Sharks will take some stopping
14 Sep 2009
Notwithstanding their penchant for wobbling in play-off matches, the Sharks have to considered the favourites to defend their Currie Cup crown, even without the departed Frans Steyn.
With four rounds to go, that prediction may seem premature, but the assertion is supported by a number of factors, the most decisive of those is the return of eight of their Springboks and that three of their next four matches is at King’s Park (Cheetahs, Leopards, Lions) before a trip to Kimberley to face Griquas.
Of those returning national team players, tighthead prop Jannie du Plessis, centre Adi Jacobs, lock Johann Muller, loose forward Ryan Kankowski, flyhalf Ruan Pienaar and wing Odwa Ndungane have played a limited role on the Springboks’ Australasian tour and could be thrust into the starting line-up for their clash with the Cheetahs at King’s Park on Saturday.
In addition, they will also have Springbok skipper John Smit, Beast Mtawarira and Bismarck du Plessis available, although, given that the trio have played 80 minutes in the vast majority of the Springboks’ season and in light of the fact that the Sharks have adequate cover at tighthead, loosehead and hooker, they could be given the weekend off or eased back into action off the wood.
Springbok wing JP Pietersen is at least two weeks away from full fitness after tearing his hamstring three weeks ago, but Ndungane’s return, combined with the fact that Chris Jordaan and Lwasi Mvovo, who’ve deputised on the wing, have been in good form, softens the blow of losing Pietersen. Despite his preference for playing in midfield, Springbok Waylon Murray is another wing option for the Sharks.
However, the Sharks will be without Steyn, who arrives at the Paris-based Racing Metro for their Top 14 campaign this week. While the coaching staff would no doubt have wanted to have the conundrum, Steyn’s absence makes their backline selection a little less complicated.
Pienaar’s return creates a dilemma for the coach John Plumtree, who’ll have to consider whether he will slot back into the run-on side at flyhalf ahead of Juan Martin Hernandez. The Argentinian import was excellent at pivot against the Bulls at Loftus on Saturday, scoring 24 of his side’s 29 points, including a superb try.
It is unlikely that Pienaar will be utilised at his preferred position of scrumhalf, Rory Kockott having established himself there, and he won’t unseat veteran Stefan Terblanche at fullback, where he played for the Springboks in Perth and Brisbane. The more likely scenario is that Hernandez will be shifted to inside centre, where he has played at club and Test level in the past.
Jacobs should partner him in midfield, completing what in theory should be a formidable 9 to 13 foursome. The return of Pietersen in a fortnight will further bolster that back division.
Some may point to the fact that the Bulls will gain 11 Springboks, as justification for a belief that they will be team to beat. However, the fact that they are seven points off a the home play-off place, and will need those ahead of them, including the Sharks and Western Province, to capitulate badly (Griquas sadly will) to stand a chance of hosting a semi-final. Neither the Sharks or Province, who face the Leopards (away), Griquas (home), Boland (home), and the Lions (away) in their remaining matches, will.
The most likely outcome for the Bulls therefore is that they will play an away semi-final, probably against their bitter rivals in the Cape, while the Sharks will host one of the Lions or Cheetahs.
Taking all this into account, the Sharks are in a strong position to defend their title. They broke their streak of losing in play-off matches and final with their 2008 triumph and in doing so shattered a mental barrier. Their supporters will be hoping they’ve fully exorcised the ghosts that have haunted them in major matches, because they are superbly placed to retain the Currie Cup crown.
The chasing pack’s remaining fixtures
Bulls - Boland (a), Cheetahs (h), Griquas (h), Leopards (a)
Lions - Griquas (a), Boland (h), Sharks (a), WP (h)
Cheetahs - Sharks (a), Bulls (a), Leopards (h), Boland (a)
Griquas - Lions (h), WP (a), Bulls (a), Sharks (h)
By Ryan Vrede
95 Comments
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14 Sep 2009, 05:24 am
Precisely..IF the Sharks don’t wobble at the business end of the competition we’re in for an interesting last few weeks.
Now if we can just beat Province..
14 Sep 2009, 05:42 am
A Sharks vs WP final in Durban would be an absolute cracker.
14 Sep 2009, 05:56 am
http://therugbyanalyst.blogspot.com/
14 Sep 2009, 06:57 am
http://curriecupairnewzealandcup.blogspot.com/
14 Sep 2009, 07:24 am
A backline of Stefan Terblanche, Odwa Ndungane, Rory Kockott, Ruan Pienaar, Juan Martin Hernandez,Adi Jacobs and J.P.Pietersen. Reserves of Chris Jordaan, Lwasi Mvovo
Waylon Murray, Rian Swanapoel.
Must be the best chance Sharks have of winning the Super 14 as well, especially if the 4 kickers perfect the cross kick which seems to be only way to score tries these days
14 Sep 2009, 07:32 am
Good morning all. Stem saam. Sharks will have home final.
