Plum’s picks to pound Pumas
13 Feb 2013
The Sharks squad strength will be on show in their final Super Rugby pre-season match against the Pumas.
Sharks coach John Plumtree is giving the strongest possible line-up a hit out before the season starts in a week’s time.
The team is made up of mostly first choice players, especially in the backline, where the only change for the Cheetahs clash could be Charl McLeod to replace Cobus Reinach.
Injury concerns to the loose forwards has resulted in a second choice trio being selected, with Keegan Daniel confirmed out of action for six weeks, and niggles to Willem Alberts and Marcell Coetzee leaving them at home. We are also still waiting to see the return of Ryan Kankowski, who returned from his stint in Japan last week.
The front row of Beast Mtawarira, Craig Burden and Jannie du Plessis is the strongest available, and should remain the same until Bismarck du Plessis returns in April.
The Sharks: 15. Louis Ludik, 14. JP Pietersen, 13. Paul Jordaan, 12. Francois Steyn (C), 11. Lwazi Mvovo, 10. Patrick Lambie, 9. Cobus Reinach, 8. Lubabalo Mtembu, 7. Jean Deysel, 6. Jacques Botes, 5. Franco van der Merwe, 4. Anton Bresler, 3. Jannie du Plessis, 2. Craig Burden, 1. Tendai Mtawarira. Substitutes: 16. Kyle Cooper, 17. Allan Dell, 18. Wiehahn Herbst, 19. Pieter-Steph du Toit, 20. Francois Kleinhans, 21. Charl McLeod, 22. Meyer Bosman, 23. Odwa Ndungane, 24. Riaan Viljoen
By Richard Ferguson
53 Comments
13 Feb 2013, 14:32 pm
Alberts shoulder a concern apparently.
13 Feb 2013, 14:35 pm
bold haha
fArk cAps
13 Feb 2013, 14:56 pm
One would have to say that the Sharks are truly spoilt for riches in the back row – almost too much so, and with Pieter-Steph du Toit on the benech they have, for the first time in years a solid looking second row also. And Paul Jordaan is a fine replacement for Whitehead. The only area of some concern to me is at scrum half. hat needs to be addressed as soon as possible, certainly before next season (2114). Despite this I am rather more hopeful for a decent early – and hopefully – continued Super XV campaign. Maybe, just maybe they can finally can break the “bridesmaid” hoodoo! We shall see….
13 Feb 2013, 14:59 pm
Correction to the previous: I obviously meant to say ” That needs to be addressed as soon as possible, certainly before next season (2014).”
13 Feb 2013, 15:44 pm
@cyberscamp-4: Scamp, Sharks are doing just fine at scrumhalf.
Reinach and Mcleod were very good last weekend, specially Reinach.
13 Feb 2013, 15:46 pm
@cyberscamp-4: Sorry forgot to mention that the 3rd Scrummy is the current Bok under 20 Scrumhalf.
13 Feb 2013, 16:16 pm
@Sharks_are_gonna_get_you-6: Hanco Venter?
13 Feb 2013, 16:16 pm
Where’s Kanko, not selected or on the bench?
13 Feb 2013, 16:16 pm
gah
13 Feb 2013, 16:17 pm
why are all the comments in bold?
@whitey01-8: Kanko is doing conditioning for a week to boost his strength
13 Feb 2013, 16:20 pm
Does this fix it?
13 Feb 2013, 16:24 pm
@whitey01-8: I don’t think his Japanese club commitments are finished yet or they are easing him back in. I know players arrive back depending on their club fortunes in the knockout comp in the latter stages of the Japenese season.
13 Feb 2013, 16:26 pm
I have asked Roy to check out why comments are coming up in bold.
13 Feb 2013, 16:28 pm
@robdylan-7: Yes
13 Feb 2013, 16:29 pm
@keo-13: Now Mark, you know Roy is slow.
13 Feb 2013, 16:35 pm
@keo-13: I can tell you for free. You have an unmatched “strong” tag at the end of the post. Just after Richard’s name.
