ere was a strong presence of Cell C Sharks senior players at Kearsney College on the first afternoon of the 53rd edition of the Coca Cola Craven Week, and it served as a reminder to those who were there of what may have been missing from their recent Vodacom Super Rugby challenge.
Patrick Lambie, Willie le Roux, Paul Jordaan and Daniel du Preez were among the players who helped out the organisers by joining up with the provincial schools teams as flag-bearers during the opening ceremony of the schools week on Monday. All four of those players were key performers before the June break for the internationals but haven’t played much part since Super Rugby has resumed.
They will be among the players who will be medically assessed when the Sharks return to business at the start of the build-up phase to Friday night’s last league game against the Sunwolves and the play-off game that lies beyond that. And the good news for Sharks fans is that the word from the camp is that the Sharks should be boosted by returning cavalry at just the right time to make a difference to their overall campaign.
Lambie is of course the player that has been the subject of most speculation. He is needed for the confidence that he inspires in those around him, and he is also needed for his more precise game management than Garth April. Lambie’s understudy has enjoyed a good first season at the Sharks and was rewarded by an unexpected call up to the Bok squad at the end of May, but as his allround performance against the Cheetahs showed, he is still far from the finished product.
Lambie will be subject to more concussion tests this week to ensure there are no remaining vestiges of the injury he sustained in the first half of South Africa’s opening test against Ireland in Cape Town exactly a month ago. But the news is good – it is anticipated that the 25-year-old will be fit to play a part against the Sunwolves. It is likely he will come onto the field off the bench as a prelude to him starting the play-off fixture.
Le Roux is also said to be on the mend and while he may not be back for the Sunwolves, there is a strong chance he will be ready for a play-off fixture. The Sharks had to use recent Varsity Cup star Rhyno Smith at fullback against the Cheetahs. Smith is a newcomer to the franchise and packs a lot of potential but at this point he lacks experience and it would be a big ask for him to start in the last line of defence in a big play-off game away from home.
Perhaps the player whose absence, or the effect of that absence, has been most understated, is that of Jordaan. The outside centre has been key to the Sharks’ defensive improvement this season and was in excellent form in his role as defensive organiser at the back before the break. (The good Dr Mozzzz will choke over that comment. Hahhahahahahahaha)
The Sharks’ defence was good against the Cheetahs but they will have their confidence boosted if Jordaan, who limped off early in the defeat to the Lions at Emirates Airline Park, is back in the midfield with regular partner Andre Esterhuizen, who was another player who missed the Lions mauling.
Jordaan is said to have an 80 percent chance of being ready for the Sunwolves game. If that proves true, and Lambie is present, even if just in a bench role initially, you may just find the Sharks rediscovering some of the mojo that saw them reach the June break with impressive momentum. It will be at just the right time too.
A backline with Lambie calling the shots from pivot and with JP Pietersen restored to the wing as part of an all-Bok back three also featuring Lwazi Mvovo and Le Roux certainly has a more potent look to it than the one that took the field in Johannesburg in the first game after the break.
One thing that the Sharks will have in their favour if they do reach the play-offs is that they won’t have anything to lose. Regardless of whether they play the Lions in a return clash in Johannesburg or travel to New Zealand, they will start out as underdogs and, with no expectation of being part of a semifinal a week later, will be able to put their bodies on the line in a way that their opponents might not.
They were also competitive in their games in New Zealand during the regular season – they beat the Highlanders and lost narrowly to the Chiefs and Blues THE LATTER BEING REF ASSITED WINS) – and after thrashing the Hurricanes in Durban immediately after their tour will know they are capable of getting one over a Kiwi team on their day.
