Currie Cup: Natal Sharks - Blue Bulls @ Kings Park, Durban (16-07-2011, 16:05 GMT)

[TRF_Ezequiel]

Kings Park, Durban (16-07-2011, 16:05 GMT)

The Currie Cup season is upon us and one of the matches worth mentioning is a cracker! Natal Sharks - Blue Bulls... A match that has caused some heartbreaking rugby in recent years, also in the Super Rugby seasons when the franchises played each other.

Last month, the 18th of June, the Sharks travelled to Loftus to beat the Bulls and qualify for the play offs. Now back to Currie Cup vibes... The Sharks are the reigning champions and with 2 championships out of the last 3 seasons, they are a force to be reckoned with.

Marius Joubert joins the Natal province to try and claim the ***le once again. Can he add some quality to the midfield? Questions will be answered soon.

The Bulls and Sharks will suffer a lot from the call ups to the Bok squad, with both missing a lot of players. Will the Bulls win at the Shark Tank? It's going to be tough... THe last time the Bulls took the points back home, was in 2006.

Last season the teams played twice in Durban. In the regular season, the Sharks scored 5 tries to the Bulls' 3, ending in a 34-28 win for the Banana Boys. Craig Burden (1), Keegan Daniel and Lwazi Mvovo (both 2) crossed the line for Sharks' 5-pointers while Dean Greyling, Gerhard van den Heever and Gerrit-Jan van Velze did the same for the Pretoria-based province.

History:

2010 Sharks 16 - 12 Bulls *
2010 Sharks 34 - 28 Bulls
2009 Sharks 19 - 13 Bulls
2008 Sharks 14 - 9 Bulls **
2008 Sharks 34 - 25 Bulls
2007 Sharks 29 - 10 Bulls
2006 Sharks 32 - 50 Bulls
2004 Sharks 23 - 27 Bulls
2003 Sharks 35 - 28 Bulls

 

[Seaton]

YYYAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!

Its Currie Cup time again B)

Heres hoping the Sharks can give us a good start to the season, and get a nice 4 try BP and leave the Bulls pondering their future in rugby tournaments.

For those wondering, the Sharks won their compulsory pre-season friendly 35-22 against the SWD Eagles, with a fairly young team play. The Sharks scored 5 tries, with prop Dale Chadwick and fullback Gouws Prinsloo scoring two, and flanker Francious Kleinhans scoring the fifth. Not much of a match report but here it is:
http://www.sharksrugby.co.za/news/general/110709/Sharks_XV_Victorious

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

The Sharks should win this one as I think they'll be less hurt with the call-ups. Will be interesting to see the fianl line-ups though.

 

[Seaton]

Lets have a wee guess at the Sharks possible line-up...

1. Eugene van Staden
2. Craig Burden
3. Wiehahn Herbst
4. Anton Bresler/ Steven Sykes (When does he leave?)
5. Ross Skeate
6. Keegan Daniel/ Jacque Botes
7. Lambert Groenewald/ Keegan Daniel
8. Marcell Coetzee
9. Heimar Williams/ Ross Cronje/ Fedrick Michalak
10. Fredrick Michalak/ Jacque-Louis Potgeiter
11. Sibura Sithole/ Paul Joordan
12. Meyer Bosman
13. Marius Joubert/ Stefan Terblanche
14. Odwa Ndungane/ Luzuko Vulindlu
15. Lious Ludik/ Stefan Terblanche

16. Kyle Cooper
17. Sabelo Nhlapo
18. ? (Depends on whats happening with Sykes)
19. The loose forward that doesn't start
20. Ross Cronje/ Hiemaar Williams
21. JLP
22. Stefan Terblanche/ the one he starts in place of

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

Sibura?

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

Keegan Daniel has been appointed as the Sharks captain during this Currie Cup season. Things are finally shaping up for the future, with Terblanche being mainly on the bench (due to Marius Joubert's return to SA) and Smit leaving

 

[psychic duck]

Lets have a wee guess at the Sharks possible line-up...

