Sharks snub Tri-Series
8 Jan 2012
The Sharks have declined an invitation to play the Stormers and the Lions in a pre-season Tri-Series at Newlands at the end of January.
The Durban-based franchise has competed in the tournament in recent years, but said a long upcoming Super Rugby campaign meant it wasn’t ideal to play tough warm-up matches beforehand.
‘We will play Boland and the EP Kings over two weekends early in February,’ Sharks assistant coach Hugh Reece-Edwards told The Witness newspaper. ‘Playing in the Newlands triangular involved playing two games [against the Lions and the Stormers] in four days at the end of this month.
‘We think it will be more beneficial to our planning and preparation to spread the games over two weekends, particularly this early in the season and with a long year ahead of us.
‘I believe the Cheetahs are taking our place in Cape Town,’ he added.
The Sharks kick off their 2012 Super Rugby season with a match against the Bulls at Loftus on 24 February.
348 Comments
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8 Jan 2012, 15:47 pm
Ahh. The Plascon triple velvet.
You can’t win it if you ain’t in it.
And declining tough warm-up matches.
Enough said.
8 Jan 2012, 16:05 pm
Playing against easier opposition makes sense. Trying out moves and finding structure will be easier to accomplish against weaker teams… Two games before the season starts should be more than enough- less chance of injuries etc. Smart move sharks.
8 Jan 2012, 16:06 pm
Go Boland (Stormers reserves heh heh heh):D
8 Jan 2012, 16:09 pm
According to the news reports I heard, they were in fact complaining about the fact that the matches would be played at Newlands, giving the Stormers lots of gate revenue while the Sharks wanted to host some games in Durban to share in the loot.
When that request was ignored, they pulled out.
8 Jan 2012, 16:17 pm
@Tacitus-4:
This is not exactly the first year that this tournament has been played.
If the Bulls had enough gumption, they would’ve organised a similar tournament to this one. And it could’ve been done on an alternate hosting basis.
There are still question marks about tough opposition early in the season but I reckon it is the way to go.
Anyway all the best to you and yours for 2012.
8 Jan 2012, 16:57 pm
@IAAS-5:
I’d rather sacrifice the “fast start” to the competition in exchange for a team that can go the distance.
In other words, it’s not the end of the world if the team is a bit underdone when the S15 kicks off. The competion is just so absurdly long that protecting the players from burn out is of paramount importance.
So no, I don’t believe in a tough pre season anymore. Not with the extended format of the competition.
8 Jan 2012, 17:07 pm
@Tacitus. That was always the Bulls’ plan, but given that there is a 3 week break in the middle of the series and the Bulls will only have a couple of Boks (Hougaard, Steyn, Spies, Chilliboy) they can use that period as a mini rest period, while some other unions will get 7 or 8 burnt out Boks back. They should therefore look to start the super 15 on fire and make a statement.
8 Jan 2012, 17:21 pm
@Tacitus-6:
But the Stormers have been known to play against the Maties and Ikeys as well in pre-season. It’s all about giving some of the lesser known in the squad a run as well. Prior to the Plascon triple velvet.
It’s all about hitting the ground running from the word-go. You would want a tough game or two before taking on the best of NZ.
And being a long tourney, I would like the size of each squad increased. To at least 35 if not 40.
8 Jan 2012, 17:59 pm
Just finished Vic’ book.
Interesting read.
8 Jan 2012, 18:09 pm
Good day Tac.
8 Jan 2012, 18:10 pm
May your year be filled with Bulls’ victories.
8 Jan 2012, 18:11 pm
@Dawn-10:
Hallo Dawn.
@Dawn-11:
Dankie.
8 Jan 2012, 18:14 pm
Plesier. Soos ek altyd se, dunno how to do kappie, anybody but Sharks.
8 Jan 2012, 18:15 pm
@Dawn-13:
Ja ek dink ek gaan hierdie seisoen nogal geniet. No high expectations, so I can only be pleasantly surprised.
8 Jan 2012, 18:54 pm
As long as everyone gets those Sheepshagger teams I’m happy.
8 Jan 2012, 19:26 pm
So the Sharks declined the Warm Up in Feb, did they?
Makes sense, would give their exhausted stars JP, The Beast and Ndungane some more time to recover from their inhuman, strenuous efforts at the RWC
Fair enough
8 Jan 2012, 19:44 pm
i would rather go watch cheetahs anyway
8 Jan 2012, 20:14 pm
Where is jockbok
It’s alarming when someone disappears off the face of keo suddenly.
8 Jan 2012, 20:44 pm
@grant10-17: Me too.
8 Jan 2012, 20:58 pm
@Dawn-18:
agree – hopefully he is in some dodgy african country with no internet.
@grant10-17: @stormersboy-19:
ja, sharks are boring anyway…..8)
8 Jan 2012, 20:59 pm
Old news and that excuse by HRE is a load of croc! No decent coach will select the same match 22 for the warmup matches, no, usually 30 players will be given a run.
Why does Keo publish these lies from the guppy tank – why not just write the truth and say that the guppy pullout was financially motivated?
