u/jack-in-spades

I think this is best chance we've ever had to have a great season.

We finally have had a preseason, uninterrupted. Injuries and Springboks are few. Only 5 Sharks are regular Boks: Nche, Du Toit, Etzebeth, Esterhuizen and Hooker.

The draw is amazing. First, we are starting with some domestic matches. Second, the schedule is incredible. They have aligned the EPCR and URC fixtures for us, and every tour makes sense, connected logically. If we have an away EPCR game, it is attached directly to the URC European leg. Even the away URC matches in October/November line up with the Springboks, so our Boks are not on extra flights. This means we should have less fatigue for players and coaches, and therefore fewer injuries (fatigue and injuries are closely correlated).

Most of the important cogs in the team are known entities. We have some questions around those with long-term injuries, but otherwise most of the players have had some game time. The quality of the squad feels higher. Would-be players who are decent have struggled to make it in, like Sobahle, Kerron von Vuuren, Besag. I think JP can be trusted to know which players he needs.

The season could be a dud, but I think we have something extra that is exciting this year. We had great vibes post EPCR and Challenge Cup victories, and ended up 3rd on the URC that season...but the players/staff were stretched from the onset and it felt like we had to force the wins, by grinding, towards the end of the season.

I like that the coaches have had time to work on the boys, we should have a bit more cohesion and flow.

We beat the Lions at Ellis Park in preseason this weekend. The Lions pushed the All Blacks all the way. We should take it as a good sign. Lets hope it doesn't fade away, and the stars align.

