SA latest – Michalak to start at 10
16 Jun 2011
Keo.co.za brings you news from South Africa’s Super rugby franchises.
Michalak to start at 10 – Freddie Michalak will spearhead the Sharks’ backline while Pat Lambie has been shifted to fullback.
Jean Deysel is included in the starting line-up as is Bismarck du Plessis. John Smit moves to the bench, while Willem Alberts, back from a shoulder injury, is also among the reserves.
Sharks – 15 Patrick Lambie, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Stefan Terblanche (c), 12 Meyer Bosman, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Frederic Michalak, 9 Charl McLeod, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Jean Deysel, 6 Keegan Daniel, 5 Alistair Hargreaves, 4 Gerhard Mostert, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Subs: 16 John Smit, 17 Wiehahn Herbst, 18 Ross Skeate, 19 Willem Alberts, 20 Marcell Coetzee, 21 Adrian Jacobs, 22 Louis Ludik.
Four week ban for James - Lions flyhalf Butch James has been suspended for four weeks for a dangerous tackle.
The offence, a high tackle on Sharks flanker Keegan Daniel, was classified as mid-range. As the Lions have a bye in the final round of the tournament, it has ruled that the commencement of the sanction be deferred to Monday 20 June. James is therefore effectively suspended from all rugby up to and including 17 July 2011.
The Tri-Nations commences a week after James is eligible to play once more, with a Test against Australia in Sydney.
Duvenage in doubt – Louis Schreuder is likely to start the Stormers’ final game in Bloemfontein as Dewaldt Duvenage is struggling with an ankle injury.
Duvenage has been listed as doubtful for the Cheetahs’ match, and given that Ricky Januarie is out with a broken hand, Schrueder is likely to start. In that event, Nic Groom will come onto the bench.
Duvenage’s absence will also mean the Stormers go into this game without flyhalf cover for Peter Grant, unless of course Earl Rose is brought onto the bench. Kurt Coleman is unavailable due to an ankle injury.
28 Comments
16 Jun 2011, 11:36 am
so if the stormers losse this game it would be because of the 6th scrumhalf and that they had to travel 2 hrs to bloem, but never because the cheetahs where better
16 Jun 2011, 14:04 pm
@vasteses(vasteses)-1: @vasteses(vasteses)-1: Yep! @vasteses(vasteses)-1: You are a kenner of note!
16 Jun 2011, 14:09 pm
stormers in the dwang…Schreuder you need to step up young man!
4 weeks crazy man….
16 Jun 2011, 14:22 pm
So when is SBW going to be talked to about tackling without using his arms? Looks like his changing his signature move. Shame on you SBW steeling Butch’s tactics, stick to your own.
16 Jun 2011, 14:50 pm
Oh grief. Stormers having no luck with the half backs this year. I’m assuming Nic Groom is a scrum half, so where does that leave us if PG doesn’t last the full 80? Looks like Earl must come onto the bench and hopefully drop Jantjes. No doubt Sadie will be the one to go though. Faarrrkkkkkkkkkkkk……..
16 Jun 2011, 15:01 pm
@JA-JA(JA-JA)-4: It’s called consistency. Don’t you remember SANZAR saying that’s what they are aiming for
16 Jun 2011, 15:52 pm
Other than Oupa and Kanko (considering his last game – last chance saloon for redenmption), I like the look of this Sharks team. Well done Plum, good selection. Now for that warrior spirit and never say die attitude of the banana boys….
16 Jun 2011, 16:00 pm
jeez that’s a kak backline. Apart from the wings… Lambie’s a good young player but he’ll never be more than solid at fullback… Watch Olivier exploit that terrible sharks midfield…
16 Jun 2011, 16:03 pm
@vasteses(vasteses)-1: give yourself a peosklap for such an accurate observation.
16 Jun 2011, 16:07 pm
there’s going to be some tears in danville this saturday.i honestly fear for the poor women and garden gnomes.
16 Jun 2011, 16:10 pm
@Pirlet BEL(Pirlet BEL)-8: I agree, the centre could be a revolving door here. Better would have been to play Michalak at 10 with Lambie at 12 maybe Jacobs at 13 and Terblanche at 15 where he has always been more comfortable an effective than at 13.
16 Jun 2011, 16:21 pm
ahhh so plum retains his turnstile and moves the better defender to 15
it could work because morne is no threat to the advantage line anyway so it will be up to meisiekind to take his chances on bosman.
16 Jun 2011, 16:29 pm
Brilliant plan, Frenchie at flyhalf and Lambie and fullback, Bulls haven’t been able to study footage on this so wont have a proven game plan, so should hopefully be in our favor.
16 Jun 2011, 17:49 pm
@Treehugger(Treehugger)-13: What do you mean won’t have a proven game plan… with the Bulls it’s one way and one way only. Vok-maar-voort with skop and chase – not knocking it as they are a very successful team, but they’ll play the same no matter what the opposition team’s composition is.
Go the Sharks (and the Brumbies – for the Bulls and Shark’s sake) – are we going to turn the corner at the last minute…? Fingers crossed!
