The Sharks have chosen a far better balanced team, although once all injuries are over it could still be stronger.
Players still out are as follows, Muller, Swannepoel, Mostert, Ludick, Mvovo
Sharks coach John Plumtree has made a number of changes, some forced by injury, when he named the team to face the Cheetahs in a Super 14 Round Two match in Durban on Friday.
The most notable of those changes are the decision to start Ruan Pienaar at flyhalf and move captain John Smit to hooker.
Then there is the injury crisis at lock – which will see veteran Johann Muller sidelined for at least this week with a knock to the neck and Gerhard Mostert likely to be out for the season with a dislocated shoulder.
The backline changes are the most interesting, as they are not injury related.
Springbok Adi Jacobs comes in for Andries Strauss in the midfield and Pienaar comes into the starting line-up, from the bench, to replace Monty Dumond at flyhalf.
With Pienaar having covered both scrumhalf and flyhalf off the bench last week, his selection at pivot for Friday means Charl McLeod comes into the reckoning as back-up for Rory Kockott.
The other interesting selection is in the front row – where Jannie du Plessis comes into the starting line-up, with Smit moving from tighthead prop to hooker, with Bismarck du Plessis playing off the bench. Springbok Deon Carstens provides cover at prop off the bench.
However, Plumtree was forced to change his second row, through the injuries to Muller and Mostert in the loss to the Chiefs last week.
Muller, who took a smack to the neck, is replaced by former South African age-group captain Alistair Hargreaves – who gets his first Super 14 start, after his 2009 season was curtailed by injury.
There are also some changes among the loose forwards, with Jacques Botes starting ahead of Keegan Daniel as the openside flank.
Plumtree admitted that losing two locks in the opening round of a season, with veteran Albert van den Berg having moved to Japan, means he will have to rely on his back-up staff.
However, the Sharks mentor has faith in the new combination of Steven Sykes and Hargreaves.
“Steven [Sykes] is experienced enough,” he said of a player with 24 Super Rugby caps and an appearance for the Emerging Boks in a draw against the British and Irish Lions last year. Sykes was also an unused replacement on the Bok bench in the third Test against the Lions.
Hargreaves, who played four times off the bench for the Sharks last year before injury forced him out, was called up to the Bok team for the year-end tour.
“Allister has been groomed,” Plumtree told rugby365.com, adding that this is “a good opportunity for him” to step up and show that last year’s selection for the national team was justified.
The Sharks coach also confirmed that Willem Alberts, signed from the Lions after a protracted battle that ended in a court case, will cover lock and loose forward off the bench.
“We are in a nice position with Willem [Alberts], who can cover both lock and loose-forward.
“We haven’t had a player like that since AJ Venter was here.”
The 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 Jean Deysel, 6 Jacques Botes, 5 Alistair Hargreaves, 4 Steven Sykes, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 John Smit (captain), 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements: 16 Bismarck du Plessis, 17 Deon Carstens, 18 Willem Alberts, 19 Keegan Daniel, 20 Charl McLeod, 21 Monty Dumond, 22 Andries Strauss.
Date: Friday, February 19
Venue: Absa Stadium
Kick-off: 18.00 (16.00 GMT)
Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa)
Assistant Referees: Pro Legoete (South Africa), Cobus Wessels (South Africa)
TMO: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)
sharky-forever…
Wag jy altyd tot ons die hele thread vir jou geskryf het voor jy hom eventually opsit 😆
Sien ou gbs het besluit jou thread is te omslagtig en sy eie BAIE verkorte weergawe opgesit… 😆
Well at least we have a saffa ref this week and a good one too.
lol blouste jou blacksam 🙄 😆
Puma,
Was Kaplan the ref for the Cheetahs/Bulls game?
Deleted the other duplicate thread… farking slow Tjarky writers!
some of us work yanno
5 – Fires, Think he was, but he will be like 200% better than the novice kiwi one we had last Saturday.
Stormers get him this week, they can have him 😆 Hope Burger’s discipline tops otherwise with that novice ref see Burger in the cooler this Saturday. Then they will have taken notice of our game and the ref. So probably not a probabem for them.
The injuries are killing the Sharks though, 2 top locks out after first game :rol:
sharks need to buy a top notch center, lock , and flyhalf even as a backup to ruan
what if ruan got injured again ?????????????????????????????????????????? i shudder to think
9
Howzit Sharky, don’t worry we’re not as hard hit by injuries as the Force…even the Lions will manage a cricket score against them. They gone for sure.
9 – Sharky that is a worry with Muller and Mostert out.
Yes agree if anything happened to Ruan we would be in the poo really. Remember last year?
Now wish we had Fransie for inside centre this year. We would be looking really good. Adi playing out of position so hope he is okay there.
10
Naah Ruan is metal this season, no more injuries for him….centre we just need Swannie back then we’ll be pretty…locks they should use Rhodes, he a big boy.
Puma
We’ll see a nice flowing game then, none of this stop start junk we had Saturday…
Ja I hope for Stormers they handle the ref with kid gloves, that guy should be banned from intrnational rugby, he should be the halftime ref for the grade one games…LOL
14 – Fires…….hahahaha had a good laugh there. Yip for the grade ones………hahaha. He really was not up to it. Out of his depth I thought. Should really have started off with reffing two kiwi sides before doing a international. AND not here in SA land where we are rugby mad and know our rugby very well.
The total amount of Sharks Players out injured i still think is worse then any other team.
1)Hernandez (Flyhalf)
2)Meyer (Flyhalf)
3)Mostert (Lock)
4)Muller (Lock)
5)Mvovo (Wing)
6)Swannepoel (Center)
7)Ludick (Fullback/Wing)
8)Guy Cronje (Flyhalf)
Meyer is not out injured…
Ludick…you bought him injured…
I am glad they benched Bismarck……he and his brother are such idiots!!!!
Nou waar die flok is die “Jean returns to SA” thread ?
Gbs, jy hom ook delete ?
Suip jy oppie job vandag ? 😯
This is a better side than the one that lost to the Chiefs, but the States will still win.
VRYSTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!
blouste according to reports his knee injury gave him stress
i know we bought him injured , fact is he is injured and still cant play
if all those players were available , you dont think it would be a stronger team????????????????
Loosehead…
Ek het vir jou ietsie gepost op die thread wat gbs uitgevee het…
En hou op skrou man, tot die Shimlas het teen die PUKKE verloor 😆
wahahahahaha Blouste, nee man, gun die cheaters darrem net een wennetjie ook!!!!
Sure, but most teams have a scenario like that…
“His knee injury gave him stress”…
If that shit is true you guys must be grateful he retired… Sponsmannetjie
Darem is Smit terug op 2…
Miskien sukkel die Cheetah voorry nog om hulle koppe uit hul gatte te trek, dan het julle Tjarks ‘n kans 😆
Cheers all, have to go out.
Back later.
Tjorts Pumba 😆
Aahhhhhh…
Hier is lewe !!!
Of hier was vir ‘n rukkie 🙁
19@ Blouste – Nie delete nie, hy is net “relegated” na die older Posts… bo aan Bladsy 2… gaan na die Home Page… onderaan, older Posts…. flok!
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