8 Jan 2012, 21:30 pm
Sharks. Who needs ‘em.
8 Jan 2012, 21:40 pm
Sharks got too many kop to issues.. now they praying like hell that Fransie comes and saves their sinking ship… as if Freddie Michalak and pretty boy Lambie Pambie gonna be their rising messiahs..
Still got no back line to talk of … so only hope for Sharkie Varkies is if Frankie Steyn comes does a resurrection act.. but I doubt he gonna fall for the same ruse twice.. he either go to Cheetahs or Stormers…
8 Jan 2012, 21:49 pm
the sharks management must be a pretty delusionsl bunch if they expect decent gate revenue for friendlies when they can’t even fill up that ‘tank’ for a currie cup semi-final.
8 Jan 2012, 21:50 pm
@Dawn-22:
the whole world sister…
the most famous brand on the planet…
@ashampoopaloo-23:
skoppie, talking kuk again. your stormers are the perennial wannabees of the sa rugby roundabout.
8)
8 Jan 2012, 21:52 pm
Meyer Bosman, Ross Cronje, Conrad Hoffman, Adrian Jacobs, Marius Joubert, Patrick Lambie, Louis Ludick, Charl Mcleod, Freddie Michalak, Lwasi Mvovo, Odwa Ndungane, JP Pietersen, Jacque Louis Potgieter, Gouws Prinsloo, Jacobus Reinach, Mark Richards, Sbura Sithole, Stephan Terblanche…
Now which one of those would strike any fear into their opposition strike runners…?
Only ones I find vaguely interesting are…
Sbura Sithole, Lwazi Mvovo, Jacobus Reinach (Jaco Reinach II if anything remotely like the previous version), and where is Paul Jordaan, the new Danie Gerber..??
8 Jan 2012, 21:55 pm
This year the:
Sharks will have a strong pack, but a mediocre backline, the
Stormers will have good skills across the park, but lack depth in crucial positions, the
Lions will lack both quality and depth, as will the
Cheetahs, and the
Bulls will have a well balanced team across the park, but will lack experience.
The shootout for the top 3 positions in the SA conference will be between the Sharks, Bulls and Stormers, with any of those three capable of ending top of the conference.
8 Jan 2012, 22:00 pm
Too soon to say what the teams will do. As long as we’re knocking the snot out of the people from the back end of nowhere and their cousins then I’m moer happy.
8 Jan 2012, 22:02 pm
ok, boys and girls…
here is a movie quiz for a sunday evening….
“what we have here….
is a failure…
to…
communicate”
what movie and which leading acor?
8 Jan 2012, 22:03 pm
acor?????
actor!!!!
8 Jan 2012, 22:06 pm
Paul Newman but I forget the movie. Some prison type flick. I remember the one scene where he had to eat a lot of eggs.
8 Jan 2012, 22:10 pm
@Great White Shark-31:
yep, half a mark.
the quote comes from the prison warden with the mirror ray-bans
8 Jan 2012, 22:16 pm
Stormers must ditch Schalk Burger as golden eye kapitano…
Sharks don’t seem to have progressed much with any new blood apart from Coetsee, Daniel and Alberts at loose forward
and Deysel and the Du Plessis broers to give them the hard edge they require in the driving loose, their forwards again will be their platform but they toothless at back unless Riaan Viljoen, Sithole, Mvovo, and Jordaan perform some magic.. Viljoen will need to be their trump card cos they don’t have much else unless they thinking Lambie and Michalak gonna produce some miracles on their own..
Bulls have got the best mix of young blood coming through
with Arno Botha, CJ Stander, Jacques Potgieter, coming into play along Spies and Stegmann..
and in backs they have the 2 Stormers escapees Engelbrecht and Sadie to create something out wide…with Hougaard and Steyn providing the platform for attack and Flip and Juandre providing the engine room dynamics behind Greyling and Kruger is a formidable unit… new exciting combo’s to look forward to..
Cheetahs and Lions a little light in depth.. though Lions have definitely turned the corner in terms of quality of performance and team ethic and their loosie combo’s of Strauss, Minnie, Whitely, Rhodes still exciting proposition along Franco vd Merwe at 2nd row
Bulls got the driving seat in terms of new energy definitely.. and Stormers gonna be picking up where they left off… same old same old Rassie / AC dead duck strategies all revolving around chief cook and bottle washing dynamo Schalkie the Hulkie…
Our strength going to have to come from loosies and half backs because up front we aint got much happening and if Bekker goes down injured again nothing much at 2nd row either
Hopefully Duvenhage and Van Aswegen can provide some dynamics behind scrum with old man JdV and De Jongh in the middle but I ain’t enamored with the prospects .. no sirree..
8 Jan 2012, 22:22 pm
so Charo you back in the land of the long green mamba … and here to stay this time.. no more hop skip and jumping across the continent looking for a new ostrich egg to whisk into an omlette??
