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Scarlets to face 'star-studded' Sharks side bristling with 9 Springboks

Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

The Scarlets face a daunting task as they travel to South Africa and Sharks side packed with Springboks at the Hollywoodbets Kings Park in Durban this Friday.

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The Scarlets will look to build on an impressive victory over fourth-placed Glasgow Warriors last time out, but they face a mountain to climb in South Africa.

Aside from having play in temperatures in the high 20s, they will face a Sharks team that can boast a side jammed with first choice Boks. Sean Everitt’s starting XV include Aphelele Fassi, Sbu Nkosi, Makazole Mapimpi, Curwin Bosch, Jaden Hendrikse, Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi, Thomas du Toit and of course, captain Siya Kolisi.

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With Max unavailable this week, Freddie Burns steps into the breach to join Ryan and special guest Ollie Lawrence. Freddie gives us his take on Leicester’s strong start to the season and what makes him the ultimate stand-in superstar. Ollie talks us through his relationship with Eddie Jones and how his career could easily have taken a different turn. We get the guys’ best MLR impressions and Freddie asks the question every rugby player poses when watching football.

The Cell C Sharks are one of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship’s form teams, having lost only one of their last six fixtures in the competition. Their record at home is just as impressive, with a solitary loss – against Currie Cup opponents Western Province – since July.

Scarlets Head Coach Dwayne Peel admits his side face a tough task: “We have had a couple of good training days here. The boys have enjoyed their stay so far and are looking forward to a good occasion on Friday night.

“The Sharks are a star-studded team with a lot of Springbok internationals. Physicality is something that’s taken for granted here – if you don’t turn up with good physicality you are going to be in trouble. Sharks also have pace out wide in abundance.”

The Scarlets have claimed just four URC wins this season but three of those came in their last five games.

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“Their back-three players are able to hurt you with speed. The starting point for us is to match physicality, then we have to limit opportunities for their outside backs because they are world stars who are dangerous. So we have to be clinical, disciplined and take our opportunities when they come. We are the first team from the north to travel down to play, it is a game everyone is looking forward to. I am sure the experience the guys will gain from this game will be huge moving forward.”

Cell C Sharks: Aphelele Fassi, Sbu Nkosi, Jeremy Ward, Marius Louw, Makazole Mapimpi, Curwin Bosch, Jaden Hendrikse, Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi, Thomas du Toit, Gerbrandt Grobler, Reniel Hugo, Siya Kolisi (CAPT), Henco Venter, Sikhumbuzo Notshe

Replacements: Kerron van Vuuren, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Khutha Mchunu, Le Roux Roets, Phepsi Buthelezi, Grant Williams, Tito Bonilla, Werner Kok

Scarlets: Tom Rogers, Steff Evans, Johnny Williams, Scott Williams (CAPT), Corey Baldwin, Sam Costelow, Dane Blacker, Steff Thomas, Daf Hughes, Samson Lee, Sam Lousi, Jac Price, Blade Thomson, Dan Davis, Sione Kalamafoni

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Replacements: Shaun Evans, Kemsley Mathias, Harri O’Connor, Aaron Shingler, Carwyn Tuipulotu, Archie Hughes, Dan Jones, Joe Roberts

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J
JW 1 hour ago
'France may leave top players at home but will still be serious contenders in New Zealand'

You can translate here https://translate.google.com/?sl=auto&tl=en&op=websites


Thanks for the link, but I can read it clearly and it says the… Top 14 features almost twice as many matches as Super Rugby Pacific, but is two and a half times longer.


This article appears to be the basis of; https://www.rugbypass.com/plus/the-stats-show-the-club-v-country-wounds-may-never-heal/ which is the one that I referred to which refutes your perception.


Were they both say..

If we take the dominant clubs in each major championship, we see that Stade Toulousain, author of the Top 14 – Champions Cup double, only has seven players above 1000 minutes, far from the average previously cited.


Furthermore, none of these players are full-time starters for the French national team: Toulouse are ahead of the competition at this level, and are far more effective than their domestic rivals in protecting their premium players.

The premium players being treated best is clearly apparent. Is you’re player management as good as New Zealands, of course not. NZ players will obviously be more fresh, but if we take the total of each at the end of their seasons, theres not going to be much difference as I’ve said, LNR are already treating their players much better.


I’m sorry, but as I alluded to, you are a fan rather than a researcher, your picture that you think has been painted is wrong. Your linked article says everything I did above.


So while that article paints the French in a well rested light, however it’s not actually including EPCR, which in respect to Toulouse, is where they’ve put their stars minutes into. So I think it’s time to do your own research! Pick and player and lets see, one of each camp? An important player you think has played a lot, and an example of a fresh young lad. Then were can look to their minutes as see how close or far they are to examples of players who are going to play in July.


Trust me, I have already done this research (but wouldn’t mind look at examples from this year to see if it’s still the case/same as previous years).

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