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Sharks blood newbies while Bulls turn to one of Pretoria's favourite sons for South African derby

(Photos by Getty Images)

Head coaches Sean Everitt and Pote Human have named their sides for this weekend’s Super Rugby clash between the Sharks and the Bulls in Durban on Friday.

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The Sharks team closely resembles the starting line-up that took on the Stormers in the Superhero Sunday pre-season warm-up match with a number of players set to make their official debut in the black and white jersey.

Making their run-on debuts are three forwards – loosehead prop Ox Nche, flank James Venter and No.8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe who all made the move to Durban late last year.

Le Roux Roets (lock) and Henco Venter (loose forward) – also new signings – together with local talents who performed in last year’s Currie Cup, scrumhalf Sanele Nohamba and flyhalf Boeta Chamberlain, will play off the bench.

Lukhanyo Am will lead the team from the midfield.

Continue reading below…

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In contrast to the Sharks’ slew of debutants, Human has elected to start 35-year-old Super Rugby centurion Morne Steyn in the Bulls 10 jersey.

Steyn last played for the Pretoria outfit in 2013, and is the only three-time Super Rugby champion that remains within the South African circuit.

Steyn is joined by two 2019 World Cup winners in fullback Warrick Gelant and prop Trevor Nyakane.

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Nyakane, who tore his calf muscle in the opening World Cup match against New Zealand, will play off the bench in Durban, with Wiehahn Herbst handed the starting tighthead berth.

Also included in the squad are Scottish No.8 Josh Strauss, flank Jeandré Rudolph, lock Andries Ferreira and replacement loose forward Wian Vosloo – who will be running out for their first cap for the Bulls – while replacement lock Ryno Pieterse will make his Super Rugby debut off the bench.

The rest of the team includes four Springboks in scrumhalves Ivan van Zyl and Embrose Papier, with Cornal Hendricks on the wing and lock Juandré Kruger adding some grunt to the engine room

https://www.instagram.com/p/B7xf7hDgU6A/

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Human has also opted for six forwards and just two backs on the bench – a formula used to great effect by the Springboks during their successful World Cup campaign last year.

“We have enjoyed a strong pre-season, with few injuries, which has allowed us to select our strongest available team to take on a well-oiled Sharks outfit,” said Human.

Sharks: Aphelele Fassi, Sibusiso Nkosi, Lukhanyo Am (c), Andre Esterhuizen, Makazole Mapimpi, Curwin Bosch, Louis Schreuder, Sikhumbuzo Notshe, Tyler Paul, James Venter, Hyron Andrews, Ruben van Heerden, Thomas du Toit, Kerron van Vuuren, Ox Niche.
Reserves: Craig Burden, Juan Schoeman, John-Hubert Meyer, Le Roux Roets, Henco Venter, Sanele Nohamba, Boeta Chamberlain, Jeremy Ward.

Bulls: Warrick Gelant, Cornal Hendricks, Johnny Kotze, Burger Odendaal (c), Rosko Specman, Morné Steyn, Ivan van Zyl, Josh Strauss, Abongile Nonkontwana, Jeandré Rudolph, Juandré Kruger, Andries Ferreira, Wiehahn Herbst, Jaco Visagie, Lizo Gqoboka. Reserves: Johan Grobbelaar, Simphiwe Matanzima, Trevor Nyakane, Ruan Nortje, Ryno Pieterse, Wian Vosloo, Embrose Papier, Manie Libbok.

– with Rugby365

Jacques Nienaber has been appointed the new Springboks coach for 2020:

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Eliza Galloway 52 minutes ago
Geoff Parling: An Englishman roasting the Lions?

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JW 1 hour ago
James O'Connor, the Lions and the great club v country conundrum

Lol you need to shoot your editor for that headline, even I near skipped the article.


France simply need to go to a league format for the Brennus, that will shave two weekends of pointless knockout rugby from their season and raise the competitions standards and mystique no end.


The under age loophole is also a easy door to shut, just remove the lower age limit. WR simply never envisioned a day were teams would target people under the age of 17 or whatever it is now, but much like with Rassie and his use of subs bench, that day was obviously always going to come. I can’t remember how football does it, I think it’s the other way around with them, you can’t sign anyone younger than that but unions can’t stop 17 or 18 yo’s from leaving for a pro club if they want to. There is a transaction that takes place of a few hundred thousand for a normal average player. I’d prefer rugby to be stricter and just keep the union bodies signoff being required.


What really was their problem with Kite and co leaving though? Do we really need a game dominated by Internationals? I even think WR’s proposed calendar might be a bit too much, with at minimum 12 top tier games being played in the World Championship. I think 10 to 12, maybe any one player playing 10 of those 12 is the best way to think of it, for every international team is max, so that they can allow their domestic comps to shine if they want, and other nations like Japan and Fiji can, even some of the home nations maybe, and fill out their calendar with extra tours if they like them as a way to make money. As it is RA don’t have as good a pathway system, so they could simply buy back those players if they turn good. Are they worried they’ll be less likely to? We wait for baited breath for the new season to be laid out in front of us by WR.

It could impose sanctions on the Fédération Française de Rugby, but the body which runs the Top 14 and the ProD2, the Ligue Nationale de Rugby, is entirely independent.

It’s not independent at all. The LNR is a body under, and commissioned by, the FFR (and Government control) to mediate the clubs. FFR can simply install a new club competition if they don’t listen, then you’d see whether the players want to stay at any club who doesn’t tow the line and move to the new competition, as they obviously wouldn’t fall under the auspice of world rugby. They would be rebels, which is fine in and upon itself, but they would isolate themselves from the rest of the game and would need to be OK with that. I have no doubt whatsoever that clubs would have to and want to fall in line to remain part of the EPCR and French rugby. Probably even the last thing they would want is to compete with another French domestic competition that has all the advantages they don’t.


All those players would do good for a few seasons in France, especially the fringe ones, with thankfully zero risk of them being poached if they turn good. New Zealand had a turn at keeping all of it’s talent, and while it upticked the competitiveness of the Super Rugby teams into a total dominance of Australian and South African counterparts (who were suffering more heavily than most the other way at that stage), it didn’t have as positive an effect on the next step up as ensuring young talents development is not hindered does. Essentially NZR flooded the locate market with players but inevitably it didn’t think the local economy could sustain any more pro teams itself, so now we are seeing a normal amount of exodus for the availability of places again. Are Australia in exactly the same footing? I think so, finances where dicey for a while perhaps but I doubt they are putting money constraints on their contracting now. It’s purely about who leaves to open up opportunity.

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