The Sharks’ backline selection for their Super Rugby opener against the Reds boasts the balance to embrace a more ambitious brand of rugby this season, writes CRAIG LEWIS.
At the start of a new campaign, and considering that the Sharks will kick off their season with a tricky fixture in Brisbane, flashy rugby is not going to be the name of the game on Friday.
And yet, in the selection of 19-year-old Curwin Bosch at fullback, and relative Super Rugby newcomer Lukhanyo Am at outside centre, new coach Robert du Preez has provided another indication that he will not be afraid to back talented youngsters at this level.
The Sharks’ backline in fact boasts an average age of 24 and half, with 30-year-old Lwazi Mvovo adding the most experience as he gets set to make his 100th Super Rugby appearance.
Although there is experience on the bench in the form of Michael Claassens and French veteran Clement Poitrenuad, 21-year-old former Junior Springboks captain Jeremy Ward has also been rewarded for his pre-season form.
It points to the fact that the Sharks will look to embrace a more ball-in-hand approach as the season progresses, once a relatively new-look backline has settled into its stride.
Du Preez intimated as much when chatting to SA Rugby magazine about some of the plans that were being put in place for the season ahead.
‘One of the troubles in the past has perhaps been the tendency to be quite defence-orientated in Super Rugby, and then changing that to play a bit more [attacking] rugby in the Currie Cup. It’s been a bit of a schizophrenic approach at times, so we want to adopt a more balanced approach, but without obviously being reckless,' he said.
‘We do want to have a more ball-in-hand approach though, and so the skills and conditioning work has been very important in that regard. We want to build game by game, because we have the exciting players to be able to embrace that. I think one of our ambitions for the Sharks is just to establish one style of play and not to chop and change.’
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Last year, the Sharks based a large part of their approach around stout defence, solid set pieces and a strong territorial game, and while this was enough to see them into a playoff, the unsustainable nature of the imbalance to their all-round game ultimately took its toll.
It’s the reason why a strong focus has been placed on the team's skills training under the guidance of coaching newcomer AB Zondagh, while also prioritising their fitness and conditioning work.
And after last year’s gruelling draw, which saw the Sharks face the top New Zealand sides and endure a nightmare travel schedule, this season they will kick off their campaign with two overseas games in Australia before returning for a sequence of games that will predominantly be played at Kings Park.
It’s a different draw, and there’s reason to believe that we may also see a different style of rugby played by the Durban-based franchise during the course of the season.
‘Some may say that the draw is better than last year, but we certainly can’t underestimate the Australian franchises. We start against the Reds and they’ve recruited wisely. So we can’t look too far beyond that start on tour, but obviously we’d love to make the quarter-finals and from there we’d have a chance. I’m cautiously optimistic about that and certainly think it’s achievable.’
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Photo: Steve Haag/Gallo Images
