Sharks start picking up the pace of their preparations for the February 19 Super 15 kick-off

As the Sharks start picking up the pace of their preparations for the February 19 Super 15 kick-off, there is a calmness about the coaching staff that was distinctly absent this time last year.
Yesterday at a training session at Kings Park, a relaxed John Plumtree reported that his squad of 28 is in rude health, with barnstorming flank Jean Deysel the sole exception and even he is expected to be fully fit by the third round of the newly expanded competition.
Deysel seriously injured knee ligaments early in last year’s Currie Cup and has just about completed his rehabilitation.
Former Stormer Ross Skeate and Meyer Bosman (freshly imported from the Cheetahs), both underwent surgery on groin injuries and are up and running.
In January 2010, the Sharks were rocked by injuries (physical and mental!) to a series of flyhalves and subsequently lost their opening two home games (to the Cheetahs and the Chiefs), not to mention three more on the road in a nightmare start to the last ever Super 14.
“So far so good,”says Plumtree. “But we have all been around long enough to know that that you take nothing for granted. Many of the players have been through six or seven of these campaigns and know that talk is cheap and you get nothing for free at this level.”
In other words you will not catch anybody at the Sharks admitting that they are in fact looking pretty darn good and have their best depth for many a year.
For example, flyhalf – the position that caused such angst last year – sees Plumtree having to make the sweat-inducing choice between Currie Cup hero Patrick Lambie and former Bull and Cheetah Jacques-Louis Potgieter, while Bosman is no slouch at 10 himself.
Twelve months ago, at flyhalf the Sharks had Monty Dumond and AN Other and his brother.
The Sharks have been working on their fitness for nigh on two months and will spend next week in Rustenburg at the renowned Royal Bafokeng sports facilities that were used by the England team in the soccer World Cup, where they will concentrate on strategy.
Their two warm-up games will be in the Neotel tri-series in Cape Town, against the Stormers and the Lions.

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BY Mike Greenaway www.iol.co.za