This will be the match of the round as both teams look like strong contenders to be the Conference champions of their respective countries.
Last week
After four wins at home the Sharks lost their first game of the season, which relaxed their stranglehold on the South African Conference. The Bulls got sweet revenge for Round 1 by shocking them after the break at Ellis Park with two cracking tries in five minutes.
The Waratahs beat the Rebels handily in Round 6 although they had no rhythm in the first half. However coach Michael Cheika was happy at half-time with the way his forwards were grinding down the Melbourne pack, and they got the dividends from it after oranges.
The form
The Sharks—to be fair about their first defeat: they lost their starting flyhalf Patrick Lambie and scrumhalf Cobus Reinach early. The two were injured in the first 15 minutes and their replacements did not make their mark.
The Sharks have not been impressive in the lineout since the injury to young lock Pieter-Steph duToit before the Reds match in Round 5, as he was the premier jumper and the lineout quarterback. Ryan Kankowski had better organise things better this week.
The Sharks will look to their scrum, with their impressive front row of the du Plessis brothers and “Beast” Mtawarira, backed up by Dale Chadwick, to get a set-piece edge over the Tahs.
And as the no.1 kicking team in the competition they will fancy themselves to win the kicking duels.
But the Durban team has been struggling to keep first-half ascendancy after the break and they should beware of how the Waratahs put the hammer down in the second half in their three wins against the Force, Reds and Rebels, and even in their loss against the Brumbies.
One of their star players is Willem Alberts and the Waratahs will have to stop his dominant runs especially near their goal-line.
The Waratahs—Jake White will take little notice of the Tahs’ performance last week but look avidly at how his old Brumbies’ outfit handled them the week before.
The Tahs have to get better front-foot ball than they did in Canberra otherwise the Sharks will get set, then shoot them down from their defensive line like the Brumbies did.
The Sharks and their opponents had problems in Durban with humidity in Rounds 4 and 5 so the Waratahs had better take note of the conditions. One of their strengths is moving forward whilst offloading; but they will have to moderate the hot-potato stuff with a wet pill.
They already drop too many dry balls that are received just before the tackle and we don’t want Cheika breaking any more doors.
They should watch their discipline also. The Sharks kick more penalty goals than anybody else because Frans Steyn is slotting them from a long way out. He is also playing well after shedding weight.
The teams
The Sharks are without 9. Reinach (broken hand) and 10. Lambie (torn bicep) for long periods. Charl McLeod takes over from Reinach as he did off the bench in the Bulls match, but Tim Zwiel, who was tentative replacing Lambie last week, drops out of the matchday 23. Rising star Fred Zeilinga starts at flyhalf.
Winger Odwa Ndungane returns from compassionate leave so Lwazi Mvovo moves to fullback replacing SP Marais, who is unlucky. The exciting 13. S’bura Sithole retains his place because Paul Jordaan is still another week away from returning.
In the forwards the rampaging Willem Alberts moves from the blindside flank to the second row to sub for injured Anton Bresler (shoulder). Tough guy Jean Deysel replaces Alberts as flanker.
The Waratahs are without their star player, Israel Folau, who is sidelined with a bruised throat and may miss both matches in South Africa. It will be engrossing to see how the Waratahs cope without him.
It was supposed that Kurtley Beale would be swtiched to fullback but coach Michael Cheika has endorsed his performances as a specialist inside centre, and the mojo of the 10-12 combination with Bernard Foley, by leaving him in the midfield.
The excellent, but not brilliant, Jonno Lance replaces Folau at fullback and Rob Horne starts instead of Alofa Alofa on the wing. Both players were thought to be a chance to replace Beale at inside centre.
The Sharks will have an appreciable advantage in pace from outside centre to fullback.
Cheika, predictably, chooses a bruising forward unit against a pack of Sharks. Wycliff Palu starts at no. 8, as programmed, after getting his bench rest against the Rebels last week—and skipper Dave Dennis returns to the blindside. Jacques Potgieter (”Jack Pot”) moves into the second row and Will Skelton warms the pine.
Benn Robinson rotates back into the LHP position; Sekope Kepu moves over to THP, and Paddy Ryan becomes a reserve,
Prediction
The Sharks have had to rearrange their team in the last two weeks and if this game were being played in Sydney I would choose the Waratahs, but the Cheika Tahs have not proved themselves on the road.
They got Jaked in Canberra and I expect them to be Jaked in Durban.
Sharks by 8.
Team Lists[one_half last=”no”]
Sharks
1. Tendai Mtawarira
2. Bismarck du Plessis (c)
3. Jannie du Plessis
4. Willem Alberts
5. Stephan Lewies
6. Marcell Coetzee
7. Jean Deysel
8. Ryan Kankowski
9. Charl McLeod
10. Fred Zeilinga
11. JP Pietersen
12. Frans Steyn
13. S’bura Sithole
14. Odwa Ndungane
15. Lwazi Mvovo
Reserves
16. Kyle Cooper
17. Dale Chadwick
18. Lourens Adriaanse
19. Etienne Oosthuizen
20. Keegan Daniel
21. Stefan Ungerer
22. Heimar Williams
23. SP Marais
[/one_half]
[one_half last=”yes”]
Waratahs
1. Benn Robinson
2. Tatafu Polota-Nau
3. Sekope Kepu
4. Jacques Potgieter
5. Kane Douglas
6. Dave Dennis (c)
7. Michael Hooper
8. Wycliff Palu
9 .Nick Phipps
10. Bernard Foley
11. Peter Betham
12. Kurtley Beale
13. Adam Ashley-Cooper
14. Rob Horne
15. Jono Lance
Reserves
TBA
[/one_half]
Location: Kings Park Durban
Kickoff: Sunday 30th March 2:05 am (AEDT) Saturday 29th March 5:05 pm (Local time)
Referee: Mike Fraser (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Glen Jackson (New Zealand) and Quinton Immelman (RSA)
Television Match Official : Johan Greeff (RSA)
Featured Image by AP
