Gold backs young Sharks halfback pairing
THE Sharks of this rugby season will not die wondering. That is the message from coach Gary Gold, who looked more relaxed than he has been in a long time yesterday.
“Even if I tried to tell this lot to stop trying to play running rugby, I would have no chance,” Gold said, when asked if he would try to quell the natural attacking instincts of his young charges.
“Obviously we will have to balance it, but I hope we will show you that this team can play great rugby,” Gold pledged.
The buzzword around King’s Park lately is pre-season, with every player feeling like it was the perfect tonic after the struggles of earlier this year.
“I wish we had that pre-season before… actually, I am not here to talk about Super Rugby anymore. This is the Currie Cup now,” skipper Marco Wentzel said.
Sure, the Sharks were hurt, but they seem to have found some spring of hope during their teambuilding on the South Coast recently. There is a spring in the step, and a genuine desire to finish the year on a high.
Gold, despite having a lot of experience at his disposal, has backed youngsters in several key Sharks: 15 Joe Pietersen, 14 Sibusiso Sithole, 13 Wandile Mjekevu, 12 Heimar Williams, 11 Andre Esterhuizen, 10 Lionel Cronje, 9 Stefan Ungerer, 8 Philip van der Walt, 7 Jean-Luc du Preez, 6 Khaya Najola, 5 Marco Wentzel (capt), 4 Etienne Oosthuizen, 3 Lourens Adriaanse, 2 Monde Hadebe, 1 Dale Chadwick Reserves: 16 Franco Marais, 17 Thomas du Toit, 18 David McDuling, 19 Daniel du Preez, 20 Francois Kleinhans, 21 Michael Claassens, 22 SP Marais positions, with the half-back pairing of Stefan Ungerer and Lionel Cronje particularly interesting. Pumas: 15 John-Wessel Bell, 14 Bernado Botha, 13 Jerome Pretorius, 12 Stefan Watermeyer (captain), 11 Rosco Spekman, 10 Juan-Claude Roos, 9 Francois de Klerk, 8 Lambert Groenewald, 7 Uzair Cassiem, 6 Marnus Schoeman, 5 Lubabalo Mtyanda, 4 Rudi Mathee, 3 De-Jay Terblanché, 2 Frank Herne, 1 Khwezi Mona Reserves: 16 Francois du Toit, 17 Corné Fourie, 18 Marius Coetzer, 19 Jason-Colin Fraser, 20 Reynier van Rooyen, 21 Justin van Staden, 22 Hoffmann Maritz Kick-off: 6pm (tomorrow)
“They deserve it. They finished off the Super Rugby in form, and they deserve it. I could have played Joe (Pietersen) at flyhalf, but these guys have done enough. Honestly, if you are not going to play your youngsters now, then when will you play them?” Gold reasoned.
Respectful of the considerable threat that the Pumas pose, at home, with a boisterous crowd baying for an upset, Gold has selected five forwards on the bench, and just two backline players.
“I have huge respect for the Pumas. They are a very good side and they have done very, very well in the Vodacom Cup. They’ve also got Faf (de Klerk) back for this game, which means we will have to be even more alert around the fringes. He wasn’t in the Bok squad for nothing,” Gold noted.
The Sharks are without their large dose of Springboks, as well as the injured Odwa Ndungane, but they are feeling especially chipper before tomorrow’s Currie Cup opener. That attitude will be needed, because they will play without rest for the 12 weeks, should the go all the way.
But, that journey to ultimate glory starts tomorrow, at one of the most intimidating away venues in the country. It is the perfect platform for the Sharks to relaunch themselves, and play the rugby that Gold insists that they have in them.