S5, R7: Sharks vs. Spartans - Completed

%sharks

Niru Gurupur
Eddie Morris
Shane Masters
James McDougal
Sam Verigotta
Simon Laing
Dexter Astele
Samuel Yates
Sam Bakkum
Matthew Scoble
Zac MacDonald
Paul Adams
Sam Graham
Chris Devonshire
Sachet Tuladhar

Substitutes

16. Soumyanil Das
17. David Dafter
18. DH Mulray
19. DJ Edwards
20. James Hughes
21. Matt James
22. Elliot Witters


%spartans

Ben Storer
Alan Izett
Dave Eggman
Heath Davis
James Torres
Michael Chung
Callum Laing
Jono Chewie
Gunner Shriram
Dion Alessi
Lucas Schaw
Geoff Smith
Paddy Orr
Matt Dorn
Bobby Blunder

Tactical Substitutions

16. Teddy Tiger
17. PM Jackson
18. CJ Downes
19. A Farhat
20. JE McGrath
21. Scott Flack
22. Nick Scott

 

Fancy the Sharks to jump them here. Shriram at scrum half will not end well.

 

Preview:

The Spartans have been hit by a few injury problems this season as one key player after another has been plagued by one problem or another. This week is no exception and iconic half back Rob Cribb misses his first match in quite some time. Joining him in watching the game from the stands is Marcuss Deane; a player not in his best form, but still a top quality option to be losing. Their replacements are Gunner Shriram and Jono Chewie - two selection which demonstrate the depth that the Spartans have as both players could be in the starting XV at other clubs. Also missing is prop Joshua Ritchie. His form has been appalling this year, and talk on the radio has been that he would have been dropped for Ben Storer anyway, so this may not represent that big a blow to the Spartans. That said, the loss of Cribb in particular is a significant blow to the Spartans here as he has been undoubtably the form player of the season so far.

The Sharks have their own injury issues to contend with this week. Souths full back Regan Hutchinson has dropped out of the squad after being dumped by his Girl A earlier this week. A furore has erupted on Twitter after Hutchinson deleted the said lady from his Facebook account. Also missing for the Sharks is rookie back Michael Edwards. In a keen demonstration of the lack of depth that the Sharks have, Hutchinson is replaced by Sachet Tuladhar - a player with little to no pedigree and who is bound to be assaulted under the high ball by the opposition backs.

In a player by player comparison, the Sharks come out ahead in the front row comparisons. Dave Eggman has been well below par this season and Ben Storer hasn't been setting the RRC alight. Alan Izett remains a solid option, but Eddie Morris has been making the bigger plays this year. The 2nd row comparison is marginally favourable to the Spartans as Heath Davis has finally hit his straps over the last couple of rounds. Even in the absence of Marcuss Deane, the backrow comparison weighs strongly towards the Spartans as Callum Laing and Michael Chung ooze class.

The backs is where the game is likely to come heavily unstuck for the Sharks, however. The Spartans have game breakers all over the back line in Lucas Schaw, Geoff Smith, Matt Dorn and Bobby Blunder. Given ideal conditions for running rugby, the Sharks are liable to be decimated if the Spartans enjoy too much possession - the Sharks just don't have the class in this area.

Prediction: Sharks 15 - 40 Spartans

The Spartans should over-run the Sharks even without the talismanic Cribb; especially if the weather remains set fair.

 

Rego