8 Jan 2012, 22:23 pm
so Charo you back in the land of the long green mamba … and here to stay this time.. no more hop skip and jumping across the continent looking for a new hornets nest to dive into??
8 Jan 2012, 22:24 pm
double deluxe post… one too many mornings on Bakersfield avenue…
8 Jan 2012, 22:27 pm
Cool Hand feckin Luke
8 Jan 2012, 22:53 pm
fokkol happening here.. here some lekker muziek to get some nostalgic ears into momentary elation… better than ou tydse Paul Newman movies how about some ou tydse musiek to get the goose flesh rising…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48K5Y0421Ig
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=lTi3bRKohQU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Go9aks4aujM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPK9kr4_imM&feature=related
8 Jan 2012, 23:13 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ckv6-yhnIY&feature=fvwrel
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x10ith_otis-redding-i-ve-been-loving-you-t_music#rel-page-4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BKRt010H3k
8 Jan 2012, 23:33 pm
@ashampoopaloo-39: @Dawn-37: skop, while you’re at it check out our boy trevor noah killin it on jay leno’s tonight show
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=FGbwbFeIucM&sns=fb
8 Jan 2012, 23:52 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBE3vAfYj0M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jGSiaDj_fw&feature=list_related&playnext=1&list=AVGxdCwVVULXeYQfzQp62J7ikaISpg2lqf
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djuu9uvyBNs&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60OwtIio8LM&feature=related
9 Jan 2012, 01:16 am
@ashampoopaloo-33:
harsh
schalk burger is one fo the best loose forwards ever to come out of SA, and he’s evolving his game and getting better.
9 Jan 2012, 05:07 am
@Tacitus-27: Hi there Tac.
).
I just noticed on the Lions thread that the Bulls have picked up Jano Vermaak for this season. A fantastic buy, if he is fully fit.
But do you think it is an indication that they are going to use Francois Hougaard as a utility player again? Or perhaps more just shows his dissatisfaction with the Lions (RedLion et al, feel free to jump in on that one too
It just seems an odd career choice for someone looking to get back into national contention to move to a province who has not only the incumbent Bok scrumhalf, but an incumbent who is several years younger than yourself.
9 Jan 2012, 06:25 am
@DonutDunning-43: at the time of the move i think everyone would agree that leaving the broke Lions was the right thing for jano.
re the bulls, jano should substantial game time as hougaard’s 2nd in charge. hougaard though not ‘injury prone’ will need to be managed properly if he is going to last the whole season.
jano can actually force his way into the Bok team if he performs well as a kak ruan was the 3rd option at scrumhalf after fdp & frankie hougaard. plus a rapport with morne, who by most accounts will still feature for the boks at 10, will be advantageous.
9 Jan 2012, 08:13 am
Pre-season prediction, Sharks to fly the flag for SA, Bulls to sneak in at 6th place in the end.
9 Jan 2012, 08:14 am
Morning all… Great week ahead to everyone…
Bit rich this form the Sharks…
This comp was organized and run by Stormers for the last few seasons… (amidst much derision from fans and other unions…) So why should WP rugby suddenly have to ‘share’ it and any income with the Sharks…?
If the Sharks had put it all together, does anyone think they’d be willing to ‘share’ anything with any other unions…? I doubt it…
Also a bit rich when we consider the fact that the Sharks have not been able to fill their own stadium recently for such important matches like semi-finals… so what makes them think they’d actually make any income from hosting pre-season warm up matches…?
Thing is… these matches practically fill up Newlands due to the massive support the Stormers have in Cape Town… and WPRU can make something from the gate as well as broadcast rights… So why mess with it…?
Seems the Sharks are displaying an extremely self-centered self-serving agenda here and they’re no loss to the series… Let’s see how many fans pitch up to watch them play the Kings and Boland…
Also don’t see them offering to play any games in Wellington or PE…
Nuff said…
9 Jan 2012, 08:18 am
@PissAnt-45:
that is a big prediction.
i certainly would nt put money on it.
9 Jan 2012, 08:22 am
@ufo-46:
probably a bit of both.
one they wanted the money and two they know its gonna be a meat grinder now that the lions are also looking competitive.
9 Jan 2012, 08:30 am
@ufo-46:
Sorry ufo, but the only thing that is a bit rich here is your post that is in poor taste. Nowhere in this article does it say that it is for financial reasons, so your speculation that it is so is just rubbish. The fact that one or two bloggers mention that as a reason does not make it true.
Could finances be part of the descision? Yes! Is it the only reason? Not according to this article. So pipe down and show some common sense please, you are better than this. This something i would expect from Transie
9 Jan 2012, 08:32 am
@au revoir mon tout noirs, au revoir…-48:
possibly ARMTNAR…
but me thinks that ‘long season’ is a smoke’n'mirrors face-saving exercise…
Stormers first week bye put them behind the 8 ball at the start of last season… and i think proves that getting off to a running start is more advantageous than trying to ‘build’ into the season.
As we all know… winning… and losing… is a habit… and you don’t want to get into a losing habit while working into the season… especially in the s15… arguably rugby’s toughest competition…
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