Sharks whack Waylon
8 May 2008
Adi Jacobs will partner Frans Steyn in midfield, with Waylon Murray watching from the wood for the Sharks’ crucial match against the Cheetahs.
Sharks head coach Dick Muir has built a reputation for rotating his players and the latest move should come as no surprise to those familiar with his selection philosophy.
Jacobs, who has played the majority of the season off the bench, will front the Cheetahs in the most decisive game of the Sharks’ campaign to date. This despite their Springbok midfielder, Waylon Murray, being available for selection.
When JP Pietersen was axed for their match against the Highlanders on 11 April, Murray was utilised on the wing, with limited effect. Pietersen was then brought back for their next match, which saw Murray dropped to the bench and Steyn occupying the outside centre berth.
Murray’s form hard hardly warranted the cold sting of the axe and to see Jacobs included ahead of him in a match of this magnitude is perplexing. Murray will be joined on the bench by Brad Barritt, who has recovered from a shoulder injury, with Ruan Pienaar and Steyn forming the 10-12 axis.
The Sharks will also be without captain Johann Muller, who hasn’t recovered from a calf strain. His place in the second row will be taken by Johan Ackermann who will be partnered by Albert van den Berg, with Steven Sykes providing lock cover.
The Sharks will, however, have the services of Bismarck du Plessis, who has overcome a sternum injury. The hooker was in very good form before the injury ruined his Australasian tour and his return will bolster the side significantly.
Sharks - Stefan Terblanche, Odwa Ndungane, Adi Jacobs, Frans Steyn, JP Pietersen, Ruan Pienaar, Rory Kockett, Ryan Kankowski, AJ Venter (c), Jacques Botes, Johan Ackermann, Albert van den Berg, BJ Botha, Bismarck du Plessis, Tendai Mtawarira.
Subs: Craig Burden, Jannie du Plessis, Steven Sykes, Jean Deysel, Keegan Daniel, Brad Barritt, Waylon Murray.
By Ryan Vrede
88 Comments
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8 May 2008, 16:21 pm
to many of the sharks players are playing for themselves and not for the team,i am also not convinced about the combination of the loose forwards.
8 May 2008, 16:25 pm
#51 st.a.t.w: Yep we were saying that very thing yesterday on the Sharks blog!
8 May 2008, 16:27 pm
#50 K9_BaasPatrolliehond: Thank you we will appreciate it, and then maybe cause an upset next week too, that way we may not need a bonus point! I am only joking Stormer supporters!!!!
8 May 2008, 16:29 pm
Need to go! There is a nice glass of Red wine calling me from home and I have 40 ks to travel to it. So I bid you all a great evening till tomorrow!
8 May 2008, 16:30 pm
I like the look of this team. I’m excited about Jacobs getting a start. But Murray must feel hard done by. He’s been messed around quite a bit by Muir this season.
It’s quite clear though that Muir’s looking at Adi as the tonic to spark the backline into scoring tries. Remember the Sharks need wins and bonus points from their last two games. And even them, they still may not make it.
Eish!
8 May 2008, 16:30 pm
Now they thinking straight, how come it takes a whole S14 campaign to get the strategy right and sort it out at the 11th hour. Adi Jacobs should have been starting with Steyn from game 1 only he should be at inside center and Steyn outside.
8 May 2008, 16:31 pm
#51 st.a.t.w: considering captaincy – who would be your lose forward combination.
Have to agree Sharks are very selfish – Kankowski should have passed instead of running over 3 Crusaders to score. There are brilliant individuals in that team and when they gel which has been lacking this year, i think they’ll shut a few up.
8 May 2008, 16:34 pm
Murray is not cut out for this modern game it is right up Adi’s alley. Jacobs should have been starting from way back when and Sharks would not be fighting for bonus point inclusion into the semi’s.
Jacobs should be 12 and Steyn 13.
8 May 2008, 16:35 pm
Katman kaks as Lions lashed. Again. (nah that doesn’t quite work).
Dawn – thank you.
8 May 2008, 16:36 pm
at the moment, **** reminds me of kobus van der merwe a couple of seasons back.. remember him rotating luke, schalk n big joe almost every game, not to mention naas oliver, peter grant & russel?? pick ruan, steyn & murray.. if barrit is ready, pick ruan, barrit, steyn & murray.. i dont think rotation outweighs consistency!!
