a good place to start, there is a lot of information available. I will do the trip again, it is well worth it.
a bien tot
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