Gold takes a gamble on duo
IN A season of surreal surprises and disappointments for the Sharks, director Gary Gold has pulled what one hopes won’t be startled rabbits out of the hat by giving Lionel Cronje and Stefan Ungerer starts for tomorrow’s clash against the Hurricanes at the Westpac Stadium.
After the underwhelming performances by Fred Zeilinga and Conrad Hoffmann last week, along with Cobus Reinach’s hand injury, Gold decided to make the changes instead of allowing Zeilinga and Hoffmann a chance to redeem themselves.
Frans Steyn also makes a comeback at inside centre after his five-week suspension sabbatical while backline positional switches see Lwazi Mvovo move to his favoured fullback position and Sibusiso Sithole moves to left wing, with Odwa Ndungane filling in at right wing.
Willem Alberts is an unfortunate absentee in the backrow but he makes way for Renaldo Bothma with Jannie du Plessis recovering sufficiently from a calf niggle to assume his starting position at tighthead.
What is puzzling is the selection of two hookers in Franco Marais and Kyle Cooper on the bench but it seems one of them will fill in as backrow cover as the Sharks do not have a spare loose-forward in their matchday 23.
Hoffmann will resume his duties as the resident replacement scrumhalf with Andre Esterhuizen and Waylon Murray doing bench duty.
Whether the Sharks will plumb new and unprecedented depths remains to be seen and even though the Hurricanes are not quite at full strength, Gold knows his team could be in for a long evening if there is no modicum of improvement from the nightmare against the Highlanders.
“The Hurricanes are a team on an absolute high at the moment.
“Their performance against the Crusaders was outstanding and this is probably going to be a big challenge for many of our players.
“We’re playing the best team in the competition; it’s going to be an unbelievable challenge, but one that’s going to make us grow as a group.”
In resting their All Black guns, the Hurricanes may seem a bit disdainful of the Sharks but given the latter’s poor form the Hurricanes may be justified.
Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd has opted to rest Julian Savea and TJ Perenara but they have loose-forward Victor Vito back to round off what is a very strong side.
Chris Eves gets a start ahead of Reggie Goodes while James Marshall gets another run at flyhalf while Beauden Barrett convalesces from his knee injury.
Callum Gibbins and Brad Shields drop to the bench while Matt Proctor has been pencilled in at left wing in Savea’s place.
While the Sharks could be relieved that they do not have to deal with the tank engine that is Savea, Proctor and Nehe Milner-Skudder are slippery customers who will punish errant tactical kicking.
They may not be in the Ben Smith and Patrick Osborne class but even half-decent New Zealand outside backs are often too much for South African sides to handle.
Milner-Skudder’s impact has been such the Hurricanes have not missed Jason Woodward or Andre Taylor.