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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9 Jan 2012, 13:38 pm
smal a better choice than Meyer imo
9 Jan 2012, 13:43 pm
@Mr Black-148:
Well they approached him, so I would assume he will only accept on his own terms. Only reason he will leave a cushy job in Ireland.
9 Jan 2012, 13:43 pm
This is not the ideal time for Meyer in any case.
His opportunity was 4 years ago – when the players he had developed from junior level were at their peak. And it will be his opportunity again 4 years from now, when the new crop of players he is developing are at their peak.
Smal is coming in in the trough between these two peaks, and will have to make do with a very mix and match bunch of players.
9 Jan 2012, 13:44 pm
will be very intersting to see who he chooses as assistants
9 Jan 2012, 13:46 pm
i wonder if smal will get 4 year contract…..i hope only 2 with options and performance clauses
9 Jan 2012, 13:53 pm
@Tacitus-153:
for the sake of our win / loss ratio i would have more faith in meyer or mallet seeing out must win games than i would smal.
if we did as badly as we have during a ‘peak’ period with a mediocre coach how much worse could things get with a mediocre coach during a ‘trough’ period.
9 Jan 2012, 13:55 pm
@au revoir mon tout noirs, au revoir…-156:
Snor could only dream of being a mediocre coach.
And Small is probably a bit better than a mediocre coach.
9 Jan 2012, 14:02 pm
Everyone was asking for Smal, now he’s in the running, people are complaining.
Buncha big girls’ blouses.
9 Jan 2012, 14:02 pm
@Tacitus-157:
Hoesit vandag
9 Jan 2012, 14:04 pm
I’d rank the coaches in question as follows:
Poor: Snor
Mediocre: Coetzee
Good: Smal
Excellent: Meyer
9 Jan 2012, 14:07 pm
Not that I think Smal is a poor coach, but I do shudder at the thought of four more years of WP laden Bok teams, based on little more than the PR hype around their so-called stars.
9 Jan 2012, 14:07 pm
@Dawn-159:
Nee voorrie wind dankie.
9 Jan 2012, 14:08 pm
@>^..^< katman-161:
My sentiments exactly.
9 Jan 2012, 14:08 pm
this is not good. i wanted heineken to at least get the job if SARU were insisting on a saffa coach. smal was last a head coach in 2001 it is 2012 now.
9 Jan 2012, 14:14 pm
@Tacitus-162:
Bly om te ****.
9 Jan 2012, 14:14 pm
h o o r!!!!!
9 Jan 2012, 14:17 pm
@Tacitus-163: Yep, for reasons that cannot be explained by anyone we are going to have to make space for some lock called Elstadt or Etsebeth or Engelbert. And Brock Harris. And Dewald Duvenhage.
And Burger’s captaincy is going to restrict us far more than Smit’s ever did.
9 Jan 2012, 14:17 pm
@>^..^< katman-161: @Tacitus-162:
The only WP players that consistently featured in the last 4 years were Schalk, Jean and Andries.
Gio, Juan joined the fray in 2010 but never really held starting positions for long.
Jaque also joined in 2010 but we all know where he came from as was the case with Bryan (both established Boks before they joined WP).
The last 4 years saw the Bulls and Sharks dominate Bok selections.
9 Jan 2012, 14:23 pm
@PissAnt-168:
Hence Gert’s Titus-given mission to rectify that..
9 Jan 2012, 14:24 pm
Keo fire up a new poll on who will be the kakkest captain this season.
Is it;
A) steroid muscles Spies
B) bonehead Burger
C) plain kuk Daniels
I am going of option B as in B for bonehead
9 Jan 2012, 14:27 pm
@Tacitus-160:
yip, pretty much spot on although i’m going to hold out on labelling smal a good coach just yet. he may in fact, after all this time, prove to be woefully behind the curve come the four nations.
@>^..^< katman-161:
its just a tragedy really.
another four year period of mediocrity and pretty soon we’ll be referred to as ‘like wales of the 70′s’ we will be known for a golden age of prosperity lasting a period of time and nothing more.
this is the death of springbok rugby.
9 Jan 2012, 14:29 pm
@PissAnt-168: And Flo.
And of a Province backline of Duvenhage, Grant, De Villiers, Fourie, Habana, Aplon and Jantjes, with De Jongh on the bench, it’s only Duvenhage who isn’t capped. And I suspect we may see that change too.