1. Eugene van Staden
2. Craig Burden
3. Wiehahn Herbst
4. Anton Bresler/ Steven Sykes (When does he leave?)
5. Ross Skeate
6. Keegan Daniel/ Jacque Botes
7. Lambert Groenewald/ Keegan Daniel
8. Marcell Coetzee
9. Heimar Williams/ Ross Cronje/ Fedrick Michalak
10. Fredrick Michalak/ Jacque-Louis Potgeiter
11. Sibura Sithole/ Paul Joordan
12. Meyer Bosman
13. Marius Joubert/ Stefan Terblanche
14. Odwa Ndungane/ Luzuko Vulindlu
15. Lious Ludik/ Stefan Terblanche

16. Kyle Cooper
17. Sabelo Nhlapo
18. ? (Depends on whats happening with Sykes)
19. The loose forward that doesn't start
20. Ross Cronje/ Hiemaar Williams
21. JLP
22. Stefan Terblanche/ the one he starts in place of

no Hoffmann?

also winger Mark Richards was preferred over Vulindlu in the Vodacom Cup

can any Sharks fans tell me whether Daniel Adongo is good?

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

Hoffmann is still injured...

 

[Seaton]

Must admit I completely forgot about Mark Richards, but now since you've reminded me, his performance two weeks back in a club game wasn't the greatest, and on a night when the rest of the College Rovers backline ripped Harlequins to shreds, he didn't even look threatening, even I could have done better one the wing that night. Maybe he was saving himself for the CC though? I dinnae ken, but hope so.

Adongo is ace B)

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

Line up for the Sharks has been announced:

15. Stefan Terblanche , 14. Louis Ludik , 13. Marius Joubert , 12. Meyer Bosman , 11. Mark Richards , 10. Frederic Michalak , 9. Ross Cronje , 8. Keegan Daniel (Captain) , 7. Marcell Coetzee , 6. Jacques Botes , 5. Ross Skeate , 4. Anton Bresler , 3. Wiehahn Herbst , 2. Craig Burden , 1. Eugene van Staden

Replacements , 16 .Kyle Cooper , 17. Dale Chadwick , 18. Jan Andre Marais , 19. Francois Kleinhans , 20. Jacobus Reinach , 21. Jacques-Louis Potgieter , 22. Sibusiso Sithole

 

[Seaton]

Ludik on the wing, certainly interesting...

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

He played there quite often for the Lions. More confused about Ross Cronje being there.... Would expect Michalak there. Love it!

 

[Seaton]

Yeah, its just, you know, considering the other wings we have, and of course Stefan...

Pumas came awfully close to beating the Lions, pretty decent game last night

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

Mvovo and Pietersen are with the Boks, Odwa is injured... Doesn't leave a lot of options

With Terblanche being replaced by Joubert, this is probably the best option for our backline.

 

[Seaton]

Aye, but there is still the man on the bench, Sithole, and still Jordaan

Meh, I suppose it is the Bulls, no time for testing

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

Vodacom Blue Bulls: 15. Jurgen Visser, 14. Gerhard van den Heever, 13. Stephan Dippenaar, 12. Stefan Watermeyer, 11. Akona Ndungane, 10. Francois Brummer, 9. Dustin Jinka, 8. Gerrit-Jan van Velze, 7. Dewald Potgieter, 6. Derick Kuün, 5. Juandré Kruger, 4. Fudge Mabeta, 3. Rossouw de Klerk, 2. Gary Botha (c), 1. Corné Fourie. Replacements: 16. Willie Wepener, 17. Juan Schoeman, 18. Okkie Kruger, 19. CJ Stander, 20. Lohan Jacobs, 21. Marnitz Boshoff, 22. Francois Venter.

 

[Seaton]

Oh dear, after being the picture perfect day here on the coast less than half an hour ago, the clouds have rolled in, and with it having rained inland earlier in the day, we can but hop and sing

Rain, rain go away, come back another day
(Or follow the Bulls)

 

[Seaton]

Wat het gebeur, Bulle? Het jy geslaap?

Yaaaaaassssss!!! Brilliant bit of play by Michalak, MotM so far

Sharks lead 15-9, having scored 2 tries

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

I'm afraid its a case of the Bulls lacking the depth the Sharks can boast and the Sharks having played a good game. Keep it up, if we can do the Cheetahs we'll see each other in the finals.

 

[Seaton]

Okays, the Bulls outside centre Jaco Pretorius has gotten himself injured again, and will miss 6 weeks of action

This means that Akona Ndungane will remain the only senior player in the Bulls backline until the Boks come back from oversees and they get Wynand Olivier back