Ken Borland

The Bulls are facing stiff opposition in the form of the Sharks – unbeaten at home this year – in their Currie Cup match on Saturday, but coach Jake White says he knows exactly what the home team will bring at Kings Park in Durban.

Due to the thunderstorms expected on Saturday night, the kick-off for the game has been moved forward from 7pm to 2pm, but there could still be some inclement weather about.

“The Sharks have developed a lot, but it’s not that they’ve changed their game plan, they just do what they do a lot better. They will not play in their own half, they will kick to you and wait for you to make mistakes. They will kick to us and we just have to be good enough to catch the ball and play. We know what’s coming and we’ve practised for that and know exactly what to do.

“There’s meant to be rain on the weekend and that will play into their hands. It’s probably going to be tough to win down there, but it’s about how we play after we get the ball. If they kick poorly and we can counter-attack, then we can score some tries. It’s just about how we execute. The only time the Sharks are going to run is when they run on to the field,” White said this week.

For his part, Sharks coach Sean Everitt also felt he had a good idea about what he will be facing from the Bulls.

“The Bulls have got a really good set-piece, they have recruited quite a formidable pack and they have certainly performed. But their forwards and backs combine well and they’ve scored some great tries. They are the form team,” Everitt said.

If the rain does start sweeping down on to Kings Park from the Kloof area then White believes it could also bring his intimidating pack more into play.

“If it rains then there’s going to be a lot more forward play used to get into the 22s. We have a strong and trusted pack that has dominated in most games and we must carry on using the maul if we’re scoring tries from that, we’ve been very good at that. The Sharks have gone with a 6-2 bench, which makes me proud.

“It means they see the Bulls as they used to be in the old days, it means we are doing something right if they feel they need 14 forwards. We will be up for the challenge. The Bulls like going there and we have beaten them by 90 points in our last two games. I’m sure the conditions will be as difficult for them as they are for us,” White said.

The Bulls however have a five-year losing streak in Durban and the Sharks are likely to up their game as the pressure for semi-final places builds.

Teams

Sharks – Manie Libbok, Sbu Nkosi, Lukhanyo Am (capt), Marius Louw, Yaw Penxe, Curwin Bosch, Sanele Nohamba, Sikhumbuzo Notshe, Henco Venter, Dylan Richardson, Hyron Andrews, Ruben van Heerden, Thomas du Toit, Dan Jooste, Ox Nche. Bench: Kerron van Vuuren, Mzamo Majola, Michael Kumbirai, JJ van der Mescht, Thembelani Bholi, Phendulani Buthelezi, Jaden Hendrikse, Jeremy Ward.

Bulls team – David Kriel, Marnus Potgieter, Stedman Gans, Cornal Hendricks, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Morné Steyn, Ivan van Zyl, Duane Vermeulen (capt), Arno Botha, Marco van Staden, Ruan Nortje, Walt Steenkamp, Trevor Nyakane, Johan Grobbelaar, Jacques van Rooyen. Bench – Schalk Erasmus, Gerhard Steenekamp, Mornay Smith, Sintu Manjezi, Nizaam Carr, Embrose Papier, Chris Smith, Marco Jansen van Vuren.

Kickoff – 2pm.

Bulls coach Jake White certainly seems to have located his best starting XV and there is little doubt it is the side that will run out on to Kings Park on Saturday evening to play the Sharks in a Currie Cup thriller.

Barring Marnus Potgieter making his Currie Cup starting debut on the right wing that is. The 21-year-old is promoted from the bench because Travis Ismaiel is unable to fill the vacancy created by David Kriel moving back to fullback because he has just had a shoulder operation. Potgieter is 1.87 metres tall, weighs 94kg and played twice for the Blue Bulls in the 2018 SuperSport Rugby Challenge.

“Marnus has been a great junior player, he was at Affies and a member of the 4×100 metre relay team and has come through the ranks here at Loftus. He has lots of pace and he’s big and strong,” White said.

Apart from Ismaiel, all the familiar faces are back as White also moved Kurt-Lee Arendse back to left wing, Ivan van Zyl returns at scrumhalf, Ruan Nortje will start again in the second row and Trevor Nyakane and Jacques van Rooyen are the starting props.

Springbok Marcel van der Merwe, the tighthead who was replaced after 34 minutes against the Free State Cheetahs last weekend, is nowhere to be found on the bench though. White said he still has faith though in the 30-year-old even though 22-year-old Mornay Smith will be the replacement tighthead against the Sharks.

“We still back Marcel and we will help him through it, he had a long-term injury and has not played much rugby. I’m not going to discard him, we will help him back on the horse. Maybe the Free State loosehead prop was able to get away with a bit, there’s been lots of debate about that,” White said.

The former Springbok coach did however praise the influence of Nyakane both on and off the field.

“Marcel will come right and Trevor almost did the same things as Marcel and we got rewarded, so I’m just thankful that referee Jaco Peyper is good enough and experienced enough to see the whole picture. There’s a misconception that we took off our tighthead because he was struggling, but it was because we wanted the loosehead to try and do the same things to Trevor.

“It’s not as if Trevor came on and waved a wand, but he showed stability and the players around him obviously get confidence from that. I haven’t worked with Trevor before but he’s been really good both on and off the field – right now he’s having one-on-ones with young Jan-Hendrik Wessels on loosehead versus tighthead,” White said.

