Sharks_forever
Marcell Coetzee
Jake white has selected exactly the same team as last week that defeated the Blues in Auckland, thus taking no chances.
There was speculation of injuries and half-injuries and it was suggested that the injured players are Bismark du Plessis, Willem Alberts, Francois Steyn and S’Bura Sithole, yet they are all fit and ready for Saturday’s showdown with the ever improving Stormers at Growthpoint Kings P{ark Stadium in Durban.
The only change made, is that of Marcell Coetzee who returns from injury in place of Jacques Botes who drops out of the squad.
I was sitting bored on my day off, at home, watching whatever DSTV dished up as re-runs were as usual the norm. Anyhow as it is, I sat tweeting to a few friends when I came across an article written by a young black Sharks supporter, who I have on many occasions had the pleasure of chatting to on Sharksworld.
This young man happens to be a black man, but most of all he is a “RUGBY” lover of note, there is hardly a day that will go bye that he will not be online and discuss the sport he loves, be it on Twitter or on a blog.
If there is one thing I have seen from this young man, is that he is very honest in his opinions, he is actually a very good example of being a true rugby supporter. There are so many blogs one can visit and see people from all sides making total fools of themselves as they try to justify their knowledge or love for the game, but very few come across this honest.
Jake White has sprung a few surprises for the Cell C Sharks clash against the ever improving Crusaders in Christchurch, this coming weekend.
The Sharks face the Brumbies in Canberra this Saturday and Jake White again has selected a new midfield combination as Cobus Reinach and S’bura Sithole return to the starting line-up with Heimer Williams and Charl Mcleod being relegated to the bench.
Although the centre combination of Jordaan and Sithole seems a more “explosive one” it also could backfire as new combinations always take time to settle.
Cobus Reinach starts his first match since injuring himself against the Bulls in the Sharks 5 th game of the tournament. Charl McLeod rotates to the bench, having played almost every minute of the last 5 matches.
There are suggestions that Pat Lambie could still make a comeback before the play-offs in July.
The Absa Currie Cup competition starts this Friday evening with The Sharks hosting Griquas at Growthpoint KINGS PARK in a Women’s Day spectacular for this opening clash.
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.
Taking a look at the Super Rugby season for The Sharks thus far has been painful and regrettable, the uncertainty and anger of supporters as to “What just happened out there” or “Why? Who is to blame?” and naturally the first thing that is thrown around is “Dismiss the coaching staff!”.
Sharks rugby seems to be in disarray as stories surface regarding issues within the Union and players! Now even though nothing has been confirmed officially, it does seem to make sense as to why the sudden problems the Sharks are having.
Sharks coach John Plumtree has been able to name a settled side to take on the Reds on Friday, making just four changes to last week’s starting line-up, two of them enforced through injury.
Sharks coach John Plumtree has made a number of enforced and rotational changes to his team that meets the Chiefs in Hamilton in their Vodacom Super Rugby clash on Saturday, with a number of players set to make their debuts.
The Sharks have named a mixture of youth and experience in their 26 man touring squad that will depart for their four match Vodacom Super Rugby tour to New Zealand and Australia on Sunday.
While The Sharks may not be at full-strength, this Saturday’s Vodacom Super Rugby clash against the Stormers sees the return of a familiar face and the introduction of a new one to off-set their injury status.
The Sharks are in a good place, both mentally and physically, as well as on the Vodacom Super Rugby log following their bonus point win over the Rebels and the confidence they would have gained from their execution of the basics on Saturday.
There were contrasting emotions going through the coaches’ minds following The Sharks’ 64-7 defeat of the Rebels at KINGS PARK in their Vodacom Super Rugby clash on Saturday evening.
Sharks coach John Plumtree has made seven changes to the Sharks team to face the rebels this coming weekend, Poor performances by some have forced the coach’s hand and it has led to the good performances by youngsters getting rewarded with a start.
The Sharks suffered a major injury scare after the Kings match, but have received some very good news ahead of their match against the Brumbies at KINGS PARK on Saturday, allowing them to name a strong team.
John Plumtree has the rare pleasure of being able to select an unchanged line-up for his team’s Vodacom Super Rugby clash with the Southern Kings at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday.
Coach John Plumtree has opted for continuity and kept the exact same squad of 22 players for their encounter with the Stormers in Durban on Saturday. In the only change within that squad, strongman Jean Deysel will be starting this week with Jacques Botes moving to the bench.