Name	General	Preference	Tier	Age
Rambo Kubheka	Prop	Loose	Currie Cup	20 y/o
Jaco du Toit	Prop	Loose	Currie Cup	21 y/o
Simphiwe Ngobese	Prop	Loose	Currie Cup/URC	21 y/o
Phatu Ganyane	Prop	Loose	URC	23 y/o
Cammy Dawson	Prop	Loose	Currie Cup	27 y/o
Simphiwe Matanzima	Prop	Loose	URC	29 y/o
Ox Nché	Prop	Loose	Springboks	31 y/o
Dian Heunis	Prop	Tight	Currie Cup	23 y/o
Hanro Jacobs	Prop	Tight	URC	26 y/o
Lee-Marvin Mazibuko	Prop	Tight/Loose	Currie Cup	28 y/o
Thomas du Toit	Prop	Tight/Loose	Springboks	31 y/o
Nemo Roelofse	Prop	Tight	URC	31 y/o
Vincent Koch	Prop	Tight	URC	36 y/o
Trevor Nyakane	Prop	Tight/Loose	URC	37 y/o
Liam van Wyk	Hooker	Hooker	Currie Cup	20 y/o
Siphosethu Mnebelele	Hooker	Hooker	URC	20 y/o
Jacques Marais	Hooker	Hooker	Currie Cup	21 y/o
Ethan Bester	Hooker	Hooker	URC	21 y/o
Bryce Calvert	Hooker	Hooker	Currie Cup	23 y/o
Eduan Swart	Hooker	Hooker	URC	25 y/o
Fez Mbatha	Hooker	Hooker	URC	27 y/o
Kerron van Vuuren	Hooker	Hooker	Currie Cup	31 y/o
Bongi Mbonambi	Hooker	Hooker	URC	35 y/o
Thomas Dyer	Lock	Tight	Currie Cup	21 y/o
Coetzee le Roux	Lock	Tight	Currie Cup	23 y/o
Corné Rahl	Lock	Tight	URC	24 y/o
Deon Slabbert	Lock	Tight	Currie Cup	26 y/o
Jason Jenkins	Lock	Tight/Loose	URC	30 y/o
Eben Etzebeth	Lock	Tight	Springboks	34 y/o
Sipho Nonyalela	Lock	Lock	Currie Cup	23 y/o
Emile van Heerden	Lock	Loose	URC	26 y/o
Darrien Landsberg	Lock	Loose	URC	27 y/o
Hendre Stassen	Lock	Lock, Flank	Currie Cup	28 y/o
Johan Momsen	Lock	Lock, Flank	Currie Cup	31 y/o
Stephan Lewies	Lock	Loose	URC	34 y/o
Willem van den Hever	Backrow	Blind, Hooker	Currie Cup	27 y/o
Jean-Henri Smit	Backrow	Blind	Currie Cup	21 y/o
Luaan Olivier	Backrow	Blind	Currie Cup	23 y/o
Tino Mavesere	Backrow	Blind, No. 8	Currie Cup	27 y/o
Wasi Vyambwera	Backrow	Open	Currie Cup	21 y/o
Matt Romao	Backrow	Blind/Open	URC	21 y/o
Mèno Barnard	Backrow	Backrow	Currie Cup	22 y/o
Hanu Pieterse	Backrow	Backrow	Currie Cup	22 y/o
Danilo Botha	Backrow	Openside	Currie Cup	22 y/o
Sphephelo Mbonambi	Backrow	Backrow, Lock	Currie Cup	23 y/o
Jannes Potgieter	Backrow	Open	Currie Cup/URC	23 y/o
Vincent Tshituka	Backrow	Backrow, Lock	Springboks	27 y/o
Nick Hatton	Backrow	No. 8	URC	23 y/o
Manu Tshituka	Backrow	Open, No. 8	URC	26 y/o
Phepsi Buthelezi	Backrow	Backrow	URC	27 y/o
Ceano Everson	Scrum-half	Scrumhalf	URC	20 y/o
Juan Loots	Scrum-half	Scrumhalf	Currie Cup	21 y/o
Bradley Davids	Scrum-half	Scrumhalf	URC	24 y/o
Ross Braude	Scrum-half	Scrumhalf	Currie Cup	26 y/o
Jaden Hendrikse	Scrum-half	Scrumhalf, Flyhalf	URC	26 y/o
Ivan van Zyl	Scrum-half	Scrumhalf	URC	31 y/o
Chris Horak	Fly-half	Flyhalf	Currie Cup	20 y/o
Vusi Moyo	Fly-half	Flyhalf	URC	20 y/o
Jordan Hendrikse	Fly-half	Flyhalf, Fullback	URC	25 y/o
Gianni Lombard	Fly-half	Flyhalf, Fullback	URC	28 y/o
Siya Masuku	Fly-half	Flyhalf	Currie Cup/URC	30 y/o
Tim Swiel	Fly-half	Flyhalf	Currie Cup	33 y/o
Janco Purchase	Centre	Inside	Currie Cup	20 y/o
Albie Bester	Centre	Inside	Currie Cup	21 y/o
Jurenzo Julius	Centre	Inside/Outside	URC	22 y/o
André Esterhuizen	Centre	Inside, Flank	Springboks	32 y/o
Ma'a Nonu	Centre	Inside	URC	44 y/o
Dominic Besag	Centre	Outside	URC	22 y/o
Ethan Hooker	Centre	Centre/Wing	Springboks	23 y/o
Marnus Potgieter	Centre	Outside/Inside	Currie Cup	27 y/o
Murray Koster	Centre	Inside/Outisde	URC	27 y/o
Suleiman Hartzenburg	Wing	Wing, 13	URC	23 y/o
Makazole Mapimpi	Wing	Left Wing	URC	36 y/o
Khuthi Rasivhaga	Wing	Wing	Currie Cup	20 y/o
Chijindu Okonta	Wing	Wing	Currie Cup	21 y/o
Lyle Matthews	Wing	Wing, 13	Currie Cup	21 y/o
Matthew Fortuin	Wing	Wing	Currie Cup	22 y/o
Litelihle Bester	Wing	Wing, 13	URC	22 y/o
Donovan Don	Wing	Wing, Fullback	Currie Cup	24 y/o
Christie Grobbelaar	Wing	Wing	Currie Cup	26 y/o
Phiko Sobahle	Wing	Wing	Currie Cup	30 y/o
Edwill van der Merwe	Wing	Wing	Springboks	30 y/o
Yaw Penxe	Wing	Wing, Fullback	URC	29 y/o
Zekhethelo Siyaya	Fullback	Fullback, Wing	URC	19 y/o
Luan Giliomee	Fullback	Fullback, Flyhalf	URC	20 y/o
Jaco Williams	Fullback	Fullback, Wing	URC	21 y/o

Any help would be much appreciated!