Pat Lambie: Finally gets a start
Sharks coach John Plumtree has named returning Springbok Patrick Lambie at fly-half for Friday's Currie Cup clash against Griquas in Durban.
Plumtree also included five other Springboks - who were part of the Rugby Championship squad - into the matchday 22, but the players who have taken the Durban-based outfit to the top of the table are rewarded for their efforts in a team that shows minimal changes to the side that beat Free State Cheetahs last weekend.
A rotational change at scrum-half sees Cobus Reinach and Charl McLeod swapping roles with Lambie replacing Meyer Bosman who will play off the bench in the only two changes to the back-line.
Amongst the forwards, the only change is enforced with hooker Pieter Dixon out with a broken arm and Kyle Cooper starting where he ended off last week and Craig Burden providing back-up off the bench.
Tighthead prop Jannie du Plessis adds further depth to the front row while Marcell Coetzee and Lwazi Mvovo are two more returning Boks to be included.
The Sharks face a tough encounter against a fired-up Griquas' side and the addition of experienced players to boost the Durban side will no doubt be valuable.
"JP (Pietersen) was massive for us last week in Bloemfontein and having some of that experience back at this crucial time is fantastic," said Plumtree.
"We've looked at every individual's different situation, obviously we have some who have played more than others.
"We've had long conversations with our Boks and we've got to make sure we do what's best for the team, so we have chosen our side accordingly."
The Sharks: 15 Louis Ludik, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Paul Jordaan, 12 Tim Whitehead, 11 JP Pietersen, 10 Pat Lambie, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Keegan Daniel (c), 7 Jean Deysel, 6 Jacques Botes, 5 Anton Bresler, 4 Jandre Marais, 3 Wiehahn Herbst, 2 Kyle Cooper, 1 Dale Chadwick.
Replacements: 16 Craig Burden, 17 Jannie du Plessis, 18 Peet Marais, 19 Marcell Coetzee, 20 Charl McLeod, 21 Meyer Bosman, 22 Lwazi Mvovo.
Date: Friday, October 12
Kick-off: 19:10 local (18:10 BST, 17:10 GMT)
Venue: Kings Park Stadium, Durban
Referee: Jaco Peyper
Comments
martinmarais78 says...
boksmashoffice, because the Sharks never gave him the change to settle in at no 10. They rather preferred to get a Frenchman than developing... If they had no No 10 it would have been a different story, but they had Jacques Potgieter, Bosman, Riaan Viljoen and Lambie...
GREED, the exact reason why the Sharks are at the bottom of my list just ahead of the Kings!
Posted 11:57 12th October 2012
boksmashoffice says...
why could he not play 10 for the boks?
Posted 19:35 11th October 2012
martinmarais78 says...
Sooooo bloody typical of Sharks.... Next week he is a wing!
Posted 21:55 10th October 2012