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Mitchell gives the Sharks fresh impetus
August 04 2009 at 12:45PM
By Craig Lewis
After Wednesday's Sharks training session, which revealed a temporary turn of events, assistant coach Grant Bashford summed it up best when he said with a chuckle: "There's never a dull moment here at the Sharks is there?"
First, it was a surprise to see the unmistakable figure of former All Blacks and current Western Force coach John Mitchell still working with the team.
The New Zealander, who is a close friend of coach John Plumtree's, spent some time with the Sharks at the end of last week and made the trip to Bloemfontein with them for their match against the Cheetahs.
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'If we train really well then we should carry that into the match'
However, he had originally planned to return home on Sunday, following the Tri-Nations Test, but with Plumtree returning to New Zealand for his father's 70th birthday this week, Mitchell was asked to stay on with the Sharks for an extra few days and he happily obliged.
Bashford said it was great to have him remain with the team and help out for this week with Plumtree away until Sunday and as the team prepares to face the Leopards on Friday (7pm).
"Mitch was in Durban for the Test match and when I asked him to stay on he thought it was a good idea as he has a bit of down-time at the moment, so he's enjoying being here and he's really adding to the team, which is great.
"With Plum away it's a great opportunity for him to mentor some of our young guys, particularly some of the forwards, and he really adds something in every department."
However, on the downside for the Sharks, several players were nursing various injuries after Saturday's bruising game against the Cheetahs, with Jean Deysel (ankle), Steven Sykes (ankle), Odwa Ndungane (hamstring), Deon Carstens (ribs) and Rory Kockott (shoulder) unable to train.
Deysel and Sykes should be available for selection but the latter three are doubtful and are unlikely to be risked for the trip to Rustenburg.
However, Juan Martin Hernandez - who took part in all of yesterday's training - is set to make his Sharks debut, probably off the bench, while Waylon Murray may well get a chance to start his first game of the year.
Looking ahead to Friday's game, Bashford said they certainly couldn't afford to underestimate the bottom-placed Leopards in the slightest.
"We've spoken about how we really need to respect the Leopards and be absolutely professional in our preparation this week. If we train really well then we should carry that into the match.
"We can't look at their position on the log and think it's going to be easy, rather we need to analyse their strengths and weaknesses as we do each week. If we do that we should get the result we're after."
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_i...4202390C294917
This is awfully suspect and not very professional... can we get Mitch over to coach the east coast Reds, Tahs and Brumbies... odd behavior![]()
Why not??
Great way to get inside info.
C'mon the![]()
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To know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy.
- Sun Tzu
GIGS the gullible... don’t be a sucker... leave the mitch man worship alone… Mitch is about Mitchell... when will you guys realise... It’s not his job to help another S14 team even if he is a mate... What does force CEO Vern Reid have to say about it? ... Just one more occasion where Mitchell has stepped over the protocol line without even realising it... Its utterly preposterous…
Additionally I though Mitchell worked for ET Mining as a consultant when he was off season? Where does the man find the time...![]()
Last edited by mudskipper; 04-08-09 at 21:45.
I thought it was a shopping/scouting trip - but info on how to beat the Sharks at their home ground now that would be useful![]()
61 years between Grand SlamsWas the wait worth it - Ya betta baby
My guess is Vern would be asking "So then, have you seen any good young developing hookers worth an offer?"
Maybe he'll smuglle Bismarck du Plessis back here for us. We missed out on François Steyn that would have been the signing we needed. I would have thought the lifestyle here would have suited him more like what he was used to in bokka land.
Aw, I thought this was going to be a big "Where's Wally" type of pic, only it would be of a rugby grandstand and we'd have to spot the shiny.
Success is not final, failure is not fatal:
it is the courage to continue that counts.
- Winston Churchill
Hey, I reckon I'm pretty lucky....I love my job....but I don't love it enough to go away on holiday and do the same thing.... wish I did.....much respect.
Just happy to be here
So you didn't drink, watch Rugby and talk shit whilst on holiday???![]()
Posted via space
Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.
Been doing some research. So the Sharks main three hookers are Du Plessis, Smit and Skipper Badenhorst. All of them have international caps- Skipper with Namibia- and therefore are not options for the Force. However they are playing a guy called Craig Burden in the Currie Cup at the moment. He is 25 in 2010 and he's uncapped at international level. I don't know if he is contracted to them or not for next year but with the prospect of sitting behind the aforementioned three a shot at a starting spot elsewhere could be just the carrot we need. He's a bit light at 100kg but apparently he's an ex-centre so he's probably great around the field. Worth thinking about anyway.
Come on Mitch bring Craigie back with you.
Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.