As for Kanko, he is back with the Sharks but is being put on a conditioning block to boost strength. That’s why he’s no playing.
13 Feb 2013, 16:36 pm
@Sharks_are_gonna_get_you-14: you know, or you assume? I’ve not heard anything official.
13 Feb 2013, 16:36 pm
Just heard on 702 that the Lions next game has been cancelled, without reasons given. Does anyone know who it was against?
13 Feb 2013, 16:36 pm
@David-18: Namibia. Huge loss of a high-profile fixture. Not.
13 Feb 2013, 16:38 pm
@keo-13:
And why they’re italics on the other thread.
13 Feb 2013, 16:39 pm
@robdylan-19:
Thanks Rob.
13 Feb 2013, 16:44 pm
@David-21: nae probs matey…. are you the same David that’s been David here since the beginning? In that case, nice to see you again!
13 Feb 2013, 16:47 pm
Same one Rob. Nice to see you back.
13 Feb 2013, 16:51 pm
@robdylan-16: thanks
13 Feb 2013, 16:52 pm
Rienach is a very good player and I know how highly he is already rated within the Sharks set up and he has already caught the eye of the national selectors. I think he will start at the No 1 ahead of Charl M
13 Feb 2013, 16:53 pm
Make that Reinach
13 Feb 2013, 16:53 pm
@robdylan-17: Just assuming here mate, as HOffmans name has been taken off the Sharks website squad list. and no other Scrumhalf has been bought or brought in it seems?? so yes i am assuming.
13 Feb 2013, 16:56 pm
@keo-25: Last weekends match Mark, Mcleod started and after about 10 to 15 min he left the field with a blood injury, Reinach came on and from the start the Leopards backline was in trouble as Reinach’s service was snappy and he made quite a few breaks.
13 Feb 2013, 16:56 pm
@keo-24: pleasure, fella… I see it’s all fixed
13 Feb 2013, 16:56 pm
@David-23: I think I might pop in here more often to give my boy Richard some moral support
13 Feb 2013, 16:59 pm
@Sharks_are_gonna_get_you-27: I don’t think you’re wrong, necessarily. Just always better to state when something is an opinion, lest it be interpreted as fact.
Hoffmann is gone… out of contract, injured as usual and back in the Cape trying to find work outside of rugby. Venter is definitely the blue-eyed boy, but if it came to needing to start someone in a Super Rugby game this season, I think they’d go with Tian Meyer (back in Durban and playing for Rovers) ahead of Venter. And that’s literally just an age/experience thing. Meyer has at least played Currie Cup (for the Pumas). Venter is only 19 and hasn’t played above Vodacom Cup level.
That said, it is very impressive that Venter was picked to play Vodacom Cup before he’d even played any age-group rugby. He clearly is very highly rated.
13 Feb 2013, 17:04 pm
@robdylan-31: Thanks Roberto lol, and agreed , btw i had no idea Tian is back in DBN? and yes he will surely also be in the reckoning as he has been around a long time, he is also a feisty scrummy.
13 Feb 2013, 17:05 pm
@Sharks_are_gonna_get_you-32: you not seen the Rovers squad I posted on Sharksworld? Some eyebrow-raising names in there, including a certain Mr Mjekevu
13 Feb 2013, 17:08 pm
@robdylan-30:
Your boy Richard?
Sorry I never accepted your invitation to join SharksWorld, but hell, a guys got to draw a line somewhere!
13 Feb 2013, 17:13 pm
@David-34: your loss, mate… your loss
13 Feb 2013, 17:14 pm
@robdylan-35:
If I remember it was yours this year.
13 Feb 2013, 17:20 pm
Bowman ahead of Butch – come on !
13 Feb 2013, 17:22 pm
Sharkworlders back on “the site not to be mentioned”
13 Feb 2013, 17:30 pm
@Transformation-38: hello mate… you’re a bit scarce our side
13 Feb 2013, 17:30 pm
@David-36: jy gooi hom maar ek vang hom nie
13 Feb 2013, 17:31 pm
@David-34: you didn’t see this?
