OORB

Hi all - and thanks to OO for the invitation to post here. I'll be doing my best to keep you guys up to date with matters in Sharks Country, which should be kinda interesting since I live in Jozi.
Anyway - to get us all in the mood, here's the latest info on the teams for tonight's friendlies against the Cats in Rustenburg. This courtesy of those kind folks over at sharksrugby.co.za

"Sharks coach Dick Muir has named his two sides to take on the Cats on Wednesday in Rustenburg in the Sharks final warm-ups ahead of the Vodacom Super 14 which starts next weekend.

This final preparation will afford the coaching staff one last opportunity to test combinations and finalise a possible starting lineup against the Chiefs, while the players have this chance to stake a claim for a berth in that first match.

Muir has chosen a few players in different positions from the last game against the Bulls; in the first game Nico Breedt and Jaco Gouws are swapped around and in the second, Brett Hennessey takes over from the injured JP Pietersen at fullback, Henno Mentz gets a start on the wing, Jacques Botes shifts from eighthman to flank and Braam Immelman is given the number 8 jersey.

Daniel Farani gets a start after coming off the bench against the Bulls and Johann Muller takes over from Albert van den Berg, while Brendon Botha returns from injury and Heinke van der Merwe replaces injured Deon Carstens. In the final change, Jody Jenneker is given a run in place of Bismarck du Plessis at hooker.

The Raggies Team to play at 5pm:

15. Greg Goosen
14. Craig Burden
13. Grant Rees
12. Bradley Barritt
11. An other
10. Scott Spedding
9. Scott Mathie
8. Nico Breedt
7. Jaco Gouws
6. Solly Tyibilika
5. Albert van den Berg
4. Steven Sykes
3. Brent Moyle
2. Skipper Badenhorst
1. Danie Saayman

Cats: 15 Oginga Siwundla, 14 Wylie Human, 13 Dewey Swartbooi, 12 Doppies la Grange, 11 Jorrie Muller, 10 André Hough, 9 Dave von Hoesslin, 8 Russell Winter, 7 Gerhard Vosloo, 6 Roland Bernard, 5 Gordon Gilfillan, 4 KleinJan Tromp, 3 Bertus Smit, 2 Delarey du Preez, 1 Lawrence Sephaka.

The Hammerheads Team to play at 7pm:
15. Brett Hennessey
14. Henno Mentz
13. Gcoboni Bobo
12. Andries Strauss
11. Dusty Noble
10. Percy Montgomery
9. Ruan Pienaar
8. Braam Immelman
7. Daniel Farani
6. Jacques Botes
5. Johann Muller
4. AJ Venter
3. BJ Botha
2. Jody Jenneker
1. Heinke van der Merwe

Cats: 15 Earl Rose, 14 Ashwin Willemse, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Wayne Julies, 11 Grant Esterhuizen, 10 Tiaan Snyman, 9 Enrico Januarie/Jano Vermaak, 8 Ernst Joubert, 7 Wikus van Heerden (captain), 6 Cobus Grobbelaar, 5 Jannes Labuschagne/Willem Stoltz, 4 Trevor Hall, 3 Marius Hurter/Daniel Muller, 2 Lukas van Biljon, 1 Pietman van Niekerk/Heinrich Kok.

Sharks Reserves
Bismarck du Plessis, Warren Britz, Sandile Nxumalo

Cats Reserves
Ethienne Reynecke, Pietie Ferreira, Arno Coetzee, John Daniels, Ethienne Reynecke."

I reckon we have reason to be pretty bullish (or should that be Sharkish?) about our chances tonight. Both Cats packs look pretty solid, if lacking any real gamebreakers. I reckon we should match them quite easily in the tight 5, with our loosies edging theirs. I expect Bernard and Grobelaar to be quite a handful, but Solly and Jacques Botes should be able to beat them to the breakdown. Let's hope Farani puts in a big performance and shows us all why he's here. Breedt and Immelman also need to put their hands up for a change, especially Nico. He hasn't impressed at all since moving from Free State but he's back in his best position tonight, so let's hope he has a blinder.

Our halfbacks in both teams are a ton better than what the Cats can put out there (except for Ricky - he's pretty good, but will he play?) and the outside backs are pretty evenly matched. The Cats have more experience on their side, but they also have Jorrie, which swings the arguement in our favour. I reckon Strauss and Bobo are likely to be outgunned by the Bok pair of Julies and Fourie in the later game, but it'll be a good test for the youngster and the oldster. Young Bradley Barrit is an exciting prospect too, so with any luck our woes at 12 will soon be a thing of the past, with some young talent coming through, as well as the imminent return of James and arrival of Brown. (James Brown? I feel good!)

Whatever the outcome, remember that a lot of frontline Sharks players are not going to be involved tonight, including Davidson, James, Brown, Russell, Hall, Kokoali, Smit, Carstens, Ackermann, Jacobs, Murray and Pietersen. There's a lot of depth in this squad and most of the youngsters look to have real talent. Bright times are ahead for the Sharks!

Cheers
RobD