Another Sharks team chooses itself
by Gavin Rich 22 August 2012, 17:00
The way the Sharks have been playing just lately they shouldn’t really need a coach to select the team, with all the players doing their talking where it matters most – on the field of play.
Unfortunately for the Sharks they continue to leak players to the Springboks, with hooker Craig Burden, who scored two tries in the ABSA Currie Cup opener against Western Province, now in Argentina with Jean de Villiers’ team rather than preparing for Saturday’s match against the Vodacom Bulls at Loftus.
Monde Hadebe comes into the side in Burden’s absence, and with Bismarck du Plessis’ injury likely to keep Burden involved with the Boks for much of the domestic season, the young Hadebe, a member of last year’s Sharks
under-21 team, can expect to get an extended run. Coach John Plumtree has spoken of a possible call to an overseas player, but it is understood that if a new hooker does fly in, he will probably act as back-up rather than necessarily wear the No 2 jersey.
The only other change to the team that beat the MTN Lions 30-14 at Mr Price Kings Park last Saturday night sees Marius Joubert coming in for the injured Meyer Bosman.
Franco Marais comes in as the back-up to Hadebe at hooker. The Sharks have five forward reserves for a match where, given the recent form of the two teams, they should start as strong favourites even without the services of Burden.
SHARKS: Louis Ludik, Odwa Ndungane, Paul Jordaan, Marius Joubert, S’bura Sithole, Riaan Viljoen, Charl McLeod, Jacques Botes, Jean Deysel (captain), Francois Kleinhans, Anton Bresler, Steven Sykes, Wiehahn Herbst, Monde Hadebe, Dale Chadwick.
Replacements: Franco Marais, Julian Redelinghuys, Jandre Marais, Lubabalo Mtembu, Brynard Stander, Cobus Reinach, Gouws Prinsloo.
