Christo Buchner

Johannesburg – The joke that is told about where the English cricketers stay when they play in South Africa (at home) may well be relevant to the Sharks for this coming weekend’s Currie Cup match against the Free State Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.

What may concern Sharks coach John Plumtree, however, is how to use his returning Springboks as it is precisely what disrupted his team’s rhythm last year.

How can one justify axing Keegan Daniel for Ryan Kankowski after he scored five tries in his last two matches?

Where should Ruan Pienaar be picked? Scrumhalf or flyhalf?

Those are among the questions that Plumtree will have to seek answers for over the next day or two.

Kankowski may have to be satisfied with starting on the substitutes bench.

Plumtree will hopefully not pick Kankowski as a flank like Springbok coach Peter de Villiers did.

With Willem Alberts, Jean Deysel and Jacques Botes all set to be available for the Cheetahs game, there is enough quality on the side of the scrum for Kankowski not to have to be used out of position.

Daniel has also played so well at No 8 that he does not deserve the injustice of having to sit out.

Pienaar may also be of more value at flyhalf as Charl McLeod has played well at scrumhalf.

Steve Meyer is fit again after an ankle injury and the other option is to utilise him and Pienaar as a halfback pairing.

The return of Beast Mtawarira in the front row will solve one of the Sharks’ headaches.

With a battle against the powerful front row of WP Nel, Adriaan Strauss and Coenie Oosthuizen looming, the Sharks will have to be up for the challenge.

Bloemfontein is a venue where the Sharks are like fish out of water. They achieved a rare victory there last year and will be looking to repeat that.