NEW SHARKS Jerseys - So Glad Somebody Stuck With a Classy Design...!

So tell me - how difficult is it to come up with a stylish-looking rugby jersey? Is this not much better? Do we really need Camo on a rugby field?

WELL DONE SHARKS...!!

Super Rugby: SHARKS vs STORMERS - Mouth Watering Fixture...!

The expectation of a highly physical game in the Super Rugby derby against the Stormers at Newlands on Saturday could prompt Sharks coach John Plumtree to return Jean Deysel to his match 22 quicker than anticipated.

http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby

Deysel has not played for the Sharks for almost a year after suffering a knee injury at the end of the last Super 14 season, but he has been making his way back in the Vodacom Cup and Plumtree has clearly been impressed with his progress for he was initially intending to reintroduce Deysel only after the Sharks’ next bye in a couple of weeks.

Deysel, a driving loose-forward in a similar mould to Willem Alberts, is precisely the sort of player that Plumtree would want in what both coaches are predicting will be a war of attrition with the team that wins the physical battle probably being the one that takes the crucial log points on offer.

“There is certainly a lot of temptation for us to take Jean with us to Cape Town as he would be a useful guy to have in what we expect to be a highly physical game,” said Plumtree.

“It just depends on whether he is ready or not. We will have a close look at him and then make a call. Whatever happens we don’t want to rush him unnecessarily and thus jeopardise his comeback.”

Should Deysel play he will come off the bench, with the momentum he could bring in the last quarter of the game being what is tempting the Sharks to make the selection. They are already almost assured of having another important player, hooker Bismarck du Plessis, back in action against a team he has always done particularly well against in the past.

Of course, should Du Plessis be cleared of the bruised shoulder that kept him from playing the Hurricanes last week it will create a selection dilemma in the front-row. Springbok skipper John Smit, given a first opportunity of the season to play hooker, showed that he is at last picking up some momentum after a slow start to the Sharks’ campaign which was complicated by the calf strain that kept him out of the opening fixtures.

The problem for Plumtree though is that while he can easily shift Smit back to loosehead prop in order to accommodate Du Plessis, the incumbent in the No 1 jersey, Beast Mtwarira, was the man of the match against the Hurricanes.

Alistair Hargreaves is also expected to return at lock this week, so Plumtree has plenty of options open to him at forward, with both Jannie du Plessis and Eugene van Staden doing well at tighthead last week and Ross Skeate playing perhaps his finest game since returning to South Africa from Toulon.

STORMERS vs SHARKS - TEAM ANNOUNCED...

Schalk is back to face the Sharks at Kings Park...

The team is: 

15. Gio Aplon 
14. Danie Poolman 
13. Jaque Fourie 
12. Jean De Villiers 
11. Bryan Habana 
10. Peter Grant 
9. Dewaldt Duvenage 
8. Duane Vermuelen 
7. Francois Louw 
6. Schalk Burger (C) 
5. Andries Bekker 
4. Rynhardt Elstadt 
3. Brok Harris 
2. Deon Fourie 
1. Wicus Blaauw

Reserves:

16. Ethienne Reynecke
17. CJ Van Der Linde
18. De Kock Steenkamp
19. Nick Koster
20. Ricky Januarie
21. Gary Van Aswegen
22. Juan De Jongh

SHARKS CLASH IN LONDON BECOMES VITAL...

London clash vital for Sharks

http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby

2011-03-22 10:05

John Plumtree (File)

Gavin Rich - SuperSport

Durban - Regardless of what happens in the games that the Sharks and Stormers play this weekend, the first weekend of April is going to be a massive one for the two coastal teams as they get set to face off in a Super Rugby derby in Durban that will be a repeat of last year’s Currie Cup final.It was always going to be an important game as it is now accepted that the conference system has made the four points picked up for a win against a fellow South African team more like eight points due to the damage that a defeat inflicts on a rival. However, it has become even more crucial after the Stormers’ win over the Bulls at Loftus, which effectively turns it into a top of the table clash and a potential must-win for the Sharks if they don't want to find themselves playing catch-up.

The Sharks certainly never helped their cause by losing to the Chiefs in Hamilton last Friday. It means that the Stormers are left as the only unbeaten team in the competition, and the Sharks now face the unenviable task of having to beat the Crusaders in their big game in London at the weekend to prevent themselves going into the Stormers match two wins behind their Cape rivals.

That would render the game a must-win for the Sharks, but they will be mindful of the fact that they face the Stormers at the end of a short turn-around week as they play Crusaders on a Sunday and the Stormers game is on a Saturday. The Sharks also face the flight home from the northern hemisphere in the six days between the fixtures.

The Sharks are mindful of the pit-falls, and there is no doubt that the Chiefs defeat has heaped considerable extra pressure on them to win against the inform Crusaders. Had they beaten the Chiefs they might have had a buffer that they don’t have now. It will not have escaped the Sharks’ attention that after their great start they could find themselves in a situation where they play against the Stormers trying to prevent themselves from losing three in a row.

So while it is a long season and anything can still happen even if the Stormers do go three wins ahead of the Sharks in the South African conference, this is a crucial phase for the Sharks who risk having all the good work they did in winning their first four games undone over the coming weeks.

