SHARKS PLAN BENCH BLITZ
HIS week many have been wondering how Sharks coach John Plumtree was going to integrate a host of returning Springboks into the starting line-up for tomorrow’s Currie Cup semi-final against the Bulls, and the answer when it came yesterday is that he largely hasn’t!
Plumtree has opted for a bench packed with Boks to give his team second-half impetus while rewarding the hard-working front-line troops that won seven out of 10 matches in getting the Sharks to the top of the log.
It is a shrewd selection policy that sees reward for the combination that last week scored the biggest winning margin of the competition, when the Sharks beat Griquas 42-3. The young players that have served in the trenches over the last two months will no doubt aim to reward Plumtree for his loyalty … and then the plan is for the big guns to come on and maintain the intensity and hopefully finish off a Bulls team that played with an incredible focus and energy in putting 50 points past the Lions in Joburg last week.
An exception to the rule of packing the bench with Boks is at tighthead where Jannie du Plessis has been brought in for young Wiehahn Herbst in a selection that is largely about Du Plessis being a player best used from the start rather than as an impact player.
“We’re starting Jannie because it’s such a big game and he is not a player that enjoys the bench, although we used him in that role last week,” said Plumtree. “He’ll be partnered in the front row by Dale Chadwick and Kyle Cooper, and then we have a whole front row on the bench with Craig Burden, The Beast and Wiehahn.”
Hooker Burden saw no action with the Rugby Championship Boks and is ring rusty, but The Beast started throughout and has an opportunity now to play a dramatic cameo once impressive local product in Westville’s Chadwick has done his thing. And blockbusting Maritzburg College Old Boy Burden
Twill be hungry for an opportunity to make an explosive impact on the back of in-form youngster Cooper, a Glenwood High product of Durban.
Another Springbok on the bench is bulldozer loose-forward Willem Alberts, who will provide cover for Keegan Daniel, Marcell Coetzee and Jean Deysel.
Plumtree said the fact that rain is predicted could also influence the role of the bench. “Having Willem Alberts and someone with the experience of Steven Sykes on the bench will be important because how we finish the game could be vital. We saw how the Bulls maintained their intensity against the Lions,” the coach said.
In a change to the backline in-
Picture: volving returning Boks, Lwazi Mvovo takes over from injured Odwa Ndungane on the wing while Patrick Lambie continues at fly-half after a rusty first half against Griquas gave way to an excellent performance
“It’s not about the 15, but the 22,” said Plumtree. “Beast hasn’t been with us for a long time. To have him coming off the bench along with players like Craig and Willem could be crucial. You can’t underestimate the impact of those guys.
“I was also looking to have a bit of continuity, and playing Boks off the bench is the best way to do it. There were a lot of choices but I don’t think we could ignore what the guys have achieved before the Boks came back, and we also couldn’t ignore the importance of experience off the bench.
“Everyone is just really excited. There have been some hard choices, with some guys who’ve been left out after playing a big role in the Currie Cup, so the 22 that have been chosen are very privileged and they know they have a job to do.”
KEY MATCH-UPS • Louis Ludik vs Zane Kirchner: Ludik has been a consistently good performer for the Sharks this season with his incisive runs into the backline. He has been courageous under the high ball and done his team proud. Kirchner has been solid for the Boks but has had his critics for his failure to counter-attack and to always resort to the boot. Ludik will look to prove that full-backs don’t always have to kick. • Pat Lambie vs Morné Steyn: The fly-half many believed should have been picked for the Boks versus the one that was dropped for Johan Goosen. The rusty Lambie got better and better in his comeback game against Griquas while Steyn kicked superbly against the Lions last week. It is going to be an intriguing battle between the young pretender and the old professional. • Cobus Reinach vs Jano Vermaak: The young Shark was yesterday named Currie Cup Player of the Month for September, having taken over from veteran Charl McLeod in the starting line-up, but how will he play on the big stage of a semi-final? Whatever he does he will be doggedly shadowed by veteran Vermaak, who has shone for the Bulls since moving from the Lions. • Marcell Coetzee vs Dewald Potigieter: Coetzee is starting at openside for the Sharks because he was mostly on the bench for the Boks and because Jacques Botes is injured. The youngster has everything to play for but he is up against the livewire captain of the Bulls. The pair are sure to get stuck into each other in the fight for the loose ball. • Kyle Cooper vs Willie Wepener: Cooper is the young Sharks upstart who is in the form of his life, and is keeping Craig Burden on the bench. He is up against the very experienced Wepener, who has been around the block with the Lions and now with the Bulls. Wepener does not take a step back and this will be a test for Cooper.