And hopefully the Bulls will make it into the semi’s. Gonna be a struggle to make it.
14 Sep 2009, 08:25 am
Bulls-sharks final at kings park.
14 Sep 2009, 08:35 am
Wat is fout met Ruan , dit lyk of hy sy lus vir Rugby vewrloor het.
14 Sep 2009, 08:37 am
ryan , don’t you think its a bit unfair , that the Bulls have to play Cheetsters twice ?
14 Sep 2009, 08:39 am
Wat nice is , is dat ons die Cheetsters twee keer op Loftus speel.
14 Sep 2009, 08:43 am
#8 capebull: Ruan is a confidence player, and I believe he has lost his confidence, that is why it will be good for him to come back and be PART of a team that is winning and left in ONE position, this poor guy has been shunted from pillar to post. Everyone felt sorry for Steyn, but Ruan has been messed around way more in my opinion!
14 Sep 2009, 08:44 am
#9 capebull: The 1st game is a practice run
14 Sep 2009, 08:52 am
#11 Sharksgirl: What position would you play Ruan ?
14 Sep 2009, 09:01 am
#7 Tacitus:
The Sharks will even play them at Loftus…it’s like a home game for us.
14 Sep 2009, 09:02 am
I would play Ruan at 10, and JMH at 12, Adi at 13.
14 Sep 2009, 09:02 am
#13 capebull:
Naartjie carrier.
14 Sep 2009, 09:04 am
#14 Predawn: hehehehehehe
14 Sep 2009, 09:19 am
#15 Sharksgirl: I really hope they play Ruan at 10 and keep him there, he’ll get his mojo back soon enough.
Sharks are going to have their hands full against the Cheetahs this coming weekend
14 Sep 2009, 09:24 am
Why even mention Rory…see how Hernandez shined when he got decent, quick ball from Charl McLeod…
14 Sep 2009, 09:24 am
#11 Sharksgirl: Good morning good lady
hope all well with you and famiglia??
And agreed re Ruan…. Just as it annoyed me with people wrongfully slatting Steyn , so to they are wrong about Ruan
, he was brilliant at flyhalf , and only had a problem with some kicks to posts
Yet people are saying he is not playing well?
I dont even think his confidence is down , play him back at 10 and you will see him back to his best.
Choices for plum are going to be hard this comming weekend.
14 Sep 2009, 09:27 am
#19 pokkel: pokkel Rory is aware of his play trust me, and on saturday he passed more then usual when he came on
14 Sep 2009, 09:31 am
#21 sharks_lover: I believe Rory has heaps of talent and I really hope he gets back to his best but as with Ruan/Steyn and Burger/Brussow in the Boks…he will have to EARN his way back in the team IMO
14 Sep 2009, 09:34 am
#22 pokkel: so he will
i spoke to rory at the aftermatch party on saturday and he is very eager, and well aware of what people are saying re him being selfish
14 Sep 2009, 09:37 am
btw , stefan joked when we weer chatting , that all the boks will have to earn a place in this sharks team lol
man how well the youngsters have responded in the currie cup
14 Sep 2009, 09:38 am
#23 sharks_lover: I glad to hear that he know his weakness and can improve. He needs to be able to read the game like a Fourie du Preez and know when to break and when to pass. He seems to take too long to make decisions and then makes the wrong one. I hope he can get the balance right..all the better for our Sharkies.
14 Sep 2009, 09:41 am
#24 sharks_lover: I never would have thought the youngsters would do so well. To be honest I thought the Sharks would be in the same position as the Bulls and we would have to fight our way back in the CC. I’m very pround of the Sharks ’2nd’ stringers
14 Sep 2009, 09:45 am
#26 pokkel: they sure have
its going to be interesting to see if plum makes many changes
14 Sep 2009, 09:51 am
#pokkel:
#sharks_lover:
Howdy chaps, man its good being a Shark!
Chat later
14 Sep 2009, 10:07 am
Yip, from now onwards there cannot be any more excuses about players not available
The Cheetahs will be coming out full of confidence and with all guns blazing on Saturday.
Their young,very good up and coming front row will be quite upset if the full bok front row of the sharks are not starting on Saturday
It would have given them a great chance to harm some reputations.
14 Sep 2009, 10:11 am
Sharks are looking good, really good!
Still think the Bulls will make it to the top 3 before the semi’s…
I’m thinking something of a…
Sharks vs Cheetahs (1 vs 4)
WP vs Bulls (2 vs 3)
14 Sep 2009, 10:26 am
#29 Robzim: Nope RobZim our big guns are back, but we got to the top of the log without 11 1st choice players!!!! And we were not making excuses, 11 players are 4 players short of a 1st XV! With your big mouths up to now lets see how WP does now against either Sharks or Bulls with their Boks, and you guys without Chris Jack!
