Sharks simply have to bounce back with a great performance
THE SHARKS leave for Argentina this morning without two of their best backline players, short on confidence and in full knowledge that the Jaguares are licking their chops ahead of Saturday’s vital Africa Group 2 showdown.
The red card shown to Andre Esterhuizen on Saturday night for a tip tackle on a Rebels player has morphed into a whopping six-week ban after yesterday’s judicial hearing, while in-form wing Kobus van Wyk has not recovered from the freak calf strain he picked up in the warm-up before the Rebels game.
“It is terribly disappointing to lose such influential players, and we saw how disruptive it was in the Rebels game itself, with the backline having to be reshuffled before kickoff and then Andre carded early on,” coach Robert du Preez said before announcing his squad to take on the Jaguares.
The Sharks had hoped to bag five log points against the Rebels but had to settle for two, while the Argentinians picked up a bonus point in their narrow loss to the Lions. scrum held up to the opposition’s at times, while their lineout work was faultless, with on-the-day skipper Eben Etzebeth even poaching one of the Crusaders’ lineout balls.
Speaking of Etzebeth, Fleck lauded the Springbok lock for the way he led the team on the day in the place of regular captain Siya Kolisi, who was rested as part of the Springbok management plan.
“We’ll keep pushing from our side. We felt that our set-piece was excellent on the weekend, so that’s pleasing. You have to have a strong set-piece when you play over here. But you have to match the tempo,” Fleck said.
“Eben’s making great decisions for the team and he has a presence. His leadership was outstanding. When times were tough during that 10-minute period Eben really stood up and he wanted to take ownership there. He led by example.”
Another player who had Fleck uttering positive words was experienced Kiwi recruit Shaun Treeby, who Fleck believes can be a big asset in a young Stormers when they take on his former team on Friday.
Treeby, who was signed by the Stormers on a four-month deal following injuries to Stormers centres Damian de Allende, Juan de Jongh and Huw Jones, hasn’t featured for Fleck’s team yet, although he has been training with the team for a couple of weeks.
The 28-year-old is set to make his first appearance for the Stormers in Dunedin this weekend, now that the Stormers are another centre down after inside centre Dan du Plessis dislocated his shoulder during their 57-24 defeat this past weekend.
“This is a tour where there’s a lot of young kids who have never toured to New Zealand and it’s a great learning process, so to have a guy like Shaun Treeby who’s a local and who’s played against these guys many times is great,” Fleck said.
“So we’re definitely looking to give him a go this weekend, whether it’s on the bench or in the starting line-up. We’re looking forward to see how he goes.”
That means the Sharks are four points ahead of their opponents on Saturday.
“It is all to play for this week,” Du Preez said.
“It could end up a deciding game for us in terms of where we finish on the log. We simply have to bounce back with a great performance and bag the four points.”
Esterhuizen was a key member of the backline in that he called the shots on defence and attack (as one of the most experienced Sharks backs).
“Andre is very remorseful. He was sorry immediately it happened and apologised to the Rebels player (which was taken in mitigation of sentence by the hearing),” Du Preez said.
“It can happen to any player in the heat of the moment. Every rugby player knows about the consequences of the tip tackle, yet you get one just about every game. It is easy to be judgemental when you watch in slow motion, but the game is a blur. It is such a pity for Andre because he was having a great season and was in for contention for SA A at least and probably the Boks.”
The door has opened at centre for young talent Johan Deysel, the Namibian international, and SA Under-21 captain Jeremy Ward is also in contention, although he is more of a No 13.
Du Preez said that the fiasco that was the Rebels match had been put to bed yesterday morning after it had been reviewed in all its gory detail, and it was “done and dusted.”
“The review just confirmed how much we let down fans, friends and family. We could not get going after Andre went off, there was no composure and we went into our shell and could not finish anything off, which is a big concern. We know this week we have to take anything that comes our way, it is going to be tough over there but I believe we have the firepower to beat them,” Du Preez said.
The Jaguares have not lost at home this year and having suffered three narrow losses in South Africa, they will want to make amends at home.
Du Preez said that there would be changes to the side, but it was not a case of wielding the axe.
“Look, there will be changes, and it won’t be because of underperformance but we need to give players that have been on the bench for a while a chance. We are taking over a very good squad and I have no hesitation in giving new guys a chance,” he said.
Interestingly, veteran Odwa Ndungane has been recalled to the squad for the first time this year. Players not considered because of injury were: Garth April, Inny Radebe, Pat Lambie, Kobus van Wyk and Keegan Daniel. IT’S now Kwagga Smith’s time to shine.
Having given up the Sevens game when the Super Rugby season started February – to give the XVs game a full and proper go – the slightly built 23-year-old has had to wait patiently for a proper opportunity to show what he can do.
Smith, has featured quite prominently for the Lions’ Currie Cup team in the last two years – once he was done with his Sevens duties – but has only played a limited part in Super Rugby this season, coming off the bench in virtually every game so far. The only match he’s started was against the Jaguares in Buenos Aires at the beginning of March – and that wasn’t a match he’ll fondly remember as the Lions were comprehensively outplayed. Otherwise, he’s had to wait for his turn behind the almost irreplaceable Jaco Kriel.
Kriel, however, will play no part for the Lions on their three-match Australian tour, starting this weekend when they take on the Western Force in Perth, opening the door for Smith to start.
Kriel has stayed home to sort out a knee problem picked up while playing against the Jaguares last Friday night and while Smith will be hungry for action, the Lions will feel the loss of their first-choice openside flank as they go in search of three wins. They also face the Rebels and Brumbies on tour.
The man many feel should be handed the Springbok No 6 shirt this season, has compiled an impressive record this season, ranking well in a number of departments. He is third in the competition for turn-overs won (eight), sixth for line-breaks (six), seventh for number of ball-carries (76), 11th for number of off-loads (nine) and 23rd for tackle completion (92 percent), according to alloutrugby.com.
Kriel has also scored four tries, but it is his general presence on the field, his leadership and whole-hearted attitude, that will be missed in the coming weeks.
Smith, though, will be champing at the bit. He arrived in Perth yesterday having played only 174 minutes all season and having sat on the replacements bench on seven occasions, as Kriel started.
The Sevens star, who’s made a few telling contributions from the bench, is highly rated by his coach Johan Ackermann and he’ll now want to make a big impact after giving up on playing for the World Series leading Blitzboks this year.
Smith and Seabelo Senatla played only in the first four tournaments and then turned their attention to the 15-man game; to experience something different after spending several years on the Sevens circuit and in Senatla’s case to push for possible Springbok inclusion. He, sadly, picked up an injury early on in his stint with the Stormers and will be out of action for some time.
Smith, in the meantime, will now combine with captain Warren Whiteley and Ruan Ackermann to form the Lions’ loose-trio on tour and you can be sure he’ll make a big impression.
He might be a small man at just 1.8m tall and tipping the scales at 90kg, but he’s got great pace, excellent hands and has all the skills associated with Sevens players. He’s also a strong defender.
So, while the Lions will miss Kriel, they’ll gain a lot in having Smith in their ranks.