Lambie to start for Sharks

Ex Supersport

Cape Town - The Cell C Sharks team named by Director of Rugby Jake White shows a number of changes from last week’s line-up, albeit not in any major disruptive way as the team prepare for Saturday’s Vodacom semi-final showdown with the Crusaders, reports Sharks websiteeditor Michael Marnewick.

With Anton Bresler falling foul to a knee injury against the Highlanders in last week’s quarter-final win at Kings Park and not making the journey to New Zealand, Willem Alberts shifts from flank to the second row, with his place on the side of the scrum taken by Jean Deysel.

The backline sees positional shifts as Pat Lambie starts in his familiar flyhalf position which means Francois Steyn is moved to inside centre and Paul Jordaan wears the outside centre jersey occupied by JP Pietersen last week. He has been named on the wing with S’bura Sithole moving to the bench.

With Deysel having been elevated into the starting line-up, this opens a window of opportunity which has been filled by Tera Mtembu.

While the Cell C Sharks were hard at work last week, the Crusaders were relaxing thanks to an automatic bye but will be a well-settled unit hosting the semi. They’re the most successful side in the history of the tournament and are odds-on favourites to win this clash.

But there is nothing South Africans like more than to be fighting out of a corner and with the recent memory of an historic win in Christchurch during the pool stages of the competition, they will match the home side in the confidence stakes.  

“The Crusaders are a phenomenal team, we’re under no illusions of how good they are and what they’ve achieved, but we just have to prepare as best we can to give ourselves a chance,” explains Jake White.

“They have players in their team who won the Rugby World Cup a few years ago, they have guys who are consistently in play-off games, the team hasn’t missed out on playoff rugby in a long time, and all these guys have been part and parcel of playoff games, so I have no doubt that with the team they have available and the experience they have, they’ll be a massive force.” 

Gooooo Sharks the conniving crusties are going dooooooooown!!!!! 

Teams

Crusaders

15 Israel Dagg, 14 Kieron Fonotia, 13 Ryan Crotty, 12 Dan Carter, 11 Nemani Nadolo, 10 Colin Slade, 9 Andy Ellis, 8 Kieran Read (captain), 7 Matt Todd, 6 Richie McCaw, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Dominic Bird, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Corey Flynn, 1 Wyatt Crockett

Substitutes: 16 Ben Funnell, 17 Joe Moody, 18 Nepo Laulala, 19 Jimmy Tupou, 20 Jordan Taufua, 21 Willi Heinz, 22 Tom Taylor, 23 Johnny McNicholl

Sharks

15. SP Marais, 14. JP Pietersen, 13. Paul Jordaan, 12. Frans Steyn, 11. Lwazi Mvovo, 10. Pat Lambie, 9. Cobus Reinach, 8. Ryan Kankowski, 7. Jean Deysel, 6. Marcell Coetzee, 5. Stephan Lewies, 4. Willem Alberts, 3. Jannie du Plessis, 2. Bismarck du Plessis (captain), 1. Thomas du Toit 

Substitutes: 16. Kyle Cooper, 17. Dale Chadwick, 18. Lourens Adriaanse, 19. Etienne Oosthuizen, 20. Tera Mtembu, 21. Charl McLeod, 22. S'bura Sithole, 23. Tonderai Chavhanga

Sharktwat showing is rugby ignorance once more - Carter at 96kg, a small inside centre.......bwhaaahaaaa

http://www.allblacks.com/Player/Index/529?team=AllBlacks  

Spot on call by Jake bringing in a real 10 in Lambie and moving Frans to 12 where he belongs.

An obvious call

A very conservative set of choices with a nod to Natal popularity. Jake wont be criticized for any of these picks. He must have pondered about scrumhalf. Flyhalf was  easier, because Lambie/Frans is more solid than Frans/Jordaan. Then everybody bumps out. Having Frans opposite a rusty Carter could be a point of advantage.

I wonder who will do the kicking.....Lambie has folded under pressure in the past.

