Steyn is Sharks’ missing link
9 Jul 2012
JON CARDINELLI writes that Frans Steyn lends the Sharks another dimension and they will miss his influence in the Super Rugby play-offs.
In one of the more interesting post-match interviews held on Friday, Ryan Kankowski’s flippant remark summed up the Sharks’ performances over the past few seasons. ‘We like to make things hard for ourselves,’ the No 8 quipped in describing an inconsistent 2012 campaign that may nevertheless culminate in play-off qualification.
The Sharks have lost several close matches this season, but overall they should lament a lack of consistency in terms of the implementation of their game plan. It is only in the back end of their campaign that they have started to play for territory before keeping possession and unleashing their big ball-carriers and flashy backs.
They are likely to finish the league in sixth place, which means they will travel to Australasia for their play-off match. As Kankowski intimated after the victory against the Bulls, it is not an ideal situation, and the odds will be against the Sharks once again.
The good news for the Sharks is that they should have Willem Alberts and Pat Lambie available for that play-off. The bad news is that Frans Steyn won’t be available, as he’s ineligible for the knockout rounds having not joined the Sharks prior to the 1 April cut-off.
Steyn made all the difference to the Sharks last Friday. It’s true that the collective has played a smarter tactical game in recent rounds; it’s cut down on the errors that afflicted the momentum and completed more first-time tackles. But on top of what most title-contenders would call performing the basics, the Sharks have been boosted by the skill set of Steyn. It’s Steyn that allowed them to dominate a team as physically imposing and tactically sound as the Bulls.
Coach John Plumtree lauded the contributions of Steyn after that match. It wasn’t just the booming punts or the big defensive hits, not just the surging runs nor the deft touches with ball-in-hand that set Steyn apart. His confidence and leadership was infectious, he made a clear difference to the Sharks backline that has lacked a bit of direction in 2012.
The Sharks needed to beat the Bulls last Friday, and they needed to secure the bonus point. They are still not guaranteed a play-off place, which means another big win against the Cheetahs this Saturday is non-negotiable. Plumtree will be asking his troops for more of the same, and no doubt he will be asking Steyn for another influential performance.
It will mark Steyn’s last contribution in the Super Rugby competition, and some may argue that it would be better to select a midfield combination that will start in the play-offs. Unfortunately, this is not an option.
Because of their inconsistent start to the season, the Sharks are not in a position to take such chances. They’re still trying to make up ground, and qualifying for the play-offs at this point is more important than preparing for them.
Inside centre has long been a problematic position for the Durban franchise. In 2013 and beyond, Steyn will provide them with what they’ve been missing in that channel, that is a dominant defender as well as an attacking player who can distribute as well as breach the gainline. His kicking game will also be vital.
Meyer Bosman was seen as the answer when he signed for the Sharks, but has never lived up to the hype. Indeed, the whole of South Africa is still waiting for Bosman to live up to his potential. Jake White waxed lyrical about when he selected Bosman to start for the Springboks in 2005.
Bosman may not have the swagger of Steyn, but he has a similar skill set. He’s big enough to play that dominant physical role on defence and attack, and having played much of his career at flyhalf he has the distribution and kicking game required of a modern No 12.
Steyn should start against the Cheetahs this week, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Plumtree introduced Bosman in the second half (if the game situation allows it).
It is Bosman who could play that important position in a knock-out match, and so the backline that finishes the final league game could be the combination that starts in the play-off.
Tim Whitehead is a gifted player, and while he has had some success at No 12 for both the Stormers and Sharks, it’s at No 13 where he is best utilised. He’s a better player in space and his speed (he played wing for the Stormers at one stage) is also an asset in that wider channel.
It seems likely that the Sharks will travel to Canberra next week. Given the inexperience of that Brumbies side and the fact that Plumtree’s men won the league fixture in Canberra, it is probably the most favourable overseas fixture the Sharks could have asked for.
But there’s no point getting excited about that fixture just yet. They have a game they need to win this week, which is why Steyn should start as well as Alberts and Lambie if they’re anything close to full fitness.
It’s not the time to be holding back.
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30 Comments
9 Jul 2012, 06:01 am
Steyn the “missing link” – thought I was the only one who thought he resembled one LOL. Whitehead’s speed was evident in the last match against the Bulls – the way he outpaced Spies was a sight to behold. Dragons……..
9 Jul 2012, 06:45 am
@Pee Wee(Pee Wee)-1: surely you have watched enough rugby not to base your facts on one incident, Whitehead has had good pace all year and hasn’t suddenly lost it in 4 weeks.