16 Jun 2011, 18:49 pm
Where is Jacques-Louis Potgieter?
Plum was singing his praises at the beginning of the season.
The last time he played a significant role was against the Crusaders in London.
But his goal-kicking was suspect and he was subsequently dropped.
Still, the Sharks backline was an attacking threat with him at pivot.
I’m not saying he’s a preferable option to Lambie, but surely he won’t be pleased to see Michalak leap-frog him like this?
Didn’t he leave the Bulls because he believed he wasn’t going to get much game time with Morne Steyn favoured in the 10 jersey?
Where does this leave JLP now?
As for Craig Burden, at least he knows it’s only a matter of time before he rotates with Bismark more often with Smit rumoured to be off to Saracens.
But if the Sharks don’t win the S15 this year (and it’s looking increasingly likely that they won’t), perhaps Smit will want to take one last crack next year as it is the one trophy he hasn’t won?
And, even if Smit does end his tenure at the Sharks, if Bismark is made captain then Burden will be sitting on the bench more often than not.
It does look more likely that Keegan Daniel and possibly Alistair Hargreaves could replace Smit and Terblanche as team leaders.
16 Jun 2011, 18:52 pm
And as for the Stormers, do they honestly think they can go all the way with one flyhalf option who has only just returned from injury???
For heaven’s sake, put Earl Rose on the bench.
He isn’t most peoples’ cup of tea, but he knows what’s required at 10.
And the Stormers need some sort of depth there going into the business end.
16 Jun 2011, 19:01 pm
@HG
Plums lost it if you ask me. Lambie is our best defense in that 10/12 channel at the moment and is a yard too slow for full back. If you think this game is going to be won because of the flair of a frenchman, you are mistaken. Itll be trench warfare out there.
And Kanko, for your info, made the most tackles last game, never missing one and gained the most yards in the entire team. Hardly a terrible outing. But ya, Oupa needs his zimmer frame handed to him and told to sit in the stands. Quickly.
16 Jun 2011, 19:40 pm
@John Galt(John Galt)-17:
Regardless of Kanko’s Stats of last week, you can’t play him with Daniel at the same loose combo
Without Smit on the field they can’t even think of matching up to the Bulls and Smit now is a far better LH than a hooker
And JLP got lost in the quota games, surely a far better option off the bench than Jacobs The Impostor?
Lambie at 15 defies logic, all signs of panic and desperations
16 Jun 2011, 20:36 pm
frikking dumb lineup – Bosman and Terblanche are the midfield disasters why not play this lineup:
9 McCleod
10 Michalak
11 Mvovo
12 Lambie
13 Jacobs
14 Pietersen
15 Ludik or Terblanche (where he plays far better rugby)
now that looks like a strong and balanced lineup.
I agree Lambie is a good choice at 15 but cant see him adding to this game at 15. he´s be far more dagerous at 12 alongside Michalak and we kill the second bird by getting rid of that deadweight Bosman.
Much stronger.
16 Jun 2011, 20:38 pm
@Hondo(Hondo)-18: Without Smit on the field they can’t even think of matching up to the Bulls ??????
Say what???? Smit is just more deadweight who would you rather be on the bench instead of Smit? Bismarck or Beast??? Thats pretty nuts.
16 Jun 2011, 20:55 pm
@Slumtown(Slumtown)-20:
Smit is not fat and useless as many believe.
He is actually very devastating .
He just needs the proper motivation. At Sharks he does not have proper coaching like he gets with Bokke.
Smit’s problems are small. If we could drop his hips 35 degrees more at scrum time he could have more power.
His throwing at line outs is perfect;
16 Jun 2011, 20:59 pm
@puff(puff)-16: Ja meneer tell them
EARL IS NEEDED.
Especially before the World Cup, he needs to make sure he has played high level rugby. It won’t be good if he doesn’t get a practice now.
16 Jun 2011, 22:54 pm
@rugbygenius(rugbygenius)-21: Not in the last Sharks game I saw. We shall see come WC time.
16 Jun 2011, 23:06 pm
@rugbygenius(rugbygenius)-22: So he has secretly made the WC squad already?
17 Jun 2011, 00:48 am
@Slumtown(Slumtown)-24: 75% CONFIRMED.
17 Jun 2011, 09:10 am
Let’s see if this pays off. If I had to play Michalak, I would have started Lambie at 12 and kept Ludik, with Bosman coming on in the last quarter.
Luckily Plum kept Daniel at 6 and did not go for the all-abrasive trio – the Sharks are going to need Daniel’s speed and low centre of gravity at the ruck to ensure quick recycles from the base (considering that Michalak collides with defense close to the set piece more often than other 10s due to his individualistic tendencies).
I don’t expect the Sharks to kick too much out of hand, at least not for touch.
Alberts on the bench could be a match-winning move.
17 Jun 2011, 09:12 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-12:
That’s a good point Transie.
But with Olivier cutting inside as often as he does, expect Michalak to make a lot more tackles than he thought he might have to.
17 Jun 2011, 09:29 am
@willievz(willievz)-27: i’m not sure about freddie’s defence actually i’ve never paid that much attention to that aspect of his game.
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