Andre a giant among ‘turgid’ Sharks

With the exception of Andre Esterhuizen, MARK KEOHANE bemoans the performance from a Bok-laden Sharks outfit against Edinburgh in round 15 of the Vodacom URC.

Esterhuizen, one of 15 Boks named by head coach John Plumtree in the Sharks match 23, stood out with his physicality in a comeback 18-17 win for the Durbanites at Hive Stadium on Friday.

Writing for TimesLIVE, Keohane is critical of the overall Sharks performance, particularly given the presence of 12 Boks in the starting XV. He describes their collective effort as underwhelming, lacking cohesion and urgency for most of the match.

He highlights concerns around Jordan Hendrikse’s off-night with the boot and questions the Sharks’ form heading into the business end of the URC.

According to Keohane, several Sharks-based Boks now face a crucial period if they hope to stay in national contention for the July Tests.

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However, he believes Rassie Erasmus will be heartened by Esterhuizen’s Man of the Match display, as well as Eben Etzebeth’s full-match return and Siya Kolisi’s resilience.

“If you missed the match, just go back and watch from 80 minutes and 15 seconds. What transpired in normal time, before the clock went into the red zone, was not easy on the eye if you are a Sharks supporter,” Keohane writes.

“The Springboks heavy Sharks run-on XV, with 12 having played Test rugby for South Africa, were turgid as a collective. 

“Individually, Andre Esterhuizen was the exception. He was powerful and largely accurate in his actions. Not so his teammates, who have far greater rugby pedigree than they produced for the first 80 minutes.

“Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus would have been delighted with Etzebeth’s return, Siya Kolisi’s desire to play through and Andre the Giant’s big steps.

“But there are many Springboks in the Sharks setup who need a big next two months if they are to make the July internationals on form.”

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