Juan Smith is out of Saturday’s Super Rugby opener in Durban

THE Sharks will be careful not to get carried away with the news that Cheetahs captain Juan Smith is out of Saturday’s Super Rugby opener in Durban – he was injured this time last year and the Cheetahs nevertheless won at Kings Park – but it remains a telling blow for the visitors considering the Sharks of 2011 are a far more settled unit.

Smith, quite frankly, is one of the best loose forwards in the world and is the backbone of the Cheetahs. Last year they lost heavily until he came back mid-campaign and then they hardly lost. The 29-year-old Smith has played for no other union than the Cheetahs and over the years has turned down big bucks to remain in Bloemfontein, and his loyalty to the team is rewarded by the commitment his teammates give him.

“It is a big blow, I am not going to deny that,” Cheetahs coach Naka Drotske said from the Free State capital last night. “He injured a calf muscle playing against the Southern Kings in a warm-up match and failed a fitness test yesterday. He is a world class player, but the show must go on.”

Smith is replaced by Sevens Springbok Philip van der Walt and hooker Adrian Strauss takes over as captain, as he did in the same situation last year.

The Smith setback for the Cheetahs is exacerbated by the continued absence of their other brilliant flank, Heinrich Brussow, whose year-long rehabilitation from a knee injury is predicted to end three rounds into the competition.

Drotske has meanwhile named captain Strauss’ cousin, Andries – a Shark only a few months ago – at inside centre, a position in turn vacated by the move of Cheetahs stalwart Meyer Bosman to Durban.

The coach has picked plucky Griquas scrumhalf Sarel Pretorius and opted for veteran Naas Olivier at 10. The flamboyant Philip Burger is a notable inclusion at right wing (he has returned from a stint with Perpignan in France) and on the left wing is Sevens Springbok Ryno Benjamin, who was previously with the Lions.

The new wings fill the void left by Lionel Mapoe (Lions) and Danwell Demas (Treviso, Italy).

In a big selection call, Drotske has picked another Sevens Bok, Kabamba Floors, at No 8 in place of Ashley Johnson, their chief ball carrier in 2010.

In general, though, it is a Cheetahs squad showing no vast changes from last year.

“One of the strengths of the Cheetahs is that they are familiar with each other and continuity is gold at this level, I believe,” Sharks coach John Plumtree said. “Their front row has been around for a while now, the second row is experienced and they always have an exceptional loose trio, so it is going to be one heck of a scrap up front.”

The exchange of Currie Cup star Andries Strauss for Bosman poses the question of how much intellectual capital each player is willing to divulge on his former team, but Plumtree is not overly concerned.

“It is an interesting one … Look Andries knows everything about us, not just a lot! And he enjoyed the role of being a communicator, helping Patrick Lambie with strategy and option-taking. We have changed our calls but I am not sure how much influence all of this will have. I don’t know think players really hear each other’s calls. There is too much going on.”

And have the Sharks been grilling Bosman about the Cheetahs?

“I have had no discussions with Meyer, but maybe the other coaches have,” Plumtree chuckled.

Cheetahs: 15 Hennie Daniller, 14 Philip Burger, 13 Robert Ebersohn, 12 Andries Strauss, 11 Ryno Benjamin, 10 Naas Olivier, 9 Sarel Pretorius, 8 Kabamba Floors, 7 Philip van der Walt, 6 Frans Viljoen, 5 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 4 Francois Uys, 3 WP Nel, 2 Adriaan Strauss (capt), 1 Coenie Oosthuizen. Substitutes: Ryno Barnes, Kobus Calldo, Waltie Vermeulen, Ashley Johnson, Tewis de Bruyn, Sias Ebersohn, Riaan Viljoen.

by Mike Greenaway .www.iol.co.za