Sharks to show Super Rugby hand against Cheetahs

DURBAN: Sharks coach Robert du Preez will tonight reveal his hand for his team’s Super Rugby opener against the Reds on February 24 in Brisbane when he fields a full-strength side against the Cheetahs in a friendly in Umlazi, Durban.

The match kicks off at 6.30pm and will be a full 80-minute encounter at the King Zwelithini Stadium, having been preceded by an opening 60-minute match between what will approximate the back-up depth in the greater Sharks and Cheetahs squads.

Du Preez has long had in mind his starting XV for that match against the Reds but he says that there are a few positions where players are “neck and neck” and impressive showings tonight good be handsomely rewarded.

“We have a come a long way since the Currie Cup last year (which ended disappointingly for the Sharks when they failed to make the semi-finals) and an 11-week pre-season has seen significant developments in fitness levels and skill levels, but we now need to be tested in full-on match conditions,” Du Preez said. “We have been simulating match conditions for the last month but it is not the real thing.”

Du Preez said there had been a “major” focus on physical conditioning and the skills the players will require to play the ball-in-hand-game the coach envisages for the franchise going forward.

“We are playing two games tonight and while the 5pm game will have a number of players that are in strong contention for the ultimate starting line-up in Brisbane, the team for the main game at 6.30pm will closely resemble what we have in mind for the Reds,” Du Preez said. “But there is still three weeks to that match and a game against a Bulls XV next week, so things can change. We must not get too far ahead of ourselves.

“The result of the matches are secondary to us seeing how successful we are in implementing what we have worked so hard on,” the coach said. “And you only know if what you have been doing has paid off when you have full-on contact matches. Simulated sessions are handy but are just not the same as the real thing.”

Last year in the Currie Cup, much was made of the Sharks’ vision of playing attacking rugby, and Du Preez says that remains the primary focus.

“Ultimately we have a vision of how we want to play but we have to take it one game at a time and build on what was successful in each game,” he said. “We want to play positive rugby but that brings responsibility, and we must embrace that, but there must also be a well-balanced approach between attack and defence.”

The Sharks’ “A” team is not far off the side that started Super Rugby last year. The obvious inclusions are the former Springbok half-back pair of Patrick Lambie and Cobus Reinach (both back from injury).