14 Sep 2009, 10:38 am
#31 Sharksgirl:
Hi,
I am actually hoping for the Free State to beat your full team on Saturday (good chance as the Boks will take a while to settle back and the Free State team is hungry, settled and desperate)
If Free State can achieve this likely victory, WP will move into the first position and with only easy games left they should stay there.
The ideal scenario would then be for the Sharks and Bulls to come second and third respectively and for the Sharks to win a bruising semi in the Tank. WP will have a relatively easy semi at Newlands against whoever
Then WP should not have 2 much trouble to beat the battered Sharks team at Newlands in the final (especially if they are now used to beat them.
We are still allowed to dream, aren’t we?
14 Sep 2009, 10:56 am
I do love my Sharks through and through,KZN born bred BUT lets not get ahead of ourselves on both fronts: CC and S14 2010
Bulls team
1.Guthro
2.Kuun/Rallapelle
3.Kruger
4.Botha
5.Matfield
6.Stegmann
7.Potgieter
8.Spies
9.Du Preez
10.Steyn
11.Habana
12.Olivier
13.Pretorius
14.Akona
15.Kirchner
16.Rallepelle/Kuun
17.Engels
18.Rossouw
19.Pedrie
20.Adams/Hougaard
21.Francis/Brummer
22.G.van der Heever/Dippenaar/Mangweni
CAn easily spoil the party
More often than not they do…..
14 Sep 2009, 11:05 am
#32 Robzim: Plum is not silly, he will do what he did last year, he will ease the Boks back in not shoot the post by introducing them all at once! That is all of course pending injuries which look likely: Mvovo, and Swannie may be injured so Ruan may have to start and Kanko will definitely have to start as Keegan injured hand. This week I believe the team will look like this:
15 Oupa Captain
14.Odwa Ndungane
13. Adi Jacobs/ Murray
12. Swanepoel/JHM (Pending Swanie’s injury)
11. Mvovo/Murray (Pending Mvovo’s injury)
10. JHM/Pienaar (Pending Swanie’s injury)
9. Charl McLeod (Me hoping)
8. Kanko (Keegan injured)
7. Dyesel
6. Botes
5. Muller
4. Sykes
3. Duplessis
2. Burden
1. Carstens
On the Bench:
16: Bissie
17: Cilliers
I am hoping for a Sharks WP final at the Tank! I whant to go to it, and finances do not allow me a trip to CT
14 Sep 2009, 11:08 am
#33 mshiniwami: I do agree with you! However, that is the same team that we beat in CC final last year, and only last to them by 1 point in S14 without a Flyhalf!
14 Sep 2009, 11:09 am
And Habana will not be there for S14 and CC 2010 he is off to Cape Town!
14 Sep 2009, 11:14 am
#36 Sharksgirl: Hi there SG. Do you know if some of our Boks will be playing for the Sharks this week?
14 Sep 2009, 11:17 am
#34 Sharksgirl: Yip, Think the Bok players from the Sharks need a rest and should only play the following week.
Kanko, Ruan, Adi and Muller should start. They hardly played at all.
14 Sep 2009, 11:25 am
#33 mshiniwami: Glad everybody is banking the semi’s already. My Cheetah’s don’t have so many big names, but they are hungry, and they have BIG HEARTS!!
And now that the Cheetah’s have a scrum that can achieve parity, the backs are beginning to score the tries again!!
Their points, and try differential is second only to the Sharks!! In addition, they know they have to win to stay in the hunt, though in fairness with two easy games to finish off with, and looking at the games the Lions and griquas have to play, I reckon a bonus point from their next two games should be enough to make it!!
1. Coenie/Wiaan
2. Strauss Cousins
3. WP Nel
4. Nico Breedt
5. David de Villiers
6. Brussow/Scholtz/Karamba Kababmba/Wessels
7. Juan Smith/ Frans Viljoen
8. Francois Uys/Ashley Johnstone
9. JP Joubert/Tertius Carse/Tewis de Bruyn
10. JL Potgieter
11. Nokwe/Jonker
12. Bosman/Jonker
13. Ebersohn/Uys
14. Demas/Mapoe
15. Daniller
This team will give any pretenders to the throne currently being held by the Guppies sleepless nights, they can turn a game on it’s head in a flash!!
Just ask the Bulls, and lately the WP lol
14 Sep 2009, 11:31 am
#37 Puma: Hi puma mate
Damn the aftermatch party with the sharks team was brilliant on saturday
Injury worries to sharks are as follows,Cilliers,Keegan and Mvovo
Carstens still has the same niggle he has been nursed with for some time as is the case with Cilliers but he should be fine
#34 Sharksgirl: Swannie is fine , just a bit bruised
14 Sep 2009, 11:36 am
Disclaimer: A recycled post that I posted on another site. But this is the place to get some debate going
I would LOVE it if the Bulls don’t make the semi’s – mainly because their fans will have to shut-up about WP missing it last year haha.
