There is one selection in the Sharks team to play the Bulls tomorrow that says it all about the way the Durban-based team intend playing in Super Rugby this season.
It is the choice of James Venter in the No 6 jersey and it is the first time for a number of years, probably since the days of Marcell Coetzee, that the Sharks are playing an out-and-out openside flank.
Typically, the Sharks have opted for three highly physical loose forwards in the pursuit of ruthless forward domination, never really relying on an openside flank.
It is how Jake White won the 2007 World Cup with the Springboks and what he entrenched in Durban when he coached the Sharks, and it was continued by Robert du Preez, who also liked three huge ball carriers/defenders in his loose trio. Sean Everitt, though, thinks differently about rugby and we have seen how in the off-season the Sharks went out and bought fetchers who will be instrumental to how the team plays, namely the two Venters: James from the Lions and Henco from the Cheetahs.
The two of them, fittingly from a Sharks point of view, were brilliant in last year’s Currie Cup final, with James scoring two tries in a losing effort for the Lions and Henco being named man of the match for the Cheetahs.
For the 23-year-old James, it is a homecoming in that he is from Port Shepstone on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast and was schooled at rugby powerhouse Glenwood. A player in the mould of the fantastic but sadly under-utilised Heinrich Brussouw, Venter will be tasked with attacking the breakdowns and either slowing down the ball or stealing it.
A huge focus for the Sharks in the off-season has been on changing the way they play towards seeing defence as their best form of attack, in that nothing beats quick turnover ball won in the tackle or in the ensuing breakdown. The opposition defence is not set - they are still in attack mode - and are thus vulnerable to a sudden counter-attack.
The Sharks for some time now have not put sufficient pressure on the breakdown, despite this being where most tries come from these days.
Overall, it is a new Sharks team with a fresh look about it, and fans can look forward to their team playing with new energy.
Indeed, this was the promise that Everitt made yesterday after announcing his first-ever Super Rugby team.
“Our focus is to play with energy and enthusiasm every single week, regardless of the result, and if our performances are consistently good, the positive results will come,” Everitt said.
Everitt added that the work new forwards coach Brent Janse van Rensburg has done with the forwards will ensure that a perceived weakness, according to critics of the Sharks will, in fact, be a strength this season.
“Brent has been amazing from day one,” Everitt said of last year’s Griquas coach. “He is a very organised coach and has drilled the pack exceptionally well. There were areas of concern with our pack going into Super Rugby and we have ironed those out, notably our maul.
“We all know that mauls are difficult because teams work around it and the laws have changed to nullify the advantage you get from mauls, so we have worked hard on that, and an example was our performance against the Stormers where our pack was outstanding.”
Sharks
- 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Sbu Nkosi, 13 Lukhanyo Am (capt), 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Sikumbuzo Notshe, 7 Tyler Paul, 6 James Venter, 5 Hyron Andrews, 4 Ruben van Heerden, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Kerron van Vuuren, 1 Ox Nche.
Subs:
16 Craig Burden, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 John-Hubert Meyer, 19 Le Roux Roets, 20 Henco Venter, 21 Sanele Nohamba, 22 Boeta Chamberlain, 23 Jeremy Ward.