Hardest selection meeting in years for Sharks coach ahead of Currie Cup semi
Sharks coach Robert du Preez has described his team selection ahead of the Currie Cup semi-finals as the toughest he's had in years.
Upfront, Coenie Oosthuizen has dropped down to the bench as Thomas du Toit starts at tighthead prop, having been withdrawn from the team sheet for their clash against the Griquas last week. Meanwhile Dan du Preez has shrugged off a knee niggle that also saw him drop out of the team on the eve of last weekend’s clash.
In the backline, Rob du Preez Jr has shifted back to flyhalf and Curwin Bosch has reverted to fullback, after an experiment that saw the pair partner at 10 and 12 last week.
The rest of the starting XV remains unchanged and coach Rob du Preez says experience in key positions is a major factor in his selections.
With that being said, coach Du Preez admitted that it was a tough task deciding to leave big names like Oosthuizen and Jean-Luc du Preez on the bench.
“It’s probably one of the most difficult selection meetings we’ve had, certainly for me, in the last two years. We had a lot of debate around that but we believe that the guys in the loose trio have done the job for us over the last five weeks and we wanted to keep that continuity going,” Du Preez said.
“Jean-Luc did really well when he came onto the field and we’re happy to play him off the bench again. There was a big debate around Coenie and Tom and we’re just in a fortunate position that we have two great tightheads.”
With a home semi-final already in the bag before last weekend's match, the Sharks coaching staff had the luxury of exploring the possibility of playing Bosch at flyhalf and Du Preez Jr at inside centre. Coach Du Preez said it was a fruitful exercise and provided plenty of food for thought.
“I’ve always said a good 10 should be able to play at 12 and vice versa. I think the experiment was good and it is something we will definitely consider going forward.”
The competition for a starting berth at hooker has also been tight as ever, as the experienced Chiliboy Ralepelle and recently capped Springbok Akker van der Merwe have pushed each other throughout the campaign.
The latter has been selected for this clash, and Du Preez said that selection had a lot to do with Van der Merwe coming up against his old teammates.
“That was another tough one. Again, you’ve got two Springbok hookers in your squad. We just believe that Akker, playing against his old province, will be good to start this weekend.”
Lions changes
The Sharks could potentially take confidence out of their 37-21 win over the Lions in the Currie Cup a few weeks ago. But this time around, the Lions have luxury of selecting Springbok flyhalf Elton Jantjies, sensational Springbok wing Aphiwe Dyantyi and number 8 Warren Whiteley, who have all returned to the starting XV.
Sharks skipper Louis Schreuder says their previous results don’t count for much but having met the Lions several times this year does give them a good idea of what to expect from the visitors from Johannesburg.
“What’s in the past is in the past. We spoke about it this morning, we’ve played them four times already this year so we know what the Lions can do but we also have to stick to our strengths. I don’t think we’ll take much from that last win, they’ve obviously got some new plans and a semi-final is always different,” Schreuder said.
“The Lions are a dangerous team. They’ve played the most finals out of all the franchises in the last few years, they’ve done it in Super Rugby and the Currie Cup. They know how to get there and they’ve made a few changes. It’s going to be a massive semi-final for us.”
The Sharks meet the Lions at Kings Park on Saturday. Kickoff is at 14h30.
Sharks team (15-1):
Curwin Bosch, Sbu Nkosi, Jeremy Ward, Marius Louw, Lwazi Mvovo, Robert du Preez, Louis Schreuder (c), Daniel du Preez, Tyler Paul, Jacques Vermeulen, Hyron Andrews, Gideon Koegelenberg, Thomas du Toit, Akker van der Merwe, Juan Schoeman.
Replacements: Chiliboy Ralepelle, Mzamo Majola, Coenie Oosthuizen, Luke Stringer, Jean-Luc du Preez, Cameron Wright, Leolin Zas, Aphelele Fassi.
Lions team (15-1):
Sylvian Mahuza, Courtnall Skosan, Lionel Mapoe, Howard Mnisi, Aphiwe Dyantyi, Elton Jantjies, Nic Groom (c), Warren Whiteley, Pikkie de Villiers, James Venter, Marvin Orie, Rhyno Herbst, Jacobie Adriaanse, Pieter Jansen, Sti Sithole.
Bench: Tiaan van der Merwe, Danie Mienie, Chergin Fillies, Vincent Tshituka, Hacjivah Dayimani, Dillon Smit, Shaun Reynolds, Wandisile Simelane.