Who Sharks backline would you select for 2012?

[Draggs]

He's that guy who played 13 for a couple of games for WP in the currie cup right? looks a bit like a moffie to me...

Anyways, Why are they buying more centres?? is this a sign that Stefan Terblanche will finally exchange his rugby boots for the wheelchair??

On twitter he has said that this could possibly be his last game for the Sharks, but has denied he is retiring.
My guess is a trade with Province for de Jongh.

 

[Seaton]

My best impression of all of Whitehead's games is from when he filled in for the Stormers in the last few weeks of the round robin stage last year, did a sterling job there.

Otherwise in the Currie Cup hasn't done anything noteworthy.

The local rags reckon that Terblanche may join the pensioners in their trip to Japan, for those who don't know he is a qualified teacher, which means he might go and join one of the big rugby schools (hopefully in KZN) and coach/ teach there.

 

[User1245]

Not over the moon about the Whitehead signing. A bit average really. Centre is our weak point and we keep buying average or has been players. JLP, Joubert, Bosman... Adi Jacobs has been a great servant to Natal rugby but is getting old... So we get Whitehead. I'd rather have Ebersohn tbh. Or de Jongh. I'd love to have de Jongh at the Sharks.
I'd also like to know where Lambie is gonna feature. I support the calls to play him at 12, with the intention of moving him to 10 eventually.

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

Well... With Lambie at 12 (Good thing, listening to me, Steve) we need a fast runner at 13. With Viljoen being our new full-back, we might try Ludik there, why not? We have no better options to be honest and defensively Ludik is equal to Fourie for instance.

 

[User1245]

Of course, us Steve's have an inherit ability to be right!

But ja Ludik is an option at 13. Its funny, I was so happy when we signed him cause he is such a solid player. But now I'm bored with him haha, he offers no attacking potency from the back. He solid and that's where it ends. Maybe getting him closer to the action could inject attacking flair into him.

Bosman... I don't know. I had high hopes for him but he is just not the player people expected him to be when he was young. Back up flyhalf/fullback on the bench will be his best role imo.

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

Spot on, mate!

Bosman hasn't lived up to his expectations. When Andries Strauss left, LordHope was cheering and celebrating for 2 weeks. I guess we could have used him now. When looking at other teams, there are some players I would like to see in Durban.

Juan de Jongh: Being benched for another 2 years with Fourie re-signing for WeePee,

Francois Steyn: He has to return. He is the future of SA rugby in the midfield, he has shown that lately. He could be the solution to our problems

Robert Ebersohn: He signed a new contract for FS, but I would like to see him in a Sharks shirt still. Maybe later though.

Bradley Barritt: Former Shark, now in London with SA-racens, has improved massively. Would he be interested in a return? Don't think so, but who knows

 

[Draggs]

Bosman has looked passable at CC level this year. I wish he had Adi's guts and determination.
Is JLP an option worth considering at 12? Good boot, defence isn't bad.

 

[Seaton]

Spot on, mate!

Bosman hasn't lived up to his expectations. When Andries Strauss left, LordHope was cheering and celebrating for 4 months. I guess we could have used him now. When looking at other teams, there are some players I would like to see in Durban.

Fixed.


He still wouldn't have been the answer, we needed somone who could do more than tackle, who could provide good, quick hands, a little spark and an eye for a gap.
These were why Bosman was bought in as we all know, but as you say, he hasn't lived up to his previously set standards.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Another dumb signing by the Sharks if you ask me. Whitehead will end up being the next Bosman/JLP; a good enough player but not what the Sharks need and will end up playing Vodacom cup and Viljoen who, while being a brilliant footballer, is surplus to requirements at the Sharks TBH and which will mean that someone (Lambie, Terblanche, Ludik or Viljoen himself) will end up playing out of position, get disillusioned and move up North. It's not as if we havn't seen this before from Plumtree. I just hope it doesn't end up being Lambie but he is the most likely candidate/victim.

Midfield is the Shark's biggest concern but Whitehead won't cut it. Should've tried; signing Corne Uys before france got him, getting JdJ by throwing money at it and assuring him game time in his preferred 13 jersey, getting Frans Steyn out of his contract; I'm sure thinking out of the box (sponsors, SARU, local business's looking for a tax break) could've gotten the right price for Steyn and it's not as if the Sharks are the poorest of clubs. Possibly invest in a young up-and-comer but I guess the Bulls have beaten them to the punch in that regard by signing the likeliest fellows in Sadie and Venter.

I mean seriously, signing Bosman, JLP, Viljoen (all three NOT centers), Joubert (SO OLD) and now Whitehead (meh) is nothing more than skirting around the issue.

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

Ehm, Corne Uys moved to Newcastle, I think. And while Terblanche retires, we have the option to use Ludik, Lambie, Viljoen and Michalak all at the same time:

9. Hoffmann
10.Michalak
11.Mvovo
12.Lambie
13.Ludik
14.Pietersen
15.Viljoen

or

9. Michalak
10.Lambie
11.Mvovo
12.Kankowski
13.Ludik
14.Pietersen
15.Viljoen

I know, that second line-up looks odd, but I seriously think Kankowski is a good option for inside center!!! He has pace, can tackle, good ball-handling and to be honest he lacks physical strength to play as a forward

 

[Seaton]

I wouldn't be so quick as to moan that the Sharks management aren't going for the right players, just because nothing is mentioned in the papers or no rumours appear, that doesn't mean that the coaches did't look at players like Juan de Jongh / Steyn as an option.

They say money isn't everything, well niether is game-time. The Bulls could offer me a professional contract, but for all the money in Pretoria (not the world, even I would do it for that!) I cannot stand being more than 20 minutes away from the coast, especially not in Afrikaner land. In all likelyhood the management have discussed every player and then some that we could discuss here, have looked at the viability, either made a move and got rejected, or simply didn't.

In Plum I trust B)

 

[TRF_heineken]

Ehm, Corne Uys moved to Newcastle, I think. And while Terblanche retires, we have the option to use Ludik, Lambie, Viljoen and Michalak all at the same time:

9. Hoffmann
10.Michalak
11.Mvovo
12.Lambie
13.Ludik
14.Pietersen
15.Viljoen

or

9. Michalak
10.Lambie
11.Mvovo
12.Kankowski
13.Ludik
14.Pietersen
15.Viljoen

I know, that second line-up looks odd, but I seriously think Kankowski is a good option for inside center!!! He has pace, can tackle, good ball-handling and to be honest he lacks physical strength to play as a forward

Is Plumtree trying to emulate the Reds here?? getting just creative guys in the backline??

In all fairness there's something then missing in the Sharks backline... a strong powerful runner that can do the crash ball with great effect... If you leave it to Bosman, then you could have a problem as many opposition centres have found him wanting in the physicality area...

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Ehm, Corne Uys moved to Newcastle, I think. And while Terblanche retires, we have the option to use Ludik, Lambie, Viljoen and Michalak all at the same time:

9. Hoffmann
10.Michalak
11.Mvovo
12.Lambie
13.Ludik
14.Pietersen
15.Viljoen

or

9. Michalak
10.Lambie
11.Mvovo
12.Kankowski
13.Ludik
14.Pietersen
15.Viljoen

I know, that second line-up looks odd, but I seriously think Kankowski is a good option for inside center!!! He has pace, can tackle, good ball-handling and to be honest he lacks physical strength to play as a forward

Typical Sharks playing players out of position LOL. Why move classy players to a non-prefered position simply because they could conceivably play half decent there and not look at getting in some specialists?

 

[Seaton]

Because that costs more money, we're not all as rich as WP with all it's galleons.