Sharks look lean in backline
SHARKS coach Robert du Preez will have lean pickings when he casts his eyes over his backline stocks for Saturday’s Super Rugby match against the Sunwolves on Saturday and he will have to choose carefully following a run of injuries to key players and a call-up to the Junior Boks.
The Sharks are desperately keen to turn around their shock defeat to the Kings last week when they tackle the Japanese side in Singapore, but the coaching staff do not have the riches they had a few weeks back.
The Junior Boks have jurisdiction over blue-eyed boy Curwin Bosch, who was running the Sharks backline with distinction until his departure to the national Under 20 squad, and then Patrick Lambie suffered an unfortunate injury against the Kings last week.
Springbok Lambie clashed heads with fullback Rhyno Smith in a freak accident in the Port Elizabeth game.
Lambie has not travelled with the team as he is undergoing concussion protocols.
Smith, in turn, tore a pectoral muscle in the same match and has also remained in Durban.
Another casualty from the defeat was young centre Jeremy Ward, who has undergone surgery on a broken nose and will not play for six weeks.
Ward was in at 12 for the suspended Andre Esterhuizen, who still has some time to serve on a six-week suspension.
However you look at it, coach Du Preez will have to choose a new starting flyhalf and fullback for this week’s game.
SQUAD
Against the Kings, Garth April replaced Lambie and played well despite little game time this season, but Du Preez has also included in his squad young Benhard Janse van Rensburg, a flyhalf Du Preez recruited from the Leopards.
It could well be that Du Preez gives Janse van Rensburg a second chance at 10 because he needs a fullback and April is equally adept at 15 and 10.
The Sharks also need a new 12 and this will come down to a choice between an almost forgotten centre in S’bura Sithole and the Namibian international Johan Deysel. Sithole was highly rated under former Sharks coaches but has fallen from favour this season.
Lukhanyo Am would continue at 13, and the wings would be Lwazi Mvovo and Kobus van Wyk.
Scrumhalf is not an issue, with Du Preez having the pick of two Springboks in Michael Claassens and Cobus Reinach.
The forwards are relatively untouched by injury and Du Preez should be able to pick more or less his first choice pack. A notable omission from the tour squad, though, is tighthead prop Coenie Oosthuizen. He is a contracted Springbok and thus has to sit out a certain number of games.