Sharks line-up shows their coach won’t make a good politician

Sharks coach Robert du Preez is no politician.

Paying just lip-service then is not something he’s particularly good at.

That became evident as he made a substantial amount of changes to his side for the Super Rugby meeting with the Sunwolves in Durban on Saturday afternoon.

“We’ve said from the beginning of the season that we want to utilise the strength of our squad,” said Du Preez on Thursday.

“We have depth. We can talk about it but we also have to do it. We’ve reached a point where it needs to start being implemented. As a result, we felt this weekend’s fixture is the ideal opportunity to give some of the guys a start.”

The biggest beneficiary is arguably Curwin Bosch, who starts his first match of 2018.

Much has been made about how the gifted 20-year-old playmaker will perform after storming onto the scene last year, especially whether he’ll continue to be considered a flyhalf for the future.

However, it seems some reservations over his defence and physique as well as the form of Robert du Preez jr at flyhalf means he’ll be playing at fullback.

For some observers, that feels like a better fit anyway.

“Curwin’s been close to selection to starting team since the start of the campaign,” said Du Preez sr.

“It’s time to give him a chance.”

The Sharks mentor is also very excited about Wian Vosloo, a 23-year-old flanker.

“Wian has tremendous potential. He’s very abrasive and that’s something we want to see him replicate at this level. It will be interesting to see what he brings to the table.”

Sharks: Curwin Bosch, Sbu Nkosi, Lukhanyo Am, Andre Esterhuizen, Makazole Mapimpi, Robert du Preez, Louis Schreuder, Tera Mtembu, Jacques Vermeulen, Wian Vosloo, Stephan Lewies, Ruan Botha (c), John-Hubert Meyer, Akker van der Merwe, Beast Mtawarira. Bench: Chiliboy Ralepelle, Juan Schoeman, Ross Geldenhuys, Gideon Koegelenberg, Keegan Daniel, Cameron Wright, Marius Louw, Lwazi Mvovo.