Sharks the team to watch, predicts Bobo

Former Springbok centre Gcobani Bobo says the Sharks could spring a surprise in the 2018 Super Rugby tournament.

The Sharks kick off their campaign against the Lions at Ellis Park on Saturday and it could be a rematch of epic proportions.

It was at the same ground against the same team in the quarterfinals where the Sharks bossed the game for large swathes‚ only to lose 23-21 to a 77th minute long-range Ruan Combrinck penalty.

The officiating in the game left a lot to be desired and resulted in the Sharks coach Robert du Preez spending just 90 seconds at the post-match media conference.

The Sharks have added Dick Muir and Braam van Straaten to their coaching backroom staff.

“I think the Sharks will be the dark horses‚” Bobo said.

“As much as it was unfortunate for them to lose the Currie Cup final‚ the addition of Dick Muir in their coaching set-up will give more balance in terms of what Robert du Preez has been looking for.

“They’ve also recruited well and I think they also have depth in places where I think they lacked. I’m not going to write off anyone else.”

Whether the Lions will be a continuation of the Johan Ackermann template remains to be seen.

The Lions have managed to retain the core of the players that have done duty for them over the past two seasons. However‚ current coach Syws de Bruin is a different rugby character compared to Ackermann.

Bobo said that the Lions would still be a tough team to deal with.

The Lions topped the log last season and played all their playoff games at home.

However‚ they came up short in the final against a smart Crusaders side that became the first New Zealand team to win a Super Rugby final in SA.

“The Lions will always be the front runners because of their history‚” Bobo said.

“In the past two years‚ they’ve been quite exceptional and their levels of conditioning have been outstanding.

“I feel the Bulls will struggle because they need to get used to their new system and get used to John Mitchell.

“Mitchell will try to make sure these guys will immerse themselves in terms of his plans and what he wants to do,” Bobo said.