60. Transformation said:
13 Feb 2013, 12:55 pm
a new Guppy supporting scribe for Keo,
RichFerg…
Mark Keohane
@ mark_keohane
24h
Welcome to Richard Ferguson who
will be writing daily news stories on
Keo.co.za . Richard also runs
@sharksworld Many talents
13 Feb 2013, 17:32 pm
@robdylan-39: just marinating until the big show starts & the Kings start kicking a.ss
13 Feb 2013, 17:34 pm
@Transformation-41:
No, missed it. I’ve got no problem with Sharks supporters. The Guppies need all they can get.
13 Feb 2013, 17:37 pm
@Transformation-42: you’ll be well-marinated then
13 Feb 2013, 18:33 pm
‘Happy-clappy-world’ merging with Keo?
Must be bed-time…
13 Feb 2013, 19:17 pm
guppies galore!
13 Feb 2013, 21:13 pm
@RL-46: well you should be happy then as the Sharks latest supporter??
13 Feb 2013, 21:26 pm
@Sharks_are_gonna_get_you-47: hey sharks_lover
13 Feb 2013, 21:34 pm
I had fun with this on the other thread. As an honorary guppy I am spilling the beans on why “we” guppies love them bullies
Guppies love ugly friends, to look pretty
2013-02-13 18:12
When it comes to mating, guppies treasure their ugly friends. They make them look good by comparison.
London – When it comes to mating, guppies treasure their ugly friends – because they look so good by comparison.
An article published on Wednesday by Britain’s Royal Society says that male guppies prefer to associate with their drab-coloured counterparts when females were around.
“Males actively choose the social context that maximizes their relative attractiveness,” the article said. Or, as lead author Clelia Gasparini put it, “If you are surrounded by ugly friends, you look better.”
Gasparini and her colleagues at Italy’s University of Padua built their theory on a kind of guppy dating game. An aquarium was set up with one female in partition on either end. Guppy bachelorette No 1 had two attractive, brightly-coloured males placed on either side of her. Guppy bachelorette No 2 was stuck with uglier, drab-coloured fish.
When a male guppy was put in the middle of the tank, and given the choice of which female to sidle up to, Bachelorette No 2 was the more popular pick, with male guppies spending about 62% of their time hanging around her side of the aquarium.
What’s more, the researchers found that the time guppies spent with bachelorette No 2 correlated with their unattractiveness. The uglier the guppy, the less likely it was that he would hang around the brightly coloured fish placed next to bachelorette No 1.
Because it could be argued that that guppies avoided their brightly coloured pals because attractive fish were more aggressive, or because predators were more likely to spot them, the experiment was repeated. Researchers ran it without any females, and again with the lights in the male enclosures turned down so that the test guppies couldn’t see them.
Gasparini, who’s now a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Western Australia, said the extra experiments helped confirm her theory. But she was cagey when asked whether the results from the aquarium could be applied to a night out at the bar.
“Usually in my research we don’t really compare humans and animals,” she said, chuckling.
Oh, come on. If this works for guppies – small fish popular for use in home aquariums – shouldn’t it work for guys?
She admitted that she had seen this same tactic work “pretty well” for humans.
If you hang out “with someone better looking than you, sure, you have less chance to be picked up,” she said. “If you want to impress someone, do you think you will look more attractive in comparison with Mr Bean or George Clooney?”
In a more serious moment, Gasparini said the comparison between guppies and humans was hard to resist. But human dating tricks were far harder to measure.
A subject for further study, then.
14 Feb 2013, 00:35 am
@bryce_in_oz-45: you still taking out your issues on unsuspecting rugby bloggers, rather than investing in real therapy?
14 Feb 2013, 08:36 am
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Pool code: 13133687
Also on Fox Sports
Southern Skilled Ninjas 367-5866 (Classic league)
Smash Up 367-5868 (Head to Head)
14 Feb 2013, 11:57 am
Poor call selecting Franco v/d Merwe over Steph du Toit at lock
14 Feb 2013, 16:03 pm
@robdylan-50:
It’s not you… it’s me…
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