9 Jan 2012, 14:30 pm
@PissAnt-168: why spoil the pity party?
9 Jan 2012, 14:31 pm
I seen Smal in Pick ‘n Pay once
He is bigger than all youse put together
Say all that to his face.
9 Jan 2012, 14:35 pm
@Dawn-174: Did he tip you, or did he pack his own bags?
9 Jan 2012, 14:36 pm
@Dawn-174:
did you contemplate his navel?
9 Jan 2012, 14:37 pm
heyneke would have been the death of bok rugby
9 Jan 2012, 14:40 pm
@>^..^< katman-172:
Flo featured in the beginning of 2010 and was dropped after that – his call-up was very late to the RWC last year – I think he played 5 or 6 times.
Jantjes played his last game in 2008 for the Boks – he has left for France now too.
Grant last played in 2008 as-well, and it was capped initially under White and came off the bench on all 4 times he was in the 22.
As mentioned, Habana and Fourie were both capped at other unions.
9 Jan 2012, 14:42 pm
@grant10-177: Spies & Timotei for Bok cappies
9 Jan 2012, 14:43 pm
@PissAnt-178: Don’t get technical with me now. I still have Slaptjips, Fleckie and Breyton to haul out.
9 Jan 2012, 14:43 pm
@>^..^< katman-175:
I did the checkout.
Aslam did the packing!
9 Jan 2012, 14:43 pm
@PissAnt-178: why you letting facts get in the way of a good whine? blaady agent!
9 Jan 2012, 14:46 pm
@>^..^< katman-172:
and bekker
9 Jan 2012, 14:48 pm
@>^..^< katman-180:
and tricky ricky
9 Jan 2012, 14:49 pm
@>^..^< katman-180:
and cj
9 Jan 2012, 14:50 pm
@PissAnt-178:
I hope you’re not thinking to strengthen your point by throwing White’s name into the argument.
Everyone knows White was a WP fanboy like no other.
9 Jan 2012, 14:53 pm
@Tacitus-186:
Think Eddie Andrews, Bolla Conradie, Hanyani Shimange, Quintin Davidz to name but a few.
9 Jan 2012, 15:00 pm
@Tacitus-187: please, just think wacko jaco and your whole point become moot
9 Jan 2012, 15:02 pm
@Transformation-188:
Jaco vd Westhuizen was an excellent player in his prime. If you have issues with his personality off the field, well, that’s your problem.
In his book Vic says that seeing Jaco on the crossbar at King’s Park after the 2007 S14 final was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.
9 Jan 2012, 15:04 pm
@Tacitus-186:
White is a self-confessed Bulls supporter.
9 Jan 2012, 15:04 pm
@Tacitus-186:
White is a self-confessed Bulls supporter.
9 Jan 2012, 15:05 pm
@>^..^< katman-180:
Don’t be surprised if one of those names joins Smal….
@Transformation-182:
Ja neh…
9 Jan 2012, 15:06 pm
@PissAnt-191:
I was at a dinner event where White was the guest speaker back in 2005 and when someone at my table asked him which team he supported he himself stated WP.
You only have to look at his Schalk Burger/Jean de Villiers infatuation to understand the truth of that.
Not to mention Bolla Conradie ahead of Fourie du Preez, or Hanyani ahead of Gary Botha.
9 Jan 2012, 15:06 pm
@Tacitus-187:
corne krige…
9 Jan 2012, 15:07 pm
@PissAnt-192:
I know about the stories of them trying to rob us of our backline coach at the Bulls.
May they fail miserably.
9 Jan 2012, 15:08 pm
@au revoir mon tout noirs, au revoir…-194:
From the Strauli era. White ditched him immediately.
9 Jan 2012, 15:08 pm
bob skinstad
9 Jan 2012, 15:08 pm
@Tacitus-187:
We can list mediocre players till the cows come home. Not really interested in that. Pointed out a flaw in a statement above that WP somehow dominated selections in the last 4 years (even more). In 2009 there were some games where there weren’t even a WP player in the match-day 22…
9 Jan 2012, 15:10 pm
@Tacitus-196:
ok, different province players from different coaching eras.
9 Jan 2012, 15:10 pm
@Tacitus-189: tl tl tl and as the sycophant you are, anything vic says you lap up as gospel.
any discerning person knows that was cringe-worthy and crass.
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