8 May 2008, 16:38 pm
Well, we need to score tries, AD is the correct choice for that, I hope his tackling has improved, but thats classic Sharks, if they are ahead then they shouldnt rest on their laurels and should just keep scoring. Trust **** has been spending some time on the Jacobs Steyn partnership !
8 May 2008, 16:40 pm
#57 kevin w
it’s dificult for me to say besides keegan daniel(not a big fan)who else have they got
8 May 2008, 16:42 pm
#62 st.a.t.w: huh? in your previous post you were questioning the combo and now you say you don’t know?
8 May 2008, 16:52 pm
#63 kevin w
does’nt matter to me i’m not a sharks supporter .i just don’t like the look of the loosies aj is way to old to be on the side of the scrum and botes play has also taken a dip.
but if you are happy with the combo its your choice.
tell you 1 thing the 3 of them are going to struggle against j smith,brussouw and vermeulen
8 May 2008, 16:56 pm
#56 skopskiet: Spot on, skopjes… They need to swap them
8 May 2008, 16:57 pm
Jacbs can have a great game against the cheetah..but he is no quality center against the AB´s.
8 May 2008, 17:01 pm
probably the best SA S14 centre pairing sitting on the bench!
why not let them start TOGETHER (individually they might have been a bit ‘off’ this year but together they are a lethal combo!!)
think stefans should also get a break and let Steyn go back to fullback!
soooooo go to see Meneer Ackerman back, yeeeha!!
8 May 2008, 17:09 pm
#56 Skoppy,agreed Jacobs for inside center and Steyn on the outside.Jacobs is good at making breaks
8 May 2008, 17:11 pm
The heading doesn’t work. It’s just weak alliteration, for the sake of alliteration. How about “Sharks bench Waylon”?
Let’s see how Jacobs goes. I do not rate him at all, though.
8 May 2008, 17:12 pm
the big boy needs to be on the inside and the nippy one on the outside…
8 May 2008, 17:26 pm
Only my opinion, but Jacobs should be tried at flyhalf, That’s where the lack of creativity stems from. Ruan is too out of form and lacks confidence; and during the crunch matches could be costly. Furthermore, if Jacobs has frailties if would be less obvious at flyhalf then outside centre, where it could be ruthlessly exposed. He would also keep the defence honest, therefore giving players outside him more space.
8 May 2008, 17:29 pm
Murry is very overated, what exactyl has he achived? how many trys in his Super 14 career? his one of game against Fiji in a springbok jersey was a shocking display almost like reno Benjamin. I think he needs a few more seasons. But i dont think hes all that.
8 May 2008, 17:38 pm
Mafia Sharks?
8 May 2008, 17:39 pm
15 Steyn
14 Odwa
13 Murray
12 Barrit
11 Henno
10 Pienaar
9 Kocky
8 KANKO
7 AJ
6 Botes
5 Albert
4 Oom Ackers
3 BJ
2 Bizzy
1 Beast
16 Burden 17 Jannie 18 Sykes 19 Keegan 20 Deysel 21 Jacobs 22 Pieterson
This should be the team that my dear Sharkies should have played this w-end to wrap up what we needed to!!!!!
8 May 2008, 22:41 pm
could be a good move to bring barrit and murray on together. that is the best midfield combination for sharks.
8 May 2008, 22:46 pm
Barrit and Murray are like two hares caught in the headlights with nowhere to go but where their one dimensional brains direct them to. At least Jacobs and Steyn might try something ingenious, maybe it fails but least its not all preordained and one track boring.
8 May 2008, 23:03 pm
skop
you serious. i thought the combination of barrit and murray last year was very attacking. they were very solid on defence but they also brought a good attacking game.
whether that was because the pack and butcha gave them good ball to attack with which is not as consistantly the case this year, begs the question.
i think one of the real questions for the sharks is whats changed between the roles/relationships between plumtree and muir and the players. something has changed there.
8 May 2008, 23:25 pm
#22 katman:
LOL @ katman – nice one!