BUT, the Bulls are still far from out of it. In fact, they are still on course for ending round about 3rd on the log. That is assuming they win all their remaining games.
And if they lose to the Cheetahs they still have a decent chance of ending 4th.
In order for them not to make it the Lions or the Griquas will have win some big games (Sharks, WP or the Bulls, although of course not the Cheetahs since they would have to finish above the Bulls also!)
So, lets just see how it all turns out, probably we will see the Bulls in the semis. But I’m loving how open this Currie Cup is, its greaaaaat that the Griquas raised their game a bit. Now the Lions must just also improve a bit.
But I think its a pity they are aiming to cut the Currie Cup, imagine if Boland or the Leopards or the Pumas or whoever can also become a force!! And at the same time a side like the Griquas need some games against weaker opposition. Firstly for them to gain confidence, secondly to recover from big games, and also to give them a chance to work on their game plan when not under so much pressure.
In any case, I think the article is reasonable accurate. The Sharks are favourites, followed by the Bulls and WP. The Bulls have their players back, but WP will probably have a home semi. The Cheetahs are definately in line for at least fourth. I must say, I’m impressed, I wrote them off after the first few rounds!
Go South African rugby! Here’s to a great Currie Cup this year!!!
14 Sep 2009, 11:45 am
sharks squad to choose from the comming weekend
15 stefan
14 odwa
13 adi
12 hernandez
11 murray/jordaan
10 ruan
09 cockott/mccleod
08 kanko
07 deysel
06 botes
05 muller
04 sykes
03 jannie
02 burden/bismark
01 beast/carstens
16 burden/bismark
17 carstens/beast
18 albert/hargreaves
19 rhodes
20 cockott/mccleod
21 jordaan/murray
22 swannepoel
difficult team to choose now with so many back
i think the following will be rested or are injured , or just wont play
cilliers , keegan , jpp , smitty , mvovo , skipper , albert or hargreaves , du mond , F steyn has left ,
14 Sep 2009, 11:51 am
#42 sharks_lover: Howzit mate, How was Frans Steyn on Saturday? The best I have seen him play. Damn we at the Sharks are going to miss that youngster and so will the Boks.
Yip, There is some choice for this weeks game. Think maybe the ones that played regular may rest. Beast, John and Bissie. The rest should play.
So far so good for our team. Still top the log.
14 Sep 2009, 12:03 pm
#43 Puma:
Frans was brilliant boet , some of our know it all sharks supporters are eating their words
but prolly dont have the balls to admit how wrong they were about him
needless to say the none sharks supporters
we will need jannie and beast the weekend mate, because the injuries to carstens and cilliers getting worse
specially cilliers
14 Sep 2009, 12:12 pm
#37 Puma: Plum has said that he would like the Boks to rest but we are desperate for the front row, so they will be brought back immediately upon return. Plum mentioned this on Supersport and the news. This weekend I am really sure that the front row will be: Carstens, Burden and Jannie, with Bismarck and Beast on the bench giving John a rest. Next week Bissie and Beast will probably get their much needed rest against the Leapards. To be ready for the Lions.
14 Sep 2009, 12:12 pm
#44 sharks_lover: If we need Beast and Jannie think Plum will play them. Jannie never played full games so he will be fit enough or rather not tired.
Yip, think all those Shark supporters that booed Frans will eat humble pie now and he will be a HUGE, HUGE lose to our team and the Boks. Why he signed to go at such a early age is so crazy. Sometimes I think its their agents that push for them to go for the money they make too. Just a thought not really sure.
I do however think if Frans knew he had a postion of his own in the Boks he may just have stayed on here in SA. What a boot he has. That kick 60m will live in my mind for a long, long time. I know I will miss him here. Wish PdV could buy him out of his contract with Metro. Would have been our best FB ever if he could keep playing until the next wc.
14 Sep 2009, 12:15 pm
#45 Sharksgirl: Those players do need rest otherwise injuries are going to come. So if they do play this weekend hoping they do get a rest the following week.
Sharks have done well so far to keep the fort going without their Boks.
14 Sep 2009, 12:15 pm
#46 Puma: agreed
sadly fransies contract is too big
8 point something milion is massive
14 Sep 2009, 12:17 pm
#47 Puma: yes but as cilliers told me himself on saturday , he is seeing the specialist this week , they been holding out on the injury etc till the boks got back
14 Sep 2009, 12:23 pm
#49 sharks_lover: I was helleva impressed by that Pat Cilliers Sat…and the winger Chris Jordaan….that was a superb 2 nd half display by the Sharks.
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