Yep, just like Jamie Roberts.

Geez Sharktwat, I keep telling you how stupid you are and you keep confirming it........Freun is an outside centre you dunce

96kg is NOT a small centre  

A new halfback combination in Charl McLeod and Pat Lambie would have lent the Sharks some much-needed stability in the crunch semi-final in Christchurch, writes JON CARDINELLI.

Jake White has often said that his strongest attribute is his ability to identify talent and select winning combinations. There are numerous examples that substantiate this statement.

When he was at the helm of the Springboks during the 2007 World Cup, White moved flanker-cum-lock Danie Rossouw to No 8, and backed the then 20-year-old Frans Steyn to start at No 12 in the injury-enforced absence of Jean de Villiers. They were selections that proved inspired.

Apart from serving as a world-class lineout option and bringing some grunt to that No 8 position, Rossouw made a try-saving tackle on England winger Mark Cueto in the final. Steyn kicked the long-range penalty that clinched that game and the title itself.

White has got it right this season by backing Steyn at No 10 ahead of Fred Zeilinga and Tim Swiel. His decision to play S’bura Sithole has been vindicated, as has the reintroduction of Tonderai Chavhanga, a player who scored six tries for White in a Test against Uruguay in 2005.

Then there’s been the experiment with Lwazi Mvovo at fullback, a selection that raised a few eyebrows when it was first proposed. Few will doubt that Mvovo has since developed into a useful No 15 option.

The Sharks have the game plan to win this weekend's match and indeed the Super Rugby title. In this respect, they need players capable of implementing the territory-based approach effectively.

In some instances White has got his selections right for the semi-final, and in one instance he may have taken an unnecessary gamble.

Steyn was asked to do a job at No 10 in the absence of Lambie. His physicality in the first-receiver channel was a plus, as was his formidable line kicking.

In the past two weeks, Steyn has kicked accurately for goal and accumulated as many as 35 points. And yet, it has not surprised me to see Lambie reinstated at No 10 and Steyn shifted to No 12 for this week's battle.

It’s a combination that inspires confidence. It’s a combination that will thrive if provided with a platform, and it will encourage White to know that the Sharks' set pieces are currently firing.

Lambie and Steyn can be dangerous on attack, but they can also contribute with the boot and win the territorial battle. The latter is all-important in a knockout clash.

Going into this game, the quandary was whom to back as the link between the pack and that 10-12 combination. Cobus Reinach is a game breaker, and the Sharks may not have won that league match in Christchurch if not for the scrumhalf’s individual brilliance.

But while Reinach has produced some breathtaking touches and finishes this season, he has also been guilty of far too many errors. His most recent performance against the Highlanders was laden with mistakes, and he was eventually subbed in the 68th minute.

The Crusaders will pose a greater challenge at the set pieces than the Highlanders did at Kings Park. Where the Highlanders and Crusaders are similar is that they are quick to punish poor kicks, and will turn counter-attacking chances into points at the other end of the park.

Reinach kicked poorly at Kings Park last week, and made a few bad decisions with ball in hand. These mistakes often undid the good work done by the Sharks forwards, and at times placed Steyn under pressure.

Charl McLeod is no Fourie du Preez, but is the stronger kicker of the two Sharks scrumhalves. He has more experience, as well as a reputation for fronting in the knockout games, if you will remember the game-shaping contributions he made in the 2010 and 2013 Currie Cup finals.

And yet, White has opted to stick with Reinach.  The semi-final game in Christchurch will be akin to a Test match, in that attacking space will be minimal and physicality and line kicking accuracy will be crucial. The margin for error will be negligible. Starting Reinach is an unnecessary gamble.

The odds are against the Sharks travelling to Christchurch and beating the Crusaders in a play-off match. The Sharks did well to edge the Highlanders this past Saturday, but have to more clinical against a Crusaders team that has a reputation for punishing mistakes. The pressure is now on Reinach to produce a more measured performance.