Tapuai excited about Bok-laden Sharks
SHARKS centre Ben Tapuai has won a Super Rugby title with the Reds and the English Premiership just last year with Harlequins, and he reckons his new team will be in the mark et for silverware if they can convert their potential into premier performances.
The stocky Australian of Samoan descent turned 33 a fortnight ago on 19 January, and says he spent it soaking up the sun after too long in the European winters.
Three days later, he had had a cracking debut in the Sharks’ 47-37 defeat of the Lions, and after the mixed fortunes of the 22-22 draw with the Stormers last weekend, he is in a position to judge where the Sharks are placed on their progression curve.
“Coming here, you can see there is a lot of youth in the system in the URC (United Rugby Championship) and Currie Cup teams, so there is a lot of opportunity for development. And when you add the established stars – I have lost count of how many Boks are in this squad – you see miles of growth ahead,” Tapuai said.
“The combinations will click in time. And the killer instinct will come. It is no secret that we are disappointed that we drew the game last week. The positive is that we executed most of the opportunities we were given, so we are excited about that.
“We started really well but then our discipline let us down, and we have spoken about how that let them into the game when we should have been putting them away.”
Coach Sean Everitt has said that one of the reasons Tapuai was recruited is because his vast experience at No 12 can rub off on youthful flyhalves, Boeta Chamberlain and Curwin Bosch.
“Boeta has got the tricks of the trade,” Tapuai said. “Part of my job is to try and give him confidence. I am pretty vocal on the field, and am trying to give him as much information as I can on the field to make his job easier.”
Outside of him, it is a different story. He has Lukhanyo Am, Makazole Mapimpi, Sbu Nkosi and Aphelele Fassi, some of them the best in their positions in the world.
“Playing with the Boks in this backline just makes my job so much easier,” he said. “When you have world-class players around you, you only have to focus on your job and not worry about what they are doing.
“And playing with them is going to get better. I have not been here long, and am trying to get into the groove. It won’t be long before we click.”
Interestingly, a major reason why Tapuai chose South Africa was because he and his family literally needed a major change in scenery after half-a-decade in London. “We came because of the sun, as well as the opportunity to play a different brand of rugby,” Tapuai said.
“My wife and I needed a change – she suffered quite a bit in the Covid times. It was a dark period, and we are really glad we made the move.
“I have seen more sun in the last month or so than in five (years) in the UK!”
Finally, a cunning question was put to the Queenslander to discover if he knew how to pronounce the surname of the No 7 flank in the Sharks team, Jeandre Labuschagne.
“LubooShane,” Tapuai said. “Just like the great Aussie batsman (Klerksdorp-raised Marnus Labuschagne)!”
Meanwhile, the big news around the Sharks team announced to play Western Province in the Currie Cup today is the return of Bosch at flyhalf plus the comeback from injury of Springbok No 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe.
The 24-year-old Bosch fell out of favour last year, and this year has been struggling with a hip problem, but now he has a major opportunity to forge a comeback. The Sharks’ United Rugby Championship team has a bit of a goal-kicking problem, with Chamberlain inconsistent, and surely Bosch will sense that he can build a case for a recall.
Marius Louw will lead a relatively experienced Sharks team that has been bolstered by the inclusion of Notshe, who makes a welcome return to the playing field after suffering a devastating knee injury in May last year.
Sadly, out of action due to a longterm injury is new recruit Eduan Keyter who made his debut for the Sharks against Griquas in the opening match of the Currie Cup.
SHARKS CURRIE CUP TEAM
15 Inny Radebe 14 Yaw Penxe 13 Werner Kok 12
Marius Louw (captain) 11 Marnus Potgieter 10 Curwin Bosch 9 Cameron Wright 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe 7 Celimpilo Gumede 6 James Venter 5 Reniel Hugo 4 Emile van Heerden 3 Lourens Adriaanse 2 Fez batha 1 Khwezi Mona
Bench: 16 Dan Jooste 17 Dian Bleuler 18 Hanru Jacobs 19 Le Roux Roets 20 Thembelani Bholi 21 OJ Noa 22 Sanele Nohamba 23 Murray Koster