Player management will be key to Sharks success - Du Preez
Sharks coach Rob du Preez believes his team's success in 2018 will come down to player management and selections throughout the season.
The Sharks continued their preseason training in ernest after a three week Christmas break. Having put in a four week training block after the Currie Cup, Rob du Preez’s charges have braved the notoriously hot Durban summer conditions for the past two weeks.
After burying the disappointment of their Currie Cup final defeat to Western Province, the Sharks have gone about preseason slightly differently this year, according to coach Du Preez.
Instead of the traditional fitness-focused conditioning programme, Du Preez and his coaching staff have done their best to keep things ‘game-related’, while making sure players are in peak physical condition ahead of the start of the season.
A look at the squad
In terms of personnel, the Sharks will welcome back the rest of their Japanese-based players next week, while Stephan Lewies returned to training this week. Lwazi Mvovo, Makazole Mapimpi and Philip van der Walt will start training with the side next week, while Andre Esterhuizen will return at a later stage with his club set for a promotion/relegation clash.
On the injury front, Coenie Oosthuizen faces another six months on the sidelines recovering from knee surgery, while Jean-Luc du Preez had an ankle operation and is expected to be fit by the time the Sharks go on their Australasian tour.
New coaches
The Sharks have also welcomed two big additions to their coaching staff in 2018. Former Springbok centre and Sharks coach Dick Muir has come on board as an assistant coach.
Another former Springbok, Braam van Straaten, has also joined the coaching team and will handle defence and kicking - while helping the junior ranks with extra kicking coaching.
Healthy competition
There will certainly be some jousting for starting berths between the top players in the squad. Having a wealth of depth in key positions like hooker, lock, flank, flyhalf, centre and wing, players will be pushing each other for selection every week.
There's a real spotlight on the number 10 jumper with the arrival of Robert du Preez Jr from Western Province. The Sharks coach’s eldest son was instrumental in their Currie Cup final victory over the Sharks, and he's set to battle it out for that incumbent title with recently capped Springbok flyhalf Curwin Bosch.
“Him and Curwin have really worked well together and I think for the first time in my two years here, we’ve got a squad with no room for complacency, because you’ve got so much competition in the team and that is exactly what we want,” coach Du Preez said.
“The guys are really going to work hard to get into the starting lineup and we said it’s a long season, we have to think carefully about how we give everyone an opportunity to play. Our success will hinge on using the squad effectively.”
Preseason hit-outs
We will get an idea of what the core Sharks squad will look like next week, when a 30-man squad is named ahead of a preseason clash against the Bulls followed by an exhibition match against French club Racing 92 in Hong Kong.
That squad will be narrowed down to 26 players for the second preseason hit out, against Pat Lambie’s French captors.
“We’re looking at different combinations but we’ve got a good idea of who’s going to be playing where. The first two games is more about the game time - I think the way we have prepared means we won’t be far off in terms of match fitness.”