Currie Cup: Western Province - Natal Sharks (11-08-2012, 17:10)

[TRF_Ezequiel]

Sykes is a player that offers nothing to the team. No line-out specialist, no tackling, no running with the ball. He is as useless as an inside center in Pretoria

 

[dudeabides]

Added the vBookie for the biggest clash of the weekend

Thanks I put my perpetual 250 bet on WP this time, good luck to Marcel.

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

My precious Natal Sharks have a very good mix of experience and talent in the team. With Burden, Botes, Deysel, Bosman, Joubert, Ndungane, Ludik and Viljoen there's plenty of experience to help the young guys and prevent them from losing their cool.

I am very, very interested in the development of Julian Redelinghuys. We desperately need some depth in the prop-department. Depending on the way he performs, he can compete with Dale Chadwick for the position of loosehead prop, who has been below average to be honest. Wiehahn Herbst is the obvious choice on the other side, with Burden in the middle. Kyle Cooper seems to have dropped to 4th choice hooker behind Bismarck, Burden and almost 2-years younger Monde Hadebe.

In the second row the omission of Anton Bresler from the Bok squad means we have him available. I fear Steven Sykes will be his partner-in-crime which is really sad actually. Jandre and Peet Marais (yes, they're brothers) and Pieter-Steph du Toit are all massively talented and need some gametime to develop. Here's to hoping Sykes moves to Leinster again

The backrow has always been our strongest area. We are missing our entire backrow from the Super Rugby play-offs. Coetzee, Daniel and Alberts are with the Springboks and Kankowski moved to Japan. In their absence Jean Deysel will captain the team but the true leader is Jacques Botes. He is the most underrated player we've had in the last 10 years and ever since his arrival in 2005 he never complained when he had to sit on the bench or was left out of the 22. He and Deysel can look after Francois Kleinhans and Lubabalo Mtembu. Both are 21 and both will have their first real chance in the Currie Cup.

Charl McLeod was not called up for the Springboks, but he was given a rest after playing the majority of the Super Rugby matches, which leaves Conrad Hoffmann and Cobur Reinach. The latter is the youngest and seems to get the knot over Hoffmann, who has been injury-prone since his arrival from WP last year. Fly-half is a real worry though. Michalak left, Lambie is with the Boks and over the last few years we have had so many fly-halves, I even lost count. Goode, Hernandez, Michalak, James, Meyer, Barritt, Lambie, Dumond, Pienaar, Kockott, Pretorius, Ross Cronje, Guy Cronje, Mathie, Jacobs, Borgen, Swanepoel, Bosman and now we have Riaan Viljoen. That's almost 20 different fly-halves in 5 years. We need consistency for this position. Will we ever get there?

The centers are pretty much settled. We have Whitehead, Jordaan and Bosman to take care of that, with Francois Steyn playing for the Boks. No real worries here. For years we struggled in this department but now we have one of the strongest midfields in the competition. On the wing, Rosko Specman gets his chance with Ndungane and Sithole in the starting line-up, no real surprises there.

Full-back is pretty decent as well. Ludik is being rested for a couple of weeks but Gouws Prinsloo takes over from him and he is a very promising youngster. I cannot wait for the season to start!!!!

 

[SomeOke]

Very hard game to call, but I have to say I think WP will take this one.
I wouldn't be surprised to be proven wrong, but the Stormers outfit on display is quite a settled one, with the exception of our centres.

Our loose trio may look think but I think Jebb Sinclair was starting to look very good towards the end of the season, and Deon Fourie has proven an able open-side.
I think our half-back pairing, front row and outside backs are all slightly better, not trying to be cocky but that's how I feel, Riaan Viljoen is a very solid player but it is quite an adjustment to suddenly be playing fly-half after covering full-back all season.

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

In my opinion, the teams are pretty even.

Back three: Stormers win this by a mile. Pietersen, Aplon and van den Heever are much more experienced and skilled than Prinsloo, Sithole, Ndungane.

