Ken Borland

Sharks coach Sean Everitt is known for his backing of young players, but he has also ensured the acquisition of some wise old heads to impart their wisdom like a herbal infusion spreading its aromas through Kings Park.

On the playing front, the well-travelled, 32-year-old flyhalf Lionel Cronje was acquired on loan from Toyota Verblitz, and highly-rated former Leinster Academy boss Noel McNamara was appointed as attack and backs coach, with world-renowned defence guru John McFarland also proving to be a big hit in Durban.

“A guy like Noel has a great impact, he’s really vibrant, he has good energy and he works closely with the players. He’s really clear with what is expected and when the Sharks go to the Northern Hemisphere, it’s going to be great to have a guy in the camp who has such insight into the conditions, who has that background. He’s really adding value for the younger guys.

“And John has won five Currie Cups and is very passionate about South African rugby. He’s a really good defence coach and we’ve improved that side of our game over the last couple of weeks. He knows what he wants and I worked with him before in 2012,” Cronje, who played five matches for the Bulls, said.

“And I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the experience of coming back to the Sharks as they develop an exciting new culture. I’m just trying to pass on my experience and add value to the very talented youngsters in the group. The Sharks want to play an exciting and captivating brand of rugby that allows the players to flourish and Sean is a very positive coach.

“I worked with him when I was here before and he wants the players to express themselves. Hopefully we can keep building on that. But it’s been really exciting for me to challenge myself here in the latter part of my career and I’m also trying to add some leadership support. There’s stuff I’ve learnt abroad – we have a lot of New Zealand coaches in Japan,” Cronje, who previously played 23 times for the Sharks in 2014/15, said.

One youngster Cronje mentioned as having a germ of greatness in him is fellow flyhalf Curwin Bosch.

“There is a ton of talent in Curwin, we just need to keep backing him. He’s very aware of the areas of his game he needs to be working on, but he’s a great talent. He’s a phenomenal kicker and he has attacking ability second-to-none. There’s no reason why he should not become a household name at Springbok level. I’ve really enjoyed playing with him.

“Curwin’s only 24, but we are so spoilt for talent in South Africa and the fans are so critical, they expect a certain level of play at 21 years old. But we need to keep trusting his talent to develop and, as a player, it’s nice to get four or five games in a row under the belt, that’s how you get rhythm and start understanding the game-plan,” Cronje said.

When the North-West cricket team return to the top division of domestic cricket in October, they’ll have good reason to believe their batting line-up is not going to be knocked over cheaply thanks to the acquisition of one of the most admired batsmen of the franchise era.

Heino Kuhn was the sixth highest run-getter in the history of franchise cricket, his 7209 runs at 40.50 for the Titans putting him behind only Stephen Cook (8678), Andrew Puttick (7832), Justin Ontong (7583), Vaughn van Jaarsveld (7503) and Neil McKenzie (7263). The 37-year-old is still a prolific run-scorer and he averaged 67.33 for Kent in county cricket last year.

Kuhn will provide some invaluable quality and experience to the North-West top-order batting, along with Imperial Lions star Nicky van den Bergh. They are the standout names in the batting line-up, which boasts some quality all-rounders in Senuran Muthusamy, Delano Potgieter and Dwaine Pretorius, and an exciting, explosive batsman in Wesley Marshall, who has tasted success at franchise level despite limited opportunities with the Titans and Lions.

“North-West has great facilities in Potchefstroom and because it’s a new franchise that will bring new challenges. I see a lot of new names in the squad so hopefully I can bring some knowledge and experience to the group. But I am excited to be playing with some young guys.

“As you know, I don’t change the way I play, so if I’m the only experienced batsman or there’s five experienced batsmen around me, I will play the same way – be positive and bat with intent. I don’t really know how the new structure will work, but all I know is that we are in the First Division and together with Nicky and the coaching staff we will do whatever we can to win trophies and stay there,” Kuhn told Saturday Citizen on Friday.

Muthusamy’s arrival from Durban, where his left-arm spin and solid batting played a key role in the Dolphins’ triumphant season, is another major acquisition for North-West. They have also lured the promising left-arm quick Duan Jansen back from Bloemfontein to his birthplace, and he will join former Lions stars Eldred Hawken and Nono Pongolo in a useful seam attack.

The Titans yesterday announced the acquisition of Proteas wicketkeeper/batsman Quinton de Kock from the Highveld Lions, adding to the already considerable depth at the franchise.

De Kock, as the holder of a national contract, can stipulate which franchise he wishes to play for and he has decided to follow in the footsteps of Lions team-mate Chris Morris and cross the Jukskei.

The 22-year-old has apparently bought a house in Pretoria and the strains of travelling from there to Johannesburg every day are apparently the major reason for his move.

Titans CEO Jacques Faul was obviously delighted to be able to add one of the most exciting young batsmen in the country to the franchise’s roster for next season.

“Obviously it’s fantastic to be able to attract a batsman of his class and he’s the type of player we want our brand to be associated with. He’s a match-winner, an attacking batsman, and of course he’s an accomplished wicketkeeper as well,” Faul told The Citizen yesterday.

While the Lions are the reigning Sunfoil Series champions, the Titans are busy assembling a powerhouse squad and just peering at their contracted list throws up names such as Theunis de Bruyn, Farhaan Behardien, Henry Davids, Heino Kuhn and Graeme van Buuren, as well as nationally contracted players Dean Elgar, Faf du Plessis and AB de Villiers, in terms of top-order batting.

Titans coach Rob Walter has had the chance to work closely with De Kock during the left-hander’s stint with the Delhi Daredevils in the IPL.

Lions coach Geoff Toyana said although the franchise regretted losing a player they have developed since his school days, they would not stand in his way.

“We’ve been discussing it with Quinton for the last couple of months, so we were aware of his thinking. It’s too bad, but we won’t stand in his way. It will hopefully provide the opportunity for another talented batsman to come through and, in terms of wicketkeepers, we still have Thami Tsolekile and Nicky van den Bergh from Potch,” Toyana said.

De Kock has represented South Africa in five Tests, 44 ODIs and 20 T20 Internationals.