8 May 2008, 23:27 pm
How about: “Waylon woods it out”
8 May 2008, 23:34 pm
#77 Tomsta:
What has changed is the influence of Campese has worn off, no more direction in the backs, and now its back to every little talented 3/4 is out on his own limb, doing his thing, not quite getting what or how the game plans supposed to be unfolding, even the ‘finds’ like Kankowski are playing one man individualist rugby, like Steyn, Pienaar and most the others, no coherent coordination, just a whole collection of over talented and in some cases over rated individualist players.
8 May 2008, 23:43 pm
#80 skopskiet:
hell, i keep forgetting about campese’s influence last year.
although many have said the guy is nothing more than a loud mouth. what he brought to the sharks definitely hit the right guys.
9 May 2008, 02:20 am
I know this is a Sharks post, and I am not even a Lions supporter, but if the supporter rock up in their thousands for the Lions game, they, the Lions may just be motivated to beat the Chiefs. Remember, the Chiefs are notoriously bad travelers. Hell that will be great for the Sharks.
9 May 2008, 07:44 am
#43 kevin w: Robbie Deans!
9 May 2008, 07:56 am
Lets get serious guys – I don’t like what **** has done all season by rotating his backline – but seriously what whould you do if no one in your entire back division put up their hand – I think **** has tried this to see if he can generate some spark in the back line – His big problem however is that he has not had a go forward #10 that he had last season and now he’s abit stuffed with a game plan cos the Sharks game plan was exactly that – crunch with the forwards – suck in defenders out to James 2 men marking him opens gaps and back line scores lots of tries – No back line is going to look good without a good #10 – check out the Stormers last year Grant was ordinary – weak back line – this year Grant looks good – Backline scoreing many tries – SHARKS NEED TO BUY A F*#$ING GOOD #10 all else will then mend it self!
9 May 2008, 08:28 am
84 Gr8ter exactly right.
No one in this country gets their bacline away as well as Butch did. Question is, what do the Sharks do now? Keep Pienaar there and let him grow into the position or do they look at bringing someone else in?
Wish they would purchase that Ebersohn guy from the Cheetahs. That kid is the next Dan Carter of SA rugby. After all Grey Bloem/Free State is basically the Sharks Academy nowadays.
9 May 2008, 08:43 am
# 72 wls1
Shut your pie hole,Waylon didnt even go to the WC let alone play against Fiji.He missed out on a place in squad to Meisiekind.
He had great ratings last yr along with Barrit with their patnership flourishing-best in the competttion last yr.Granted he hasnt set the world apart this yr but the whole Sharks backline has been ordinary.
“Needs a Couple of yrs”=Nonsense.He’s off form,thats it.Havent heard people say Steyn needs a couple of yr’s after the shockers he’s had this yr.
skopskiet
Waylon not suited for the modern game?????What rubbish,the boy is 1.91m 105kg,has good speed,great hands,reads the game well both on Defense and offence.He is off form I’ll agree with that but to totally dispell his viability as a modern day professional 13 is premature to say the least.Thats like saying Isaia Toeava is not suited for modern day footy as he is terribly off form as well.
Vitriol
9 May 2008, 09:32 am
i think adi will be fantastic for sharks when it come to the attacking aspect of the game which is what they need right now but they also need to have a good points difference and the only way you to do that is by defence and that concerns me as even though murray hasnt been all that good on attack he has been pretty solid on defence but i think its good to give adi his shot everytime he comes off the bench he lights a fire under the backlines *** so go adi, but please dont forget to defend
9 May 2008, 09:57 am
#86 mshiniwami: I agree with you.I posted the following on another Keo post.Must of u okes shld stop the fawning on Steyn.He has been awful this eason and it beats me that on another Keo post they talk of Waylon being benched for rotational purposes.Damn what of Calamity Steyn.people rave abt his form in the World Cup but without taking anything away from our win I still feel the real deal wld have been seeing him perform well against the French,Ozzies and All Blacks.Most of u guys have excuses at the ready for this boy by labelling him with all sorts of gushy stuff like precocious,prodigious ad nauseum.In my opinion he is a good player who has had flashes of brilliance purely because unlike other players he has been allowed to.Look for instance at the fact that he is retained in the Sharks team inspite of his atrocious form.I also feel the rotation biz is all an excuse to shift Steyn around.!
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