I am thrilled with the win against tough opponents in such testing conditions Sharks coach John Plumtree admitted after his team’s 29-22 victory over the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein. “We just had to get the win, even if it was ugly he said.
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.
The Sharks squad to play in this year’s Vodacom Super Rugby tournament shows no great surprises, with two players drafted in from outside, a couple of new faces that have been in the system and the familiar faces we all know.
The Sharks are again being hampered by numerous injury setbacks before the Super Rugby season officially kicks off, no less than seven stars out for anything between 4 weeks and 8 weeks.
The Sharks have announced their 24 man team for their pre-season match at the Woodburn stadium in Pietermaritzburg on Friday night.
I was reading some Tweets this morning when I came across this article from Mark Keohane and I have to say a very well written one at that, about John Plumtree.
Now here I want to give my point of view – as I feel we all will in one form or another acknowledge (although I do not wish to add to what is already said in the article) and I feel the man has paid his dues, he has done everything that should be expected of him and more.
Junior Springboks coach Dawie Theron on Thursday named a strong starting line-up for the South African Under 20 training squad’s match against the University of the Western Cape, to be played on Friday afternoon at the Markötter Sports Field in Stellenbosch.
For eight standout 18-year-old rugby players a new chapter in their lives is about to begin. Every year the Sharks only contract between 8 and 12 players. These players are carefully picked based on two criteria, the players’ individual rugby ability and the future needs of the Union. Yes, the Sharks don’t necessarily go after the best players on the board, they actually try to work out where their future senior team positional needs will lie and plan succession on this basis.
The Sharks beat the Dolphins at Sahara Stadium Kingsmead, in the Pick n Pay T20 match in aid of charity, “and charity won big at the end of the day”.
Let me be the first to say that we were treated to a festival of cricket and fun with both team’s players doing their utmost to give time to fans and at the same time try put up a spectacle worthy of these high class sportsmen, and so they did.
It has officially been confirmed that Bryan Habana penned the deal with the French side in the last few days.
In this Article we look at the contenders for WINGS AND FULLBACKS at the Sharks 2013 Super Rugby group.
The Sharks will have a very solid backline in 2013 with all positions having sufficient depth and with the Back Three the same can be said. In JP Pietersen, Lwazi Mvovo, Odwa Ndugane and Sibusiso Sithole they have four good wings with the likes of Paul Jordaan, Louis Ludik and Gouws Prinsloo who can all also cover the position if need be.
The Sharks have returned to Mr Price KINGS PARK on Monday after their Christmas break and will continue building a fitness and conditioning platform from which to launch and sustain their 2013 Vodacom Super Rugby challenge.
While Sunday offers some fun in the form of the cricket match against the Sunfoil Dolphins at Sahara Stadium Kingsmead, the Durban weather at this time of the year coupled with the watchful eyes of the conditioning and coaching staff means that this is always the hardest time of the year for Sharks players.
With the 2013 Super Rugby season just around the corner the fixture list of all warm up games has been released.
Some teams have opted for tougher opponents and some less so, much of course depending on their requirements and strategies they have planned for. The tournament itself kicks off on the 15 February 2013.
With most of the pre-season fitness programmes out of the way, the next few weeks will be vital as each side starts to focus on honing their game ahead of another grueling season. Teams will be trying to get their best combinations together as to find cohesion, coaches of course will hope not to pick up injuries as some teams are starting the season with numerous injured stars.
In this Article we look at the contenders for CENTRES at the Sharks 2013 Super Rugby group.
The Sharks for the first time in a long time have a solid midfield, and to top it they have more than one option, the secret though is going to be which combination would suit the team’s dynamics the best.
I would like to try and explain the two centre position as many seem to get confused between the two, for example,“ What kind of player would you want at inside centre or outside centre” contrary to many beliefs in my opinion the center combination should be 2 players with different skill sets.
In this Article we look at the contenders for FLYHALVES at the Sharks 2013 Super Rugby group.
FLYHALF – this is the position the Sharks now have the most depth they have had in a long time, even with the departure of the French general, Freddy Michalak.
The Sharks are in a position where they at least always have parity at scrum time and for the most part should win the breakdown clashes! This allows for their halfbacks to be more involved in games and they are also able to set up running lines and control games more effectively.
South African mountain biking champion Burry Stander has been killed while practicing, reports indicate. Stander was apparently killed after being hit by a taxi. News of Stander’s death broke on social networking site, Twitter, on Thursday. Cycle Lab Cape Town, a leading cycling retailer in South Africa, confirmed the news.