SUPER 15 ACTION AT TWICKENHAM on 27 March...!

http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/Super15

The Rugby Football Union confirmed on Monday that the Vodacom Super Rugby match between the Crusaders and the Sharks next weekend will be held at Twickenham on March 27.

Their Crusaders' home ground in Christchurch, the AMI Stadium, was damaged in an earthquake last month, and in all likelyhood will miss out on staging World Cup matches later this year.

The match was initially scheduled for next Friday, but that would have clashed with Harlequins’ match against Gloucester.

Sharks commercial manager Rudolf Straeuli had said on Monday that the decision taken would have to be in their best interests.

They play the Stormers the following Saturday (2 April) in Durban. Apart from the Sharks, the Cape side is the only other unbeaten side in the competition.

The Sharks will only be back in South African the following Monday or Tuesday, which leaves them with limited time to prepare for the Stormers.

The match will kick off at 18:00 (SA time), with £5 from each ticket sold going towards fundraising by Red Cross for the earthquake appeal.

An RFU spokesperson said: "It's fantastic news that we were able to find a date that would enable us to host the game as the centrepiece of a weekend of fundraising for the people of Christchurch.

"Having some of the southern hemisphere's best players on display at Twickenham will be a treat for all English based fans of Super Rugby.

"It is great to see the rugby family pull together for such a worthy cause and we would like to thank all our stakeholders for their flexibility and support in making this happen. 

SUPER RUGBY NEWS - Sharks win in dying moments vs Rebels...

http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/Super15

Sharks fight back to win

2011-03-11 12:24

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Lwazi Mvovo (Gallo)

Melbourne - The Sharks held off a spirited Melbourne Rebels outfit 34-32 in a thrilling Vodacom Super Rugby clash on Friday.

The Sharks stayed on top of the table with the bonus point win but they were made to work hard for the whole 80 minutes by the competition newcomers, who claimed two bonus points of their own in the defeat.

Both sides scored four tries, with only a narrowly missed conversion from the sideline from Melbourne's otherwise excellent Danny Cipriani separating the two.

"We showed a bit of grit," Sharks captain John Smit said.

"Perhaps we didn't come out of the blocks fast enough. We knew the Rebels had some good individuals and at some stage they were going to come together as a team and I think that's happening for them."

The Rebels had all the possession in the first 10 minutes and looked certain to score first, only to be held out by some superb defence from the South Africans.

After soaking up the early pressure the Sharks struck in the 12th minute with a penalty to Patrick Lambie, before hooker Bismarck du Plessis charged over near the posts after the visitors had held onto the ball for 15 phases.

A Cipriani penalty soon afterwards narrowed the gap to 10-3, but Lambie struck a magnificent 45-metre penalty goal to take the lead back to 10 points.

The Rebels then gave the Sharks a taste of their own medicine, absorbing some enormous pressure then hitting back with tries to winger Cooper Vuna and centre Julian Huxley, giving the home side an 18-13 lead at the break.

They struck again from the second half kick-off when the mercurial Cipriani broke the line 60 metres out and went on a dazzling run through the Sharks' defence for a brilliant individual try under the posts.

But the Sharks refused to give in and narrowed the gap when winger Lwazi Mvovo crossed after a break from flank Willem Alberts -- Lambie converted to make it 25-20 to the home side.

The Sharks finally got back in front with 10 minutes to go, number eight Ryan Kankowski crashing over next to the posts after Huxley had knocked on right on his own line.

The Rebels kept trying, only to be undone by some basic errors from experienced pair Huxley and Cipriani, the crucial mistake coming when Cipriani passed to no-one 60 metres out from his line and Sharks replacement Adrian Jacobs toed the ball ahead.

Cipriani sprinted back to cover but the ball was knocked out of his grasp in the tackle and centre Meyer Bosman scored under the posts.

The Rebels were not finished and they secured a four-try bonus point when flanker Jarrod Saffey crashed over with two minutes to go, but it was too late for the gallant home side and the Sharks held on for a tense victory.

Teams:

Rebels:
15. Mark Gerrard, 14. Lachlan Mitchell, 13. Stirling Mortlock (captain), 12. Julian Huxley, 11. Cooper Vuna, 10. Danny Cipriani, 9. Nick Phipps, 8. Gareth Delve, 7. Michael Lipman, 6. Jarrod Saffy, 5. Kevin O'Neill, 4. Alister Campbell, 3. Greg Somerville, 2. Ged Robinson, 1. Nic Henderson

16. Heath Tessman, 17. Laurie Weeks, 18. Hugh Pyle, 19. Tim Davidson, 20. Richard Kingi, 21. Afusipa Taumoepeau, 22. Luke Rooney

Sharks:
15. Louis Ludik, 14. Odwa Ndungane, 13. Stefan Terblanche, 12. Meyer Bosman, 11. Lwazi Mvovo, 10. Patrick Lambie, 9. Charl McLeod, 8. Ryan Kankowski, 7. Willem Alberts, 6. Keegan Daniel, 5. Alistair Hargreaves, 4. Steven Sykes, 3. John Smit (captain), 2. Bismarck du Plessis, 1. Tendai Mtawarira

Substitutes: 16. Craig Burden, 17. Jannie du Plessis, 18. Anton Bresler, 19. Jacques Botes, 20. Conrad Hoffmann, 21. Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 22. Adrian Jacobs