By Craig Lewis
There is no doubt that the Sharks are at present in the habit of winning, with the team relaxed, confident and acutely aware of what their strengths are.
But they will also know just how quickly things can change, and that should keep them on their toes this Saturday when they face the Griquas at the Absa Stadium.
Over the past few weeks, the Sharks have certainly performed with aplomb, and even without key players and during periods of play when they’ve been under the cosh, they have had the composure to find ways to win.
However, things can just as easily start to unravel, as they learnt in 2009’s Super 14, and they can ill-afford to take their foot off the gas against the log-leading Griquas.
“We know Griquas will be hurting after their first loss of the season against the Bulls in a match they perhaps should have won,” Sharks coach John Plumtree said on Monday.
“They’ll be very physical and our forwards will need to muscle up.”
Unfortunately for the Sharks, though, a number of front-rowers are nursing injuries after Saturday’s bruising game against the Lions, with Deon Carstens carrying a niggle, Pat Cilliers suffering from a hamstring strain and young Wiehahn Herbst battling with a bit of a back injury.
All three will be very closely monitored throughout the week, and with the Sharks likely to be without their Tri-Nations Boks – including Jannie du Plessis – they will be desperately holding thumbs that things are looking a little brighter later in the week.
Nevertheless, Plumtree said he had expressed to the team that they would have to be ready to tackle numerous challenges during the next few crucial rounds of the Absa Currie Cup.
“This group is now going to take us through to the business end of the competition and they are the ones who will determine what position we are in when the Springboks return. In 2008 we were able to get onto a winning roll at about this stage in the tournament and we need to repeat that if we hope to be in a good position to make the play-offs later on.”
And this weekend the Sharks may well look to keep the ball in hand a bit more after having to make an inordinate amount of tackles against the Lions, which ultimately saw them drop off the pace and let in three tries in the last 10 minutes of the match.
Certainly, they will have more of a licence to attack if game-breakers such as Juan Martin Hernandez and Rory Kockott are passed fit for this game, but both may well need to be brought back slowly after being sidelined with an ankle and shoulder injury respectively.
Either way, the likes of Monty Dumond, Riaan Swanepoel, Andries Strauss and Stefan Terblanche are certainly steering the backline in the right direction as it is.
In addition, the Sharks will also have their second-row stocks bolstered in the near future, with both Johann Muller and Alistair Hargreaves not looking far away from a return to action.
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- This article was originally published on page 18 of Daily News on August 18, 2009
@bdb –
Ek het ook gelag vir een ou op news24 wat se Habana moet WP toe kom sodat hy die bal meer kan sien. Wonder of die ou ooit kyk. Met WDW by die WP gaan daar niks in die agterlyn aan nie.
@K9-MonsterLeeu – Ek kan jou nie blameer nie. Dit is nie lekker om die enigste rugby kenner op ‘n website te wees nie.
Driee deur spanne in s14. (Play-off’s uitgesluit)
Cheetahs 26
Lions 36
Stormers 28
Sharks 31
Bulls 37
62 @Ed_the_Lion – Nou wat sê die kenners – moet Habana ry of bly ?
@bdb – Maar Habs het bietjie in n dip gegaan, oorbehep geraak met intercepts. Hy moet weer sy skoppies vorentoe en inhardloop oefen. Nee man hy is nog 100% dit klink amper of ek kla oor hom. Maar dis hoe ons Bul ondersteuners is ons help ons ouens reg met net die nodige kritiek.
63 @Supa Die Bloubul – Hoeveel van daardie 37 drieë is deur agterspelers, en spesifiek deur Habana en Akona gedruk, kan jy so iets opkyk Supa die Statistiekbul ?
@bdb – hy moet maak wat hom happy maak. Dink hys nou verveeld daar by julle……..ek sou gewaai het….verandering van scenery…goeie geld…..hoef nie meer te sukkel om ‘n snor te groei nie.
@bdb – Habana het bewys hy het geen lojaliteit in hom nie. Hy moet gaan. Sy rugby sal vir ‘n bol kuk gaan onder Rassie, maar ek sê altyd “life is full of choices”. Laat hy gaan.
@Supa Die Bloubul – Gee asb stats van die bulle vandat Habana vir hulle begin speel het>?
65 @superBul – Ek sou graag die Bulle se afrigtingspan direk wou vra wat hul gesprek met Habana is oor die ‘onderskeppogings’ ? Ek sal nie verbaas wees dat hul hom daardie vryheid gee nie, omdat dit baiemaal werk. Wonder hoeveel onderskep-drieë het hy al gedruk ?
Ja, hy oordoen dit baiemaal, en moet die game reglees (dit nie doen as hy sien die opponente het overlaps nie), voor hy daarvoor gaan, maar dit is seker ook nie maklik nie, want dit gebeur so vinnig.
66@bdb –
Glo nie ek sal dit opspoor nie, maar ek dink Habana was weer ons leading tryscorer selfs al was hy beseer vir n paar games.
Dalk kan super help. Skar Habana het so 6 driee gedruk.
Habana word nou meer as super verdediger gebruik as aanvaller.
Maar ek sien die ou wat ek reken as die beste met presure op afskoppe is, Akona is nou weer reg en speel Vrydagaand.
@Supa Die Bloubul – Wie is Skar habana?
@K9-MonsterLeeu –
Weet nie eintlik wat jy bedoel nie, maar ek kan jou een ding se. Die Bulle het meer driee gedruk in 2005 -2009 )die tyd wat Habana hier was as die 5 jaar voor dit!
67,68@K9-MonsterLeeu – Gedink julle gaan so iets sê, enigiets om die Bulle te verswak. 🙂
@Ed_the_Lion –
Oops…ek bedoel ek skat Habana het so 6 driee gedruk
@Ed_the_Lion – Supa het maar sulke troetelnaampies vir die bulle hehehe
Leading point scorers after Super14 Final
Player Team TRIES CONS PENS DGs Total
Points
M Nonu Hurricanes 9 0 0 0 45
B Habana Bulls 8 0 0 0 40
I Toeava Blues 7 3 0 0 41
C Shepherd Force 7 0 1 0 38
J Rokocoko Blues 7 0 0 0 35
P Spies Bulls 7 0 0 0 35
J Vermaak Lions 7 0 0 0 35
@K9-MonsterLeeu – hehehehehe.
Laat Habana eers besluit. Hy het voorheen vir die Sharks vir meer geld nee gese.
Dalk bly hy en waai eers na die WCUP.
@Supa Die Bloubul – Nee maar sonder om snaaks te wees. Wat is die totale aantal driee gedruk deur al die superspanne in daai tydperk? Totaal?
Julle weet die 10 000 ste post is nou naby
@superBul –
Dankie Super.
BDB, daar het jy dit. Habana het tweede meeste driee in die s14 gedruk. Ek sien Spies is die enigste voorspeler in die top 7 daar.
@bdb – Dink ook dat Slapchips wat n briljante onderskepper was hom aanmoedig daarmee.
@K9-MonsterLeeu –
In watter tydperk?
@superBul –
@82.
Hoe naby?
My tyd is bietjie beperk….
@Supa Die Bloubul – Daai stat van die Leeus moet seker ED en K9 naar maak, 36 driee gedruk, impressive….. maar die wat afgestaan is…. laat ek maar nie ou wonde oopruk nie.
10 000
nou
@Supa Die Bloubul – 2005 – 2009
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