Pienaar ‘touch and go’
12 Jan 2010
Ruan Pienaar is the only Sharks player in doubt for their Super 14 opener against the Chiefs at Kings Park.
With Argentine international Juan Martin Hernandez already ruled out of the entire tournament, coach John Plumtree will be hoping the Springbok utility back is available for the 13 February match after recovering from knee surgery. Pienaar was set to return to his favoured scrumhalf position for the tournament, but Hernandez’s back injury has forced Plumtree’s hand.
The ailment has hampered Pienaar for the past three years and after the end of the Boks’ year-end tour was the best possible time to get it repaired.
‘It is a wear-and-tear problem and it will be touch-and-go for me to make the first game,’ Pienaar told The Mercury.
If he is unfit to face last year’s finalists, Monty Dumond – who was not long ago on loan at the Cheetahs – is set to start.
Others that have minor niggles but are expected to be fit include Johann Muller (hamstring), JP Pietersen (back), Waylon Murray (his knee injury from last year continues to flare up), Deon Carstens (recovering from knee surgery), and Riaan Swanepoel (shoulder).
25 Comments
12 Jan 2010, 11:47 am
Dragon – give the oke an extra week to recover , its a looong season
12 Jan 2010, 11:51 am
Wear and tear? So does that mean its gonna flare up again after he wears and tears it abit more over the next few games?
Is he likely to make it through the entire tournament?
12 Jan 2010, 11:56 am
@Tacitus:
Sharks have some problems this year.
12 Jan 2010, 12:00 pm
All franchises bar the Bulls have flyhalf problems – just shows the lack in depth we have . There are good youngsters that should come through in the next 2-3 years – L Cronje , S Eberson, B Francis . .
12 Jan 2010, 12:01 pm
@WP Till I Die:
Unfortunately, I do think so. Looks like the former loan flyhalf to the Cheetahs is likely to be the Sharks starting flyhalf for the majority of the tournament.
12 Jan 2010, 12:02 pm
@SamM:
The Bulls purchase of Jacques Louis Potgieter as backup is proving its value.
12 Jan 2010, 12:03 pm
@Tacitus:
Yip, the JL Potgieter buy was very astute by the Bulls.
12 Jan 2010, 12:07 pm
Good for the Bulls , bad for Potgieter in terms of game time , terrible for the Cheetahs
12 Jan 2010, 12:21 pm
don’t risk playing him too early, you’ll just make it worse
12 Jan 2010, 12:21 pm
@SamM:
According to the Bulls they’re going to use Potgieter at both flyhalf and inside centre.
Given the requirement to manage the Boks properly, and the rotational system the Bulls have been using for the last 2 years or so, I reckon Potgieter will start about 3 games at flyhalf, and start another 3 or so at inside centre.
On top of that, he will be on the bench in most of the other games, and get gametime at either flyhalf or inside centre in each of those.
Morne Steyn and Wynand Olivier cannot play for the entire tournament. Last year, Steyn started every game for the Bulls. That is not sustainable. When Olivier went down injured before the playoffs the Bulls were in real trouble last year. They will try to avoid such a situation this time around.
So predict 6 starting games for Potgieter, and another six or so appearences off the bench. That’s decent game time in anyone’s book.
12 Jan 2010, 12:24 pm
@Tacitus: good point just feel he would have been better of with one more season at the Cheetahs / . .
12 Jan 2010, 12:24 pm
@Tacitus:
Tacitus, how much of an effect do you think fatigue will have on the Springbok-heavy Bulls and Sharks squads in the upcoming Super 15?
12 Jan 2010, 12:28 pm
@WP Till I Die:
Big effect, I reckon. Basically, guys like Matfield, Spies, Steyn, Bakkies etc. will not play in every game. Probably they’ll play in about 10 games each. Meaning that a rotational policy is unavoidable.
Let’s just hope that we have enough depth to compensate for that. I think we do, but we’ll have to see. Injuries could disrupt everything though. If Spies, Matfield and Steyn go down, I think it’s game over for our title chances.
12 Jan 2010, 12:33 pm
Who would have thought that the Lions would end up with the most options at flyhalf? Fckall else, but three decent flyhalfs where not too long ago we had Louis Strydom.
12 Jan 2010, 12:42 pm
@katman:
The Lions have a strong squad in my opinion, they just need to pull together as a team now. I’m not sure Baywatch – brave and gutsy and hard-working player that he is – is necessarily the best captain.
In my opinion the Lions’s weakness lies at lock.
12 Jan 2010, 12:45 pm
@WP Till I Die: We’ve lost too many key players – Fourie, Ludik and Alberts – without replacing them with similar class. Sadly it looks like Delport might fill Fourie’s shoes, and fck knows who will play fullback. Either Jackson or Rose, I guess. and you’re right – lock is a big concern. In fact the entire tight five is suspect.
We should still win the S14 though, but it will be tight.
12 Jan 2010, 13:01 pm
Chiefs will take this one – NZ sides traditionally are more awake than SA sides at the beginning of the tournament ( dont know why)
They should rest Pienaar for 3 games , it is still possible to make the final if they should lose.
12 Jan 2010, 13:03 pm
@stew: I disagree Stew, NZ sides are notoriously slow starting in the S14, just a couple obviously win their first games with all the local and national derbies, they usually come home strong though… ala Crusaders last year..
12 Jan 2010, 13:06 pm
@poppa69: Not a chance poppa , watch and see , the SA sides are like old people humping – have to get warmed up !!!
And my beloved Saders will come out banging this season !
12 Jan 2010, 13:18 pm
@stew: “NZ sides traditionally are more awake than SA sides at the beginning of the tournament ( dont know why)”
Certainly NOT the Chiefs – they are consistently poor starters. A few potential playoffs recently were wasted despite great run in the 2nd half of the season.
IMHO, Sharks look rather opposite. Bright starters and then either just sneak in the last moment or have wheels coming off completely.
12 Jan 2010, 13:27 pm
Ewww, Ruan Pienaar. Lets hope he either ships off to Japan where at least there he can play against guys who have the same physical strength or that he becomes injury prone.
I believe the Sharks will do poorly this season, unfortunately.
12 Jan 2010, 17:58 pm
C’mon Sharks…lets pinch Sias from the Cheetahs…oddles of talent…would be a welcomed youngster.
12 Jan 2010, 23:08 pm
@Tacitus: No, that’s why he had the knee operation: to repair the damage caused by wear and tear; most likely torn cartilage. Now he’s trying to regain fitness. It’s really not that difficult to understand. It’s really not a big deal if he isn’t fit for the first game and plays a week later.
13 Jan 2010, 08:15 am
personally i hope Ruan has had a good break and has recharged the batteries….seems he lost his love and passion for the game last year….seemed to be carrying the world on his shoulders….
A happy player gives his best….Ruan was not a happy player in 2009.
16 Jan 2010, 21:31 pm
I dont think that 10 is where the major issue is with Dumond back and young Cronje in the squad there are replacements. I think that 9 is the key position, if “I want it all” Kockott plays the ball harldy ever reaches the 10.
Look at how the Sharks fired in the CC when Kock wasn’t there, Dumond was a completely different player… McCloed to start at 9.
As Grant has mentioned, I also hope that Ruan is in a happy place, dont want to see him drop his head when the pressure is on. All the skill and talent in the world, make it count boytjie!!
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