Steyn will always make a few mistakes, its the damage it causes that should be the concern, on Friday night it didn’t cost the sharks nada. His value can be measured in the impact his direct opponent had on the game, in this case, the Springbok incumbent 12, Wynand Olivier, who was nowhere all evening!
If you want to see a missing link, look no further than Juan de Jongh, the oak has done everything possible this season to play himself out of Springbok contention. I down a beer every time he passes the ball – my house is now a Alcoholics Anonymous gathering spot over weekends.
9 Jul 2012, 07:08 am
Sharks look likely to play the Brumbies. Hell of a lot better then being the Bulls and having to face the Crusaders in Christchurch.
Unfortunately it would be followed by an away semi-final to the Chiefs, if the Sharks managed to beat the Brumbies.
Home advantage, or you’re just making up the numbers really.
9 Jul 2012, 07:31 am
2 @ Coma
Like Fransie passes the ball? He he joker
9 Jul 2012, 07:33 am
sharks looked excellent on the weekend… gonna be really hard to beat whoever and wherever they play…
their best game all year… possibly in several years…
will back you (and the bulls) in the play-offs… (unless you play the stormers of course…)
9 Jul 2012, 08:23 am
“Missing link”. The evolution of man. When JC is not fawning over the stormers, he dabbles in anthropology
9 Jul 2012, 09:13 am
Yip Pee Wee we will keep Steyn… How many tries did your team score with centres who “pass”?
9 Jul 2012, 09:36 am
Of Whitehead is bleddie stadig of Spies is ongelooflik vinnig. Ek dink dit is die eerste.
9 Jul 2012, 09:38 am
#5 UFO The sharks looked excellent because the bulls chose this game to play their 2nd worst game of the season so far (the worst game was the defeat by the blues at loftus).The scrums and lineouts were a total shambles,they got stuffed in the breakdown and every other facet of the game enough said,the bulls were so poor they even made kanko look good and that about sums up the bulls perfromance on friday.
9 Jul 2012, 09:55 am
The Bulls have serious problems to address:
The front row give away too many penalties and don’t pose any threat in the scrums.
The losies are getting their backsides handed to them, both on the ground and in ball carries.
9 just isn’t firing this season
10 needs to go play in Europe and the Bulls need to buy Goosen
12 needs to go play in Europe and the Bulls need to invest in Jan Serfontein.
JJ nneds to learn the defensive patterns and Sadie needs a big season or they must cut him
And finally the kick-chase needs to be balanced with a different attacking platform
9 Jul 2012, 10:07 am
#10 Seamus That about sums up the bulls at the moment and yet they are still in the play-offs it does not make much sense does it and if they had won that game at loftus against the blues with a bonus point which they should have they would be sitting pretty.It was embarrasing to watch our forwards getting stuffed by the sharks forwards.If we can get this far with this team how much better will we be when we have a settled team.
9 Jul 2012, 10:25 am
“The Sharks have lost several close matches this season, but overall they should lament a lack of consistency in terms of the implementation of their game plan”
Is this really the only problem? Yes all teams do have their off days, but sometimes the Sharks just don’t pitch up, especially if it’s not a must win game! The Sharks could’ve been in a better position at this stage if they played every game with just half the intensity from Friday night’s game.IMO
9 Jul 2012, 10:26 am
@blueboy(blueboy)-11: Nonsense, you have the most settled team in the competition probably, most of these guys have been playing together since day 1. You have had very little injuries throughout the year.
No team can afford to play the same tactic for 20 weeks, and expect other teams not to pick up on it. Fact is: there is a lot of games they should have lost, but managed to scrape a win in. I don’t see the Bulls progressing to the semi’s, whether they play the Brumbies, Crusaders, or Reds.
9 Jul 2012, 10:35 am
@Pee Wee(Pee Wee)-1:
SPIES SHOULD PLAY ON THE WING!!
he is way too soft to play in the forwards
and he clearly has the gas to play out wide
hes a lost cause at no.8
9 Jul 2012, 10:41 am
the sharks can beat and will beat any team in the comp, anywhere, if theyre firing like they did against the bulle and stormers recently
people saying the bulls n stormers played badly are kidding themselves
the sharks team is just that much better
with a little more consistency, they could be champions
as far as im concerned, the sharks are the most well-balanced side in the country- well ahead of the bulls n storm
stormers will fall on their face once again, playing either the saders or bulls at newlands
not enough fire power, simple enough
9 Jul 2012, 10:47 am
#13 Coma What i mean is theyhave played a number of games together but they have not settled as a team with the new players that have come into the team and it shows as at the moment the bulls have not played one complete game for 80 minutes this season as theyhave been playing only one good half and one bad half or playing well for 60 minutes and the last 20 rubbish as in the last cheetahs game.Our forwards after the sharks game are not good enough at the moment they may get better as they play more together.Their inexperience is now starting to show.To replace players of the caliber of victor, bakkies, fourie,guthro,danie,and even gary botha that is nearly a whole pack in one go is just about impossible.