Center combination is definitely the Sharks winning. Jordaan-Bosman against JP du Plessis-Brache

Halfback combo is pretty even. Francis-Duvenhage against Viljoen-Reinach is close but I pick WP here

Backrow is an obvious win for Natal. Deysel, Botes, Mtembu against Sinclair, Holmes, Fourie

Second row is pretty even. Steenkamp-Armand is pretty equal to Marais-Sykes

Front row is anyone's guess. Carstens and Malherbe have not been up to they best, Herbst and Chadwick are still young. Hooker match-up is tough to call. Liebenberg being the more phyiscal one, Burden having more pace. Tie.

The bench is too close to call as well.


All in all, WP have the better overall team. Sharks might sneak in a win, but it will be a close one.

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

I had a dream last night that WP would lead into half-time but we win in the end 22-19 thanks to a Sithole try and a drop-goal

 

[Draggs]

I'm not sure who is more useless, Sykes or Burden.

 

[Gena_ZA]

WP way better as a forward unit in the 1st half in very wet weather

Brache best centre on the filed
Viljoen is error prone, as always
Deon Fourie does a very good job as fetcher
Young no 9 Cobus Reinach from Sharks has huge potential, nice pedigree as well, his Dad was the SA champ in the 400m

 

[Draggs]

WP way better as a forward unit in the 1st half in very wet weather

Agreed. We look shapeless.
Only spark is Cobus Reinach. Looks lively, so much better than the ponderous kicker McLeod.

 

[Gena_ZA]

WOW, great rugby from the Sharks at the start ofthe 2nd half
Brilliant try from Paul Jordaan, showed his pace and class - seems he injured that hamstring again...
Another try from Craig Burden.
WP kicking everything and the Sharks capitalizing here

WP fail with this brand of rugby

 

[Draggs]

Ah cock, Joubert on for Paul.

 

[Gena_ZA]

Another try by Burden - all 3 tries direct results from kicks
Riaan Viljoen - as erratic as he can be, he can be brilliant as well

Sharks seem well in control with 15 to go
22-16

 

[Gena_ZA]

Jacques Botes of with yellow for clearly tripping a player
Disgusted in him, one of my favorite players

 

[Gena_ZA]

With one man down, WP uses the opportunity and score with a driving maul - Try

Strange game, WP looks good when keeping the ball and the Sharks do well when they kick it

23-22 to WP

 

[Draggs]

Jacques Botes of with yellow for clearly tripping a player
Disgusted in him, one of my favorite players

I'd have expected better from him.
Full time 23-25 to the Sharks. For the abominable conditions, it was a bloody entertaining match.

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

I had a dream last night that WP would lead into half-time but we win in the end 22-19 thanks to a Sithole try and a drop-goal

YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love it when my dreams come true! But this is a bit scary. Yes, Sithole didn't score and the number of points are off but when I woke up this morning after the drop-goal I got all warm and fuzzy inside and now I feel the same!!!

 

[Gena_ZA]

Drop goal from Viljoen and missed penalty from Jo Pietersen

Sharks win 25-23

Sharks gain more from this game than WP who failed dismally at fielding field kicks

Must say handling was very impressive in this wet game

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

Handling was amazing considering the wet ball. Sharks and WP looked great on attack and it was just the smaller things that decided the match. Kick-offs going out, receiving kicks not gathered, clumsy knock ons.

 

[Draggs]

YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love it when my dreams come true! But this is a bit scary. Yes, Sithole didn't score and the number of points are off but when I woke up this morning after the drop-goal I got all warm and fuzzy inside and now I feel the same!!!

I have to be honest, for all the hype, JP du Plessis looks like another de Jongh; won't pass.

Never seen such a lucky restart as the one from which Viljoen slotted the drop goal. We were lucky with that one, but the once again immensely proud of the Sharks.

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

Dutch hockey women team in Olympic final: Check
Sharks winning in Caspe Town again: Check
Dutch hockey mens team in Olympic final: pending