No rest for the 'special Sharks'

 

Gary Gold however has said the Sharks are in a different position to other teams in South Africa and as such have an alternative to it .

 

The Sharks have a core group of Springboks that play an integral part to both the union and the national team.

 

Players such as Tendai Mtawarira, Bismarck and Jannie du Plessis, Cobus Reinach, Marcell Coetzee and Pat Lambie to name a few.

 

However, with Super Rugby now reaching Round Six, and a large percentage of those Springboks being named to play their sixth game in a row against the Chiefs this Saturday, questions are being asked of the Sharks management.

 

Coach Gold explained his selection, and subsequent breaking of the SARU initiative, by stating the Sharks are facing a challenging schedule with regards to bye-weeks

 

"We have agreed to the [SARU player rest initiative] plan, but for us it is slightly different,  we have a different challenge to other unions," Gold said ahead of the game against the Chiefs.

 

"We have got the largest contingent of Springboks and our first bye-week is only in Week 11.

 

"Other teams have already had a bye and get a break from that five-week deadline."

 

Gold wanted to make it clear that although he was breaking the agreement with SARU by playing his core Springboks this weekend, he was in no way against SA Rugby and its initiative on resting players.

 

"I want to make it known now that our view here at the Sharks is that we are 100 percent behind the Springboks and resting players, I think it is the right thing to do, " Gold added.

 

"From my point of view, being able to meet the commitments of resting players will be possible for us.

 

"For example, if Bismarck needs four or five weeks rest over the season, we can accommodate that.

 

"The only time it starts becoming a juggling act is when I may not be able to meet the five-week deadline because we have not been given the benefit of a bye week.

 

"Three of the other South African franchises already have had one [a bye-week] and that breaks up their five-week commitment."

 

Gold then said that two of his big-name Boks in Jannie du Plessis and Mtawarira, had already been rested.

 

"We are the only franchise that has rested players at this early stage, and you can argue that it hurt us," Gold said.

 

"Not having Jannie [who was given a week off for the birth of his second child] at Newlands [against the Stormers] was a big loss.

 

"Jannie and Bismarck have played 70 Tests together, so breaking that combination was not ideal."

 

For the Sharks captain, Du Plessis, the issue of the enforced rest was not much of a consideration for his Springbok, or Sharks, commitments.

 

His focus has been on trying to right the wrongs of the Sharks' poor start to the season.

 

"If I look at how our season started, the last thing on my mind was resting," the Springbok hooker said.

 

"The major thing for us was getting the ship back in the right direction after a really bad start."