Bulls team: David Kriel, Marnus Potgieter, Stedman Gans, Cornal Hendricks, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Morné Steyn, Ivan van Zyl, Duane Vermeulen (capt), Arno Botha, Marco van Staden, Ruan Nortje, Walt Steenkamp, Trevor Nyakane, Johan Grobbelaar, Jacques van Rooyen. Bench – Schalk Erasmus, Gerhard Steenekamp, Mornay Smith, Sintu Manjezi, Nizaam Carr, Embrose Papier, Chris Smith, Marco Jansen van Vuren.

Having a bye after their most complete performance of the season might not have been that convenient for the Sharks, but coach Sean Everitt is delighted, however, to be able to recall three Springboks to his starting XV for their crunch Currie Cup match against the Bulls at Kings Park on Saturday.

The Sharks were decent in Super Rugby Unlocked, finishing with the same record as the runners-up, the Stormers, without ever really reaching the heights they did in Super Rugby proper at the start of the year. But they put on a marvellous display in beating the Pumas 45-10 in the opening round of the Currie Cup … and then had a bye week.

“Our performance has not been consistent this season, we’ve played well in stages, but it was probably our best display against the Pumas. We’re excited to be back again this week and now we have quite a few games in a row; it’s been quite a stop-start season so it will be good to get some momentum now. I said the week off would help us in terms of injured players coming back and it’s a bit of a relief to have very close to the best team we could pick for such a massive game.

“We have a slightly different pack with experience coming back in Henco Venter and Sikhumbuzo Notshe, so I expect a big improvement there. Lukhanyo Am coming back as captain will obviously inspire and motivate the team, he is a good leader and the team have a lot of respect for him. Sbu Nkosi is back as well so it’s going to be an interesting battle between the backlines,” Everitt said on Thursday.

Everitt is also hoping the location of the night game – Kings Park in Durban – will make a difference in favour of his team.

“We were beaten convincingly at Loftus Versfeld in Super Rugby Unlocked, but we are certainly a lot better at the moment and we’ve learnt a lot since then. Week in and week out, this team has found a way through adversity. I think Jake White has enough experience from his time with the Sharks, and Morne Steyn and Duane Vermeulen have played here enough, for the Bulls to know how to handle the humidity.

“But we train in these difficult conditions, we are unbeaten at home this year and hopefully it will be a balmy evening on Saturday and we will have the upper hand because of it. We’re striving for that full 80-minute performance and we all know what is required. We can’t be playing for 20-30 minutes, we need a full 80-minute effort,” Everitt said.

Sharks team – Manie Libbok, Sbu Nkosi, Lukhanyo Am (capt), Marius Louw, Yaw Penxe, Curwin Bosch, Sanele Nohamba, Sikhumbuzo Notshe, Henco Venter, Dylan Richardson, Hyron Andrews, Ruben van Heerden, Thomas du Toit, Dan Jooste, Ox Nche. Bench: Kerron van Vuuren, Mzamo Majola, Michael Kumbirai, JJ van der Mescht, Thembelani Bholi, Phepsi Buthelezi, Jaden Hendrikse, Jeremy Ward.

It was a tough day at the office last weekend for Bulls tighthead prop Marcel van der Merwe in their Currie Cup match against the Free State Cheetahs, with the 30-year-old Springbok being replaced after 34 minutes by World Cup winner Trevor Nyakane.

That brought stability to the scrums, but that set-piece is going to be a key area of Saturday’s massive clash with the Sharks in Durban.

Here are 3 Talking Points over the Sharks versus Bulls scrum battle:

• The Bulls should have first-choice props Trevor Nyakane and Jacques van Rooyen back in the starting line-up – The Bulls stand to gain massive rewards if they can beat the Sharks in Durban, giving them a 12-point lead over the KwaZulu-Natalians and allowing them to be much more flexible in their approach to their festive season games. So coach Jake White is unlikely to pass up the opportunity to reunite the impressive pairing of Nyakane and Van Rooyen, who has served his one-match ban for his red card in Cape Town. They make for a formidable pairing in the scrums.
• What of Marcel van der Merwe? – Van der Merwe is likely to still be on the bench and, with his confidence low, will be targeted as soon as he gets on the field. But White has backed the former Toulon man to come good.

“Marcel is a Springbok and has done well in France, which is the toughest scrumming league in the world, so I am sure he will get it right. Jaco Peyper blew the match very well, but there were still some scrum penalties that came down to interpretation. Marcel has just been out of rugby for a long time with his ankle injury and there’s no doubt that if Trevor Nyakane goes down we will have to find a solution. But it’s no different to if Frans Malherbe had to go down for Western Province. That’s why it’s so important for me to try different combinations,” White said.

• How are the Sharks placed at scrum time? – The Sharks have been boosted by the return of their tighthead, Thomas du Toit, from injury and the World Cup winner played 40 minutes in the impressive win over the Pumas two weeks ago. He will team up with fellow Springbok Ox Nche and both props will be full of confidence and loving their rugby in Durban having signed new two-year contracts that were announced this week.

“The scrums are going to be a very vital part of Saturday’s match because the Bulls have a very good front row and a dominant pack. We’re going to have to outwork them, outscrum and outmaul them. We’ll be under pressure to get that performance right because the Bulls are a quality side with killer instinct. And it has to be an 80-minute performance at 100%,” Du Toit said on Tuesday.