9 Jul 2012, 10:49 am
@ Coma i do not include FDP as a forward my mistake.
9 Jul 2012, 10:53 am
@seamus(seamus)-10:
have to agree with you here..
how werner kruger n dean greyling are springboks is beyond me
can anyone answer this question?
bulls are bunch of average players when they are fronted up against
spies n the potgieters are horribly soft
9 Jul 2012, 11:26 am
Sharkies better get all 5 points this weekend , the Reds must be close ?
9 Jul 2012, 11:32 am
I would be tempted to play Lambie at 12 for the payoffs if I was Plumtree
9 Jul 2012, 11:32 am
@stew(stew)-19: Yeah, Sharks need 5. Not going to be easy though, the Cheetahs don’t mind playing at the Shark tank.
9 Jul 2012, 11:43 am
@Bok fan(Bok fan)-20:
He’ll play Lambie at 10. Fred is leaving at the end of July I think.
And besides, come playoff time, he’ll want someone a bit more cosistent at 10. Fred has has a couple of really good games of late but can be hellishly inconsistent as well.
The last thing the Sharks need is Fred having an off day in a playoff game.
9 Mcleod
10 Lambie
11 Mvovo
12 Whitehead
13 Jordaan
14 JP
15 Ludik
9 Jul 2012, 11:58 am
haha, kanko made spies look like the passenger he is on sat.
it was naaice.
9 Jul 2012, 12:00 pm
@John Galt(John Galt)-22: I dont know hey, I think Freddie is underrated. He was my man of the match for the Sharks in the Currie Cup final a few years back and plays better in the big games. Big risk to swith him with Lambie when hes been key to the Sharks sudden turn around in form.
9 Jul 2012, 12:04 pm
@rangerman(rangerman)-23:
They played on Friday evening, rangerman.
Celebrations that intense?
Your team blew the Bulls off the park.
9 Jul 2012, 13:06 pm
@hendrikp(hendrikp)-3: The Sharks is the one team who can beat both the Brumbies and the Chiefs away in consecutive games.
I still think the Canes will beat the Chiefs, with the Stormers finishing on top.
9 Jul 2012, 15:03 pm
Francois Steyn = missing link.
Wow, that too effort.
10 Jul 2012, 10:24 am
Great to see arguably the best 12 in World Rugby back in Black and White Dynamite.
His influence on and off the field has already and will lift the Sharks backline play going into the playoffs.
Even when he is not on the field – the influence will have rubbed off if only in terms the backs having confidence to “go for broke”…
Go You Good Thing, Frans.
Freddy Michalak should be in Toulon already – his contract has started. But since it is off season in NH and the fact he wants to finish business at the Sharks, as in successful playoffs, he is staying for the time being… Until the finals, of course.
Lambie at 15, Fred at 10… With a mix and match of Lem Bosman, Whitehead, Jordaan and JPP in the midfield depending on the situation.
Loving the fact that Plum and his Sharks are giving a collective middle finger to those Sharks “supporters” and Cape Haters…
Dynamite To the Final and Beyond…
BOOM!
10 Jul 2012, 10:29 am
Sharks have some pretty decent pack options going forward…
2nd row can start with a mix of: Du Toit, Marais, Bresler, Sykes… My preference would be Sykes and Du Toit
Loosies: Starters should be Kanko, Daniel and Wrecking Ball Coetzee with Deysel and Alberts coming on in 2nd half… The option with Alberts either at 4 or blindside.
Relentless… I am actually feeling sorry for the opposing teams
BOOM!
10 Jul 2012, 10:38 am
Going to be a schweet matchup this weekend…
Wrecking Ball Coetzee versus Ratel Brussouw…
The pretender and incumbent versus the vanquished champion…
Coetzee, well on his way to being the allrounder complete loosie, learning all the time… versus Ratel the specialist… the pilferer… the “Pest” to quote Phil Kearns.
I suspect King Heyneke will be watching this matchup with more than a little interest.
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