Sharks coach names team of 'second-stringers' to face Reds

By MIKE GREENAWAY

SURFERS PARADISE - What on earth is Rudolf Straeuli up to?

That is the question raging throughout the Super 12 after the Sharks coach unveiled a brand new line-up that shows a staggering 13 changes to the side that beat the Chiefs in Taupo last week.

Either on the bench or out of the squad completely are usual first-choice players such as Mark Andrews, Ollie le Roux, AJ Venter, Butch James, Craig Davidson and John Smit.

Into the firing line to play the Reds at Ballymore on Sunday come relative unknowns in Herkie Kruger, Dave von Hoesslin, Gus Theron, Lukas van Biljon, Eduard Coetzee and to a lesser extent Brad Macleod-Henderson, who will captain the side.

On face value, it would seem a devalued Sharks team but scratch under the surface and you will find an exciting combination that is going to surprise a lot of people, probably the Reds more than anyone else.

"We have trained all week as if Mark Andrews and Ollie le Roux are playing," said Reds coach Mark McBain, who is convinced that Straeuli is "playing ducks and drakes with us". He is not.

This is the Sharks team that will play, and they have the ammunition to do a lot of damage at Ballymore.

The side is very similar in look and shape to the overhauled team that beat the Hurricanes at their own free-flowing, lively game in Durban last month.

Older, heavier players such as Andrews were also left out that week and look how the team performed.

This Sharks team is from the same mould. There is not a cart horse among them, and every player has plenty of speed to burn.

This is a young side that is resplendent with attacking options. It will score tries, and it will do its damnedest to repay Straeuli for the faith he has shown in them.

To accuse Straeuli of fielding a second-string team so that he can rest key players is to have no understanding of what makes this coach tick.

Behind the selection of this team is a carefully thought-out plan with the obvious aim of protecting the Sharks' lead at the top of the Super 12 table, and taking the team a step closer to a home semifinal.

It is inconceivable that Straeuli has decided to take a breather this week.

And with the Reds playing for their lives in the competition, it is certain to be an explosive encounter.

The Reds, in eighth place, are in a seven-team dog fight for the fourth and final play-off spot.

At the top of the table it is generally accepted that the Sharks, Brumbies and Cats are home free, and at the bottom, the Blues and Bulls are certainly lost causes.

In between are the Highlanders, Waratahs, Hurricanes, Chiefs, Reds, Stormers and Crusaders, who all have mathematical chances of making the semifinals if they win all their remaining games.

After this weekend's ninth round, the pack will have thinned considerably.

The Reds are once again without Wallaby captain John Eales but they do welcome back flying wing Ben Tune, who his over a knee infection.

A desperate Reds team hosts a young, devil-may-care Sharks team. Expect a thriller similar to the Sharks Hurricanes match, the ingredients are the same.

- INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS (SOUTH AFRICA)