Sharks lose to Pukke University team

That is pretty sad. Sure it is a warm-up match to start the season, with many new combinations or players. 

However, how can a team of professional sportspeople to lose to an amateur team. Not a good omen for the season, or the coaching ability of whoever is in charge now, 

SB

It does not to the credit of the Sharks o lose against the Pukke. But the University Cup teams will beat every Premier League team playing rugby in England - even Saracens and Exeter.   Puke is one of the strongest teams in the Varsity Cup - butt Maties will wipe the floor with England Professional teams.      

No Stupid Mike, no...

I am in a bad mood and will  change my comments - it would have been a bigger disgrace if they lost against an English club side.

Most of the Varsity Cup players want to finish their studies before turning professional and when they do they normally walk straight into the Super Rugby franchises.   One example Robert du Preez - from Maties to Stormers, Sharks and now playing for Sale.  Another example Jantjies the Springbok scrummie - in 2018 he was playing Varsity Rugby 2019 Stormers and then straight into the Springbok squad.

The franchises has to have a go at them quickly before the rapacious England Clubs find out about the source.   Watch out for players like Jordan Chait  this coming year,   He is a flyhalf and will not be intimidated like George Ford  and he has serious pace as well.       

I am watching the Saracens - Ospreys game  now - should know,       

Balls - as per normal totally ignorant.  The Varsity teams are the main source for the Springboks even when they are at the rugby academies they also register as students.

CleverWanker, that is like saying that schools are the main sources of professional rugby players. Yes of course, but it does not mean that all school kids will go onto play professional rugby. 

Not all professional rugby players go to university, so only some professional rugby players went to university. 

The best young players get fast-tracked into Currie Cup and SuperRugby, instead of pissing around in a university team- even if "some" also take some university education in their spare time.

SB

You obviously do not know how University Rugby in SA is organized and coached and who is paying for the whole saga,     Not all youngsters go through the Varsity Cup mill - but a hell of a lot does,  

However - warm up matches are  used for youngsters and is really no norm to use. for team strength evaluation.   For instance there are some where the curtain raisers are taken more seriously - for instance the Sharks played the Russian test team - without some players playing club rugby outside of Russia and beat them by a wide margin.

Then on the 18th there are games involving all four SA Super Rugby teams  playing each other and then we will have an idea of what is going on. I will report back after watching those games . . ,    

I watched the Gloucester = Montpellier game yesterday and just a few questions about the  Montpellier team:-

*   Why was Pollard on the bench for MOntpel;;eier and only brought on at about minute at about minute 70?

*    How come their center pairing was Serfontein and Goosen? : 

*    What was  Fatsy Steyn doing at full back?  

He will be there until the end of the present season,   He was bloody hopeless yesterday anyway so maybe we should wish he stays in France,   

Sharks played their youngsters as Mike said.They have tons of them in their academy.Plenty of good backs availaible,tons of new Venter signings,Ox Nche at prop ,what about Werner Kok? Do they have a pack though?

Moonrover

I am not as negative about players leaving SA as some others,   The top class players are still available to the Springboks anyway - and the rest was not great losses that cannot be replaced.

My idea is that some of the franchise players has been around for years blocking up the development of new players to come through,   We must expect some failures in the process especially over the next two years - but the benefits will in the longer run outweigh the negatives,

Reputation selections were always a bad cross for SA  Rugby and Cricket and lead to disaster for the two codes of sport - so lets look positively to the future.     .          

Sure ... being positive is a good thing ... being realistic is better.

I am both I think.

Ou maaaikie the only trouble is next year more will leave and ditto the following year and the year after that and so on. Unless some solution is found. 

Sharktwit you guys probably didn't want to peek too soon. Hahahaha. 

I still wonder what problems are going to arise from the inability of the Sharks to poach as many Cheetahs players as they used to. Cheetahs are earning big bucks playing pro 14.

Glad to see Werner Kok having another shot at 15 man rugby. He is a class act. Stormers messed up here. 

Jislaaik, & the Cheeetahs got truly bliksemed by an Eye-talian club team