[ad_1]
- The Sharks’ game against the Bulls at Kings Park is decisive in determining whether the hosts can catch the Bulls on Saturday.
- The Bulls, who have lost only once since the restart of rugby, are now the go-to team to beat.
- Stopping Cornal Hendricks and Marco van Staden should be top of mind for the Sharks.
The Sharks’ game against the Bulls at Kings Park on Saturday is decisive in determining whether the hosts can catch the unbridled Bulls, who are eight points clear of the Currie Cup record.
It will also serve as a clear indication as to whether the Super Rugby form that Sean Everitt’s charges showed earlier this year can be sustained in the future.
It’s all very well to put 45 points over the Pumas, but the Bulls, who lost just once since the rugby restart in September and won Super Rugby Unlocked, are now the benchmark team to beat.
So how do the Sharks, who lost 41-14 to the Bulls at Loftus in October, stop this monster?
READ | ‘Siya Kolisi to Sharks rumor is just smoke’
Take care of the obvious (scrum, lineout, maul)
The disclaimer here should be added at the beginning: Thomas du Toit limped off injured the last time the Bulls and Sharks met, so the scrums weren’t a true reflection of either team’s power.
However, it goes without saying, the scrum will be the most vital part of the contest.
The first two loaded rows of Bok face each other and it will all depend on who gets the initial confidence from this confrontation.
The Sharks’ lineout was messy at Loftus, but has improved since Dylan Richardson moved from hooker to the scrum side.
Added to the threat of the Bulls’ lineout is their drive, from which they have already benefited from many attempts this season.
The Bulls’ predictability is back, but also unstoppable
Moving on from the lineout drive point, the Bulls are as clear as day in terms of what they’ll do with Jake White: get the bulldozer out front and unleash the greyhounds in the back.
It’s a lot like José Mourinho in that you know exactly what’s coming but you’re fighting to stop it, even with all that knowledge.
White also has the Bulls scrapping like a pack of wild dogs, which has given them the fight they missed under previous coaches in the failed stretch between 2011 and 2020 (pre-White).
They’ve re-adopted their back-to-basics approach, which served them superbly under Heyneke Meyer and Frans Ludeke, and adorned it with some silky players like Stedman Gans and Kurt-Lee Arendse.
It is a dynastic mix that sharks will have to attend to especially.
Cornal Hendricks test at 12
For some inexplicable reason, winger Cornal Hendricks has been allowed to get away with what was supposed to be an unknown inner center position.
He has danced, jumped, dumped and broken the profit line almost at will since switching from three-quarter positions to midfield.
The 32-year-old hasn’t looked at all like he’s never played the position before (at this level at least) and a lot of that has to do with the timid opponents who left him.
It may be too late to knock down the mountain of trust the Springboks have built up so far, but the Sharks need a special plan to stop Hendricks from feeding his ravenous partner Gans on the outside.
READ | Marius Louw: ‘I have big shoes to fill’
Steal a sheet from Elton Jantjies’ playbook (cc: Curwin Bosch)
Curwin Bosch can, in his day, take charge of any game, but lately he has played it within himself (an opinion countered by his coach Everitt).
It could be that you are adding other dimensions to the many that come with being a pivot and learning to orchestrate the game like a traditional “showdown” or just playing the coach’s playbook.
However, with the heavy kicks to the opposition, it has so far been shown to play into the hands of direct opponents like the Bulls and Griquas, who attacked them in Kimberley last month.
Intuitive and imaginative play, like the one Elton Jantjies is known for, could be the tonic to ensnare the Bulls’ stubborn defense this weekend.
The Bulls are hoping for a disputable high kick, but are they hoping for an inside ball for perhaps Sbu Nkosi or Madosh Tambwe?
How about a dink behind the front line of defense, taking advantage of the hole in front of the fullback, who will likely stay behind, waiting for a deeper kick?
Sometimes moments of stress can be broken with moments of calculated value and risk.
Take care of Marco van Staden
Like Hendricks, opponents have left specialist seeker Marco van Staden to roam freely around the breakdown, where he has run rampant.
The 25-year-old had a decent streak during the old Super Rugby campaign, despite the Bulls struggling in recent weeks with Pote Human in charge.
Under White’s command, however, he has again sped up the Springbok calculation, with consistent and high performances.
It might be time for the Sharks to mark you on the breakdown, making sure you get little or nothing to clean up, putting someone like Phepsi Buthelezi to work to clean it up.
It’s like the role of Maro Itoje in the England national team, who picks a victim and leaves her out of the game entirely.
