- The Sharks’ preferred patient approach with youth could pay dividends down the line but they can forget challenging for the Rainbow Cup without an international No 2.
- The Sharks haven’t had a dominant No 2 of Bismarck du Plessis’ ilk since, well, Bismarck du Plessis left for Montpellier in 2015.
- Fezokuhle Mbatha and Daniel Jooste have shown promise but Bulls locks exposed their glaring lineout weaknesses in the Currie Cup final.
The Currie Cup final defeat will still be ringing painfully in the Sharks’ ears after they got agonisingly close to upsetting the Bulls on their own turf last Saturday.
But one of the main areas that needs urgent attention – not that there is suddenly a slew of weakness because of one defeat – is experience at hooker.
In all honesty, it’s been this way for a fair few seasons now.
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The Sharks haven’t had a dominant No 2 of Bismarck du Plessis’ ilk since, well, Bismarck du Plessis left for Montpellier, in France, in 2015.
It might be an unfair statement considering the promise former SA Under-20 hooker Fezokuhle Mbatha has shown and the faith his coach Sean Everitt has in him as well as fellow youth products at the Shark Tank.
But last weekend was the perfect example of how experience trumps youthful exuberance in pressure situations.
Bulls lock Sintu Manjezi, a disruptor of growing repute, read Mbatha’s throw-ins like a novel from the first jump at Loftus last weekend.
It was a dagger through Mbatha’s lineout confidence, which dipped for the rest of the game. The Sharks lost at least four of their 15 throw-ins, while Mbatha was replaced early in the second half.
Manjezi always felt like he could steal Sharks throws or force the visitors into skew put-ins or overthrows – anything to gain a marginal advantage towards Jake White’s team.
The Bulls employed the same tactic when the Sharks succumbed to a 41-14 loss in Pretoria during Super Rugby Unlocked, the last time they were there.
That day, in October, Everitt went with Dylan Richardson, an openside flanker, at No 2 and the results were disastrous.
Bulls second rowers Ruan Nortje and Jason Jenkins had a field day picking the Sharks lineout like newlyweds at a strawberry farm.
That was the last of the Richardson experiment.
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Daniel Jooste, 22, who joined from University of Stellenbosch Maties late last year came in and made a nominal impact, which he could because of the ease of playing in his natural position.
But he didn’t solve the ailments.
Coaches will tell you that a lineout is a synchronised dance and if everyone is not in position the whole thing will fall flat.
Experienced hookers, however, recognise a tough lineout situation when they see it and vary up their throws, take fewer middle or deep throws when under intense pressure.
They also try the intentional overthrow, which can often catch defences unaware. The trouble with that, though, is the catcher can be an isolated runner and is at risk of conceding a turnover anyway.
It’s a dicey situation that all No 2’s have had to learn while they develop.
Malcolm Marx and Bongi Mbonambi, the two Springbok World Cup-winning front-line hookers, grew into being the dependable throwers they were once the 2019 tournament rolled around.
Both had been castigated in the past for poor lineout showings, until it all clicked, after years of failing to hit their mark regularly, in Japan that year.
By the final at Yokohama Stadium, the Boks hadn’t lost a single lineout all tournament. It was quite astonishing.
Back to the Sharks … if they are to become a title-contending team going into the Rainbow Cup (PRO16), they cannot afford to be found wanting in such a crucial set-piece area of the contest.
Missing out on signing former Cheetahs hooker Joseph Dweba when they nabbed his front-row partner Ox Nche from the Cheetahs last year was a lost opportunity.
Dweba had the perfect dose of experience and hunger to make the transition to a bigger union, which is how he attracted French scouts and joined Bordeaux.
Manjezi, who worked well with Dweba in their time at the Cheetahs, is a wily customer who learned loads while playing in the rough and tumble of the PRO14.
That’s where the likes of Mbatha and Jooste will face an even stiffer test, and should they fail to accelerate their growth between now and the start of the competition, the ruthless Northern Hemisphere teams will squish them like bugs.
The safe bet is going into the market for an experienced, preferably Springbok hooker. Someone like Mbonambi, with whom they have been linked inside the rumour mill.
Mbonambi’s Western Province teammate Scarra Ntubeni is also an accomplished lineout operator and would feed Mbatha and Jooste with a wealth of his knowledge.
The Sharks’ preferred patient approach could pay dividends down the line but they can forget challenging for the Rainbow Cup without an international No 2.
