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)
Lewe ja, maar is dit intelligente lewe?
OK, laat ek verder gaan werk….. moenie dat ek julle steur terwyl julle vegetate nie…. hehehehe
GBS@30, dis hoekom ek vir Blouste vra of hier INTELLIGENTE lewe is? :LOL:
Wie se wat ?
Shame man , ek sien die Hurricanes het -1% op die voters blog…
Is dit moontlik ?
Was hulle so :poop: 😯
So hoeveel van julle dames gaan braav genoeg wees om die Cheetahs te kies vir ‘n wen op Superbru en Sports Pool?
35@ Blouste – Ek het vir die Canes punte afgetrek vir kak haarstyle… hehehehe
OK, ek moet ‘n toontjie klap Loftus toe…. moet R-T se offisiele Akkreditasiegoed gaan afhaal… en ek wil bietjie gaan hob-nob met Heyneke Meyer, Ian Schwartz en Frans Ludeke….
1. Jannie vs Wian
2. Smit vs Strauss
3. Beast vs WP Nel
4. Sykes vs Breedt
5. Hargreaves vs De Villiers
6. Botes vs Brussow
7. Deysel vs Smith
8. Kanko vs Viljoen
9. Kockett vs de Bruyn
10.Pienaar vs Olivier
11. Pietersen vs Nokwe
12. Adi vs Bosman
13. Murray vs Mapoe
14. Ndugane vs Demas
15. Terblanche vs Viljoen
GBS
Se vir hulle ek en Loosehead se ons skrums was befok !!! 😆
Vuurpoepertjie
Wanneer vra jy nou die manne ook? 😆
Hoop vir die haaie se part Meyer Bosman hardloop nie gate deur Adi nie…
41
LOL Pienkste, ek sou maar lyk my nie hulle is hier nie… 😆
Dink op die oomblik sal die Cheetah span 3 uit 5 games teen die Tjarks span wen…
Maar met als in die weegskaal vir beide spanne die naweek dink ek die Tjarks sal met en a.g.v. ondervinding die enetjie deurtrek.
Een ding is seker… as die Cheetahs die een wen, gaan die wiele lelik afkom vir die Sharks – geen grappie !!!
Ja nee Blouste, ek weet die Cheetahs was nou amper iets laas week, en voor laas week het hulle gedink hulle sal die S14 wen, maar hulle moet ook nou nie dink hulle speel dieselfde Sharks as wat die Chiefs gespeel het nie…
Baie minder dinge wat by die Sharks aan gegaan het die week as laas week en hierdie Sharks lyk darm weer na iets, veral sonder Monty en Dries.
# 46
Die span lyk verseker beter.
Se nog steeds die Cheetahs is hul eie grootste vyand !!!
Ek dink as hulle weer so :poop: doen soos laas jaar, moet NAKA se kop rol…
47
Ek is eintlik verbaas sy kop het nog nie gerol nie, maar weet ook nie of daai klomp Vrystaaters oor hulle loyalties sal kom en agter kom dat hierdie ‘n profesionele sport is nie.
Glo ook as die Sharks nou wragtig Vrydag verloor dan verdien ons maar shared wooden spoon saam met die force.
#48
Sal seker darem nie so erg wees nie, maar in die konteks van wat hulle bereik het die laaste paar jaar sal dit sleg wees !!!
50 !!!
Stephan Dippenaar will start at outside centre in the injury-enforced absence of Jaco Pretorius, while Francois Hougaard runs on the wing.
Pretorius has failed to recover from a thigh injury sustained against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein last Friday. This means that the 22-year-old Dippenaar, capped thrice at Super Rugby level, is likely to front the challenge of Wallaby veteran Stirling Mortlock.
‘This is it for me. I have been waiting in the wings and now get the chance to stake a claim. The fact that I will be playing against Stirling Mortlock certainly makes it more special. He is one of the best there is and a fantastic way to measure where I am in my career,’ Dippenaar said.
Coach Frans Ludeke expressed confidence in the midfielder’s ability. ‘He has been with us for a while now and we are happy for him. His inclusion proves the value of our structures.’
In the only other change to the side who thrashed the Cheetahs, Hougaard, who pulled out on the eve of the opener, replaces John Mametsa on the wing.
Blindside flank Pedrie Wannenberg will make his 100th Super Rugby appearance for the Bulls.
Bulls – 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Gerhard van den Heever, 13 Stefan Dippenaar, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Francois Hougaard, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Pedrie Wannenburg, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Victor Matfield (c), 4 Danie Rossouw, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Gary Botha, 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp.
Subs: 16 Bandise Maku, 17 Bees Roux, 18 Flip vd Merwe, 19 Derick Kuün, 20 Heini Adams, 21 Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 22 John Mametsa.
Strong team !!!
One feels sorry for Mametsa though…
Loosehead…
Ek is seker hierdie voorry van die BULLE sal daai Cheaters van jou opd@nner… 😆 😆 😆
Congrats to Pedrie…
And John Smit…
100 !!!
Real tester for Dippenaar.
Think he will come through though…
Fast he is… this Dippenaar …
I am amazed that some experts thought Mortlock was one of the better centres on show last week end.
He was so slow that it was painfull to watch, and clearly is past his “sell by” date.
I would think that any young centre would be dying to play against him now.
Stephan Dippenaar is a classic outside centre, who is also more than capable of playing on the wing. He has got a lot of pace and with his aggressive defence and silky ball handling skills it came as no surprise when he made his debut in the Super 14 as a 20-year-old in 2008. Dippenaar is a former SA u19 and SA u20 stalwart and is a product of Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch.
Stephan Dippenaar
Position Centre
Height 1.88m
Weight 90kg
Date of Birth 3/1/1988
Place of Birth Moorreesburg
Provincial Debut 2008 v SWD Eagles
Provincial Caps 16
Provincial Points 15
Super 14 Debut 2008 v Lions
Super 14 Caps 3
Super 14 Points 0
#57
The one game I did’nt see the weekend…
Was he geniunly so bad ?
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