EC connection in driving seat in crucial Bulls-Sharks clash

Bulls coach Frans Ludeke is a man loath to spew aphorisms about individuals excelling in his team but he could not ignore the threat posed by his backline players ahead of the clash against the Sharks this afternoon.

Some of the most sumptuous backline match-ups in South African rugby will be on display at Kings Park this afternoon (5.05pm kickoff) on top of the usual gusto that comes standard with local derbies.

An array of Eastern Cape-born flyers will take to the skies like aerobic planes at the Red Bulls Air Race. The Sharks’ Odwa Ndungane, Lwazi Mvovo and Sibusiso Sithole will take on Grey High School old boy JJ Engelbrecht and Old Dalian Bjorn Basson.

It is safe to say that the region will have a major influence on whether the Bulls extend their lead at the top of the South African conference log or if the Sharks will rein them in.

The Sharks have not been at their best of late – defeat to the Lions and the humiliation at the hands of the Crusaders point to that – but they have the calibre of players to do serious scoreboard damage.

Ndungane, the often unheralded Hudson Park High School old boy, is like an S-Class Mercedes Benz when playing at fullback for the Sharks. No matter how excited people get about younger models, he still sets an unmatