SA’s Super Sharks
12 Mar 2007
Dick Muir has delivered on his promise to turn chumps into champs.
Muir sacrificed possible Currie Cup success in 2006 with a two-squad system to establish the definitive Super rugby squad. And after six rounds of the 2007 Super 14 you have to say the tournament is there for the Sharks to lose and not for others to win. Bulls supporters will argue otherwise, but that’s something we can debate on the eve of the first ever all South African final when the Sharks host the Bulls.
The Sharks draw is similar to the one that took them to the final in 2001 – a year in which the Sharks blew a 1st place finish by dropping a game to the Reds in Brisbane. Back then the Sharks management got ahead of themselves when playing a second team against the Reds. Initially it seemed to work with the Sharks leading 17-3, but they crashed in the second half and it meant they finished second and had to travel to Canberra for a final.
This year there should be no travel post their league excursion to Australia and New Zealand.
The squad has depth in all areas and their demolition of the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein was their best display in two years. They should never have trailed by a point at halftime and the second half dominance was reflected on the scoreboard. The Cheetahs never scored a point in the second forty and never looked like breaking the defensive line.
I backed the more pragmatic approach of the Cheetahs to triumph, but the pragmatism on Saturday belong to the Sharks. Muir in the past has been accused of playing vulnerable romantic footie, but (in tandem with forwards coach John Plumtree) there was nothing romantic about the way the Sharks destroyed the Cheetahs. It was a clinical execution of the game plan, even if the finishing was abysmal at times. JP Pietersen had he concentrated should have had three tries. Defence, though, won the Sharks the game and the Cheetahs were clueless in trying to work a way through the Sharks defence.
Once the Sharks first line of defence had refused to buckle physically, the Free Staters were not in the game.
Muir has put together a fantastic squad and for those players on the fringes of the starting XV he has balanced game time between the Super 14 and Vodacom Cup. The plan has come together and with Plumtree there to plot against a team made up mostly of the Wellington NPC side, it would take a mightly stumble for the Sharks to lose at home to the Canes this weekend.
I’m backing them to stay unbeaten in the league stages if they keep their focus and the players don’t get ahead of themselves. There’s not a team good enough to beat them currently and the only side that could undo them is a full-strength Crusaders. But that’s a battle likely to be fought in the play-offs when the Saders travel to Durban.
For now the Blues, in New Zealand, pose the greatest threat when the Sharks tour, while the Chiefs (boosted by the returning All Blacks) deserve respect. The rest are limited and the Sharks must be favourites to win in Perth, in Brisbane and in Cape Town.
Muir has done a brilliant job, but my sources in Durban tell me Rudolf Straeuli, in his role as recruitment chief, has been as instrumental in building the squad. The decision to involve Tony Brown in 2006 was inspirational. And bringing back Bob Skinstad will also prove a masterstroke. The word is Skinstad was very good in his third match for the Wildebeest and is due a place in the Sharks match 22 on Saturday. I interviewed him a fortnight ago for the SA Rugby Magazine cover story and he is in the best physical shape of his career.
Sharks CEO Brian van Zyl, belted in the past for a cheque-book culture, has also hit back with the quality of individual being produced at the Sharks Academy – an institution established under his guidance.
The Sharks are doing many things right and that has to be good news for South African rugby.
172 Comments
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12 Mar 2007, 16:45 pm
blue blood all tv stations have wide angle lenses,what has Ollie got to do with wide angle lenses?
12 Mar 2007, 17:04 pm
Somebody got to kidding me Keo,
“JP Pietersen had he concentrated should have had three tries.”
How could you possibly concentrate on your game when your pants are wet and soiled?
The guy dropped 16 balls last 3 games and still has to make one tackle,,,,
I can’t understand why they keep Adrian Jacobs on the bench? Jacobs now is at the highest level of a outside centre, while the rest of the boys keep spilling the balls, amazing!
12 Mar 2007, 17:43 pm
152.
Havent you heard that every SA team has to field at least one talentless f***er?
Sharks have Pietersen,
Stormers have Aplon,
Bulls have Welsh,
Cheetahs have Joubert(give it a rest),
Cats HAD Jorrie Muller,
Lions now have Earl Rose (does he weigh 45kg?)
So you see. You cant field 7 class backs;
you need at least one guy who
a. cant catch a ball
b. cant kick a ball
c. cant tackle
d. is flat-footed as an inbred farmer
or e. is a midget who weighs less than 45kg.
12 Mar 2007, 17:44 pm
153,
LOL
12 Mar 2007, 19:01 pm
153…how can you forget about Eddie Andrews.Surely he counts as a utility back.
12 Mar 2007, 21:38 pm
tacticus your pathetic hate for the sharks truely shows your immaturity
sad because we beat you?? grow up man
its strange how most supporters will support all SA sides except the bulls supporters
if it cant be the bulls then no other SA team counts ??? tacticus youre seriously one sorry assed prick
12 Mar 2007, 21:39 pm
its no wonder the rest of Sa dislikes you bunch of pricks so much
12 Mar 2007, 21:40 pm
but understand this tacticus even as big a sharks supporter as i am if the sharks dont win it may it be the bulls or another SA side
you have a serious chip on youre immature shoulders kid
12 Mar 2007, 21:46 pm
Evening Sharks_lover – but you are really on the war path tonight. lol – chips what flavour – ha ha ha.
How are you doing – long time no hear/see on site
12 Mar 2007, 21:49 pm
hello karen dear nice to see you again
here doing good thank you for asking
man its time keo banned tacticus
uhm re the chip i think its **** flavour thats why he speaks so much **** lol
uhm i think i was gone a few days as IG must have banned me when last we spoke lol about the racist comments that was made and i reacted to it lol
12 Mar 2007, 21:51 pm
uhm karen ???????????? i think when me and you spoke last you said sharks to lose to saders ????
:p
12 Mar 2007, 21:51 pm
youre forgiven this time ok ??
12 Mar 2007, 21:51 pm
Congrats on the Sharks by the way. You guys were lucky against the Crusaders – you know that. Will not discuss my team – very sensitive matter you understand – lol.
12 Mar 2007, 21:53 pm
Hey I really thought that the Crusaders had it in the bag and they deserved the game – Sharks were lucky to get out – just like the Bulls against the Chiefs.
12 Mar 2007, 22:00 pm
big g bro not a bad team but i dont think **** will make so many changes
i believe he’ll go for continuity
my team for saturday is taking into account that percy is back would be this
15-percy/steyn
14-odwa
13-murray
12-barritt
11-steyn/jacobs if percy not fit steyn to FB
10-butch
09-ruan
08-bobby/kankowski
07-AJ
06-botes
05-muller
04-ackers
03-bj
02-smit
01-carstens
16-bismark
17-albert
18-kees/beast
19-daniel
20-kockott
21-petersen/
22-jacobs/mentz if jacobs was to start
12 Mar 2007, 22:02 pm
karen i dont totally agree girl purely because we too threw away many chances against the saders just like we did against the cheetahs
now that team i just posted could be mean
12 Mar 2007, 22:05 pm
If you say so – lol. The big challenge comes when they tour. Crusaders will be back at full strength next weekend against my team and once they make the playoffs it is going to be difficult to beat them. I hope that the Sharks do well, but my money is still on the Crusaders – they have the pedigree and they are a champion side. This weeks game between Bulls and Saders is going to be interesting.
12 Mar 2007, 22:10 pm
Cheers SL I am out of here. Will chat tomorrow. Have a great evening what is left of it.
Enjoy the “chips” lol.
12 Mar 2007, 22:12 pm
karen one thing you must realise the sharks havent started great and are getting better and better
and of course we fear the saders they are brilliant
b ut go back into history and youll see of all the SA sides the sharks have done the best against the saders
like last year in CC we lost by 1 point
also the new times the sharks games takes place in durban have dont the sharks no favours because of the humidity,and saturday in the dry one saw the sharks playing way better and should truelly have won by a far bigger margin
but hey fact is they still unbeating even though they havent played great rugby
one must also realise when the saders players come back they still have to start gelling again to get that team fealing back
12 Mar 2007, 22:14 pm
cheers Karen have an awesome evening :wave:
13 Mar 2007, 05:46 am
Very brave words early on in the season.
The Sharks are doing very well, but it is only the beginning of March!!
13 Mar 2007, 09:08 am
The Sharks are playing excellent rugby so far. We must however remember one thing, they have yet to play in Australia and New Zealand. Having a no loss streak in SA is all fine and dandy. But how will they do over there?
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