Durban - It has been a long time coming for Garth April this Super Rugby season but it seems that the Sharks’ coaching staff have at last embraced the need to introduce flair to their backline, with the Western Cape youngster entrusted with the No 10 jersey for Friday’s match against the Highlanders in Dunedin, ahead of journeyman 10, Joe Pietersen.
With respect to Pietersen, a fullback by trade, he has been something of a Steady Joe at flyhalf in doing a job for the injured Patrick Lambie, but he has been a conservative selection given that April had a good game against Toulouse in the pre-season match in France but has been just about overlooked ever since.April has barely played and was understandably rusty when he had a chance off the bench last week in Auckland.
The Sharks are approaching a now-or-never stage in their Super Rugby campaign and they have elected to fight flair with flair in picking the enterprising April against the champion Highlanders.Director of Rugby Gary Gold keeps on saying: “We cannot defend for 80 minutes. It is time we asked questions of the opposition defence rather than do all the tackling.
”Hence the change at flyhalf.The Sharks are going for broke, you could say. They have in fact made six changes to the side that lost to the Blues last week, although a few are injury related.
Perhaps the biggest cheer should go for former Springbok hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle, who has been included on the bench after two years in exile because of a doping infringement.
On the bench, he takes the place of Kyle Cooper, who was the unfortunate deliverer of some errant throws into the line-outs against the Blues.Gold said that Cooper was not a “sacrificial lamb” and that the fact is Ralepelle needs game time.
It is that simple.Ralepelle is not the only former Springbok thrust into this match. Keegan Daniel has humbly bided his time on the bench this season, delivering some fine cameos, and the former captain now gets a start on the flank in the place of Daniel du Preez, who is out injured, while Philip van der Walt moves to No 8. Daniel’s place on the bench is taken by Jean Deysel, who might well recall that when he came to Wellington as a Springbok in 2011, the New Zealand Herald ran this headline: “Prepare for the Human battering Ram”.
The backline also has its changes. Outside centre Paul Jordaan is injured although, thank heavens given his history of horrific injuries, this is a minor hiccup, and Gold has moved JP Pietersen into centre and his place on the wing is taken by Odwa Ndungane.An almost forgotten talent, S’Bura Sithole, at last breaks into the match 23 and will cover the back three off the bench.
Pietersen and the burly Andre Esterhuizen will provide a hefty balwark against the immediate attacking thrusts of the Highlanders but it is hoped that April can also illicit some attacking nous from them so that they, in turn, can bring the best out of a Sharks back three has been bristling with intent this season but has been starved of opportunities.
Fullback Willie le Roux, Lwazi Mvovo and Ndungane need to get the ball, and ultimately it will be April tasked with the process of getting it to them.
Highlanders Starting XV
Ben Smith (co-capt), Matt Faddes, Malakai Fekitoa, Jason Emery, Jack Wilson, Lima Sopoaga, Aaron Smith, Liam Squire, Shane Christie (co-capt), Elliot Dixon, Joe Wheeler, Tom Franklin, Josh Hohneck, Ash Dixon, Daniel Lienert-Brown
Replacements: Liam Coltman, Craig Millar, Ross Geldenhuys, Alex Ainley, Dan Pryor, Fumiaki Tanaka, Hayden Parker, Patrick Osborne
Sharks Starting XV
Willie Le Roux, Odwa Ndungane, JP Pietersen, Andre Esterhuizen, Lwazi Mvovo, Garth April, Cobus Reinach, Philip van der Walt, Jean-Luc du Preez, Keegan Daniel, Stephan Lewies, Etienne Oosthuizen, Coenie Oosthuizen, Franco Marais, Tendai Mtawarira (capt)
Replacements: Chiliboy Ralepelle, Thomas du Toit, Lourens Adriaanse, Hyron Andrews, Jean Deysel, Michael Claassens, Joe Pietersen, S’bura Sithole
The Mercury