The following is from the Supersport site:-
"The Cell C Sharks will feel they have a mountain to climb now that it has been confirmed that Frans Steyn will be out for the next five weeks and will be joined on the sidelines for much of that time by regular captain Bismarck du Plessis.
The Sharks are still weighing up their options and considering an appeal of the appeal that was heard on Tuesday and found against the initial ruling that Steyn was not guilty of executing a dangerous spear or tip tackle on Chiefs flyhalf Aaron Cruden.
However the likelihood is that they will have to accept the ruling, just as they accepted the four week ban on Du Plessis following the red card the hooker was shown for a kick directed at an opponent’s face in the same game.
On the face of it, going without both players is a massive blow for the Sharks during a tough phase of the season where they play the Crusaders at home, the Lions away and the Bulls at home on consecutive weekends. Du Plessis is the man around who so much happens at forward, and has been for a long time. Ask the opposing coaches and players who they fear most when they face the Sharks, and most of them would probably point to the youngest of the Du Plessis brothers.
Steyn is also central to so much that happens at the back, and his partnership with Pat Lambie in the key decision making flyhalf/inside centre axis, was something that previous Sharks coach Jake White based so much of his optimism around at the start of last season. When Lambie got injured and Steyn moved to flyhalf, the Sharks lost that weapon and it was one of the reasons their season went pear-shaped.
Although not appointed as captain last week when Du Plessis and Lambie were out suspended and rested respectively, Steyn is also one of the team leaders. With Du Plessis out, you would think that having Steyn also on the sidelines robs the Sharks of quite a bit when it comes to leadership.
However, while having the two star players and leaders out might seem problematic in the short-term, there could just be long term benefits to a franchise that is edging ever closer to the point where there is going to have to be the beginnings of a renewal process, a changing of the guard and the start of a new culture.
The Sharks starting team is not a young one. The experienced Boks are mostly getting on a bit, with Lambie and Marcell Coetzee being the exceptions, and currently they have a second row made up of players in their mid-30s. The Du Plessis brothers, Bismarck and Jannie, may well be heading overseas after the World Cup, and ditto Willem Alberts, and even if they aren’t, director of rugby Gary Gold is going to have to start thinking very seriously about the timing of the start of the next era.
Gold may well soon be in a similar position to the one that Dick Muir found himself in when he took over from Kevin Putt 10 years ago. There were senior players coming towards the end then, and Muir quickly figured out that he needed to start something fresh and affect an overhaul to the team culture.
Muir blooded young players such as JP Pietersen, Brad Barrett and Waylon Murray in the 2005 Currie Cup and he carried his accent on youth into the next Super 14 season. It worked for him, with the youthful enthusiasm of the group lifting the Sharks to the brink of semi-final qualification – they lost out only because the Bulls chased down a big points differential in their last match against the Stormers – before using that experience as the foundation for a top of the log finish the following year, 2007.
If you ask Lambie, he is sure to tell you that he would want Steyn to be alongside him in the important Super Rugby showdown with the Crusaders at Growthpoint Kings Park. And he wouldn’t be lying. Steyn is an excellent player and he is experienced.
But there is a strong possibility that Lambie will be the leader for the future, and for some time to come, and perhaps the experience of having to rely on players ambitious and energetic players like Jean Deysel and Coetzee for help when it comes to his leadership role will help accelerate his growth as a captain more than if he had Steyn and or Du Plessis acting as a counter-influence.
Steyn of course gives his heart and soul for the Sharks every time he plays, and if he could be faulted it is perhaps that he is over-enthusiastic at times, but he appears reluctant to restart his international career any time soon and that means that the Sharks would be wrong if they thought they could rely on him long term. He could well be heading away from Kings Park along with the Du Plessis brothers and company sooner rather than later.
So now might be a good moment for Gold to assess whether Andre Esterhuizen is of Super Rugby quality, whether he grow into the role of doing what Steyn does now. If not, then Gold knows he needs to recruit midfield players from elsewhere, for JP Pietersen doesn’t look a long term solution, Heimar Williams and Waylon Murray look like Currie Cup players, and Paul Jordaan is perennially injured.
Ditto for the situation at hooker, where the Sharks have often struggled in the past when Du Plessis hasn’t been present. This is an opportunity for the busy Kyle Cooper to make his mark and for the back-up players to show Gold whether they can take it forward post-Du Plessis, or whether he needs to recruit to fill the hole that will be vacated.
Above all, the coming weeks will show him whether he can back an alternative leadership and enable him to start preparing for the new beginning that is sure to become a reality for the Sharks sooner rather than later."
So lets look at some comments made above:-
Francois Steyn
There is a lot written about how valuable he is for the team - but very little on whether his actual performances justifies his inclusion in the team. Matter of fact - there is no evidence over the last year that his performances were of value.
Much has been written about Steyn's performances at flyhalf last year and most people agree with the following statement and the realistic statement that Steyn is not a flyhalf at all:-
"When Lambie got injured and Steyn moved to flyhalf, the Sharks lost that weapon and it was one of the reasons their season went pear-shaped."
There is a lot being said about Steyn's leadership role. He was made interim captain of the Sharks in 2013 and the result was a disaster lasting four matches - he just did not measure up to the captaincy.
However, the question remains what was his actual contribution to team performances? An alysing his actual performances in evaluating his stats the result shows an average to poor performance record over the past two years. There were serious problems with an inability in attacking play, a below-par record in defense and a tendency to lose ball possession in games and to give away too many penalties. Matter of fact Steyn was by far the poorest inside center of any franchise in SA in respect of attacking play - the second poorest defender/tackler and the worst possession loser and penalty machine as well. His performances this year was atrocious. Does his so-called leadership qualities make up for the proven negatives - I do not think so.
Steyn is a favourite of White and he may end up with Montpellier next season - but that is no certainty - he was not top class when he played for Racing Metro and I do not think his reputation in France is good enough to warrant a top notch contract.
Bismarck du Plessis
Bismarck up to 2013 was one of the top hookers in world rugby. However, he is getting on in years and his personal performances last year and to date this year - varied from average to mediocre.
There are already indications that this year will be the last year the Du Plessis brothers will be available for the Sharks and present indications are that they will not be a huge loss. Both have shown decline in performances and the decline is gaining pace.
Building a new Squad
This is going to be a problem for the Sharks. Instead of contracting younger players The Sharks recently contracted some rejects from Europe - such as Stevens and Botha, etc, as well as has-beens like Murray - not a good foundation to build on. The other problem is that the players like Ndungane is near retirement age as well.
So what has the Sharks in the bank to use in future?
Backline
Marais, Jordaan, Fisher, Mvovo, Esterhuizen, Lambie, Zeilinga, Reinach and Sithole.
They also have some players coming through from the Junior ranks and I think the situation is not really all that desperate.
Forwards
Other than Thomas du Toit and Beast, they desperately needs two strong props - the Stevens venture was a disaster. Chadwick and Adriaanse are not strong enough props to help - so they need a further two props.
At lock they have the retirees - who should not be considered - and they have Oosthuizen, Lewies and Pieter-Steph - so they need at least one or two further locks.
At loosie they have Kanko, Coetzee, Bothma and Mthembu and the absolutely non-productive Alberts. They really need at least two more loosies, but the Du Preez brothers are developing nicely.
I would say the Sharks need to consider what they have coming through from the Juniors and the Vodacom Cup team and start identifying in which positions they have to start looking elsewhere from a "shopping" perspective.
