Sharks surge with green blood
Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:27
The Sharks have made full use of their Bok resources and named a veritable international side for their Currie Cup match on Saturday, in a top-of-the-table clash with the Blue Bulls in Durban.
Nine of the starting XV (and a further three on the bench) have current or past Test experience and certainly some of those who have been un-capped like Jean Deysel - about whom coach John Plumtree recently said, "has Springbok written all over him" - may well go on to represent the country at the highest level.
Interestingly, the only South African backline player named in the New Zealand press in a Super 14 "Team of the Tournament" earlier this year - Bradley Barritt - is the only non-capped international in the Sharks' backline.
Scrumhalf Ruan Pienaar, outside centre Francois Steyn and wing Odwa Ndungane are back from Springbok duty in the Tri-Nations in a boost to the backline, while Jannie du Plessis is the only forward in the starting line-up to have represented the Boks last week.
To counter the obvious physical threat posed by the burly Blue Bulls' side, Plumtree has loaded his bench on a 5:2 ratio forwards to backs, including Bismarck du Plessis who will add his own brand of power, with another returning Springbok in JP Pietersen named in the No. 22 jersey.
Sharks: 15 Stefan Terblanche, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Francois Steyn, 12 Bradley Barritt, 11 Waylon Murray, 10 Frederic Michalak, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Keegan Daniel, 7 Jean Deysel, 6 Jacques Botes, 5 Johann Muller (captain), 4 Alistair Hargreaves, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Skipper Badenhorst, 1 Deon Carstens.
Replacements: 16 Bismarck du Plessis, 17 Patric Cilliers, 18 Steven Sykes, 19 Albert van den Berg, 20 Skholiwe Ndlovu, 21 Rory Kockott, 22 JP Pietersen.
Date: Saturday, September 6
Venue: Absa Stadium, Durban
Kick-off: 17.05 (15.05 GMT)
Referee: Mark Lawrence
Touch judges: Theuns Jonker, Reuben Rossouw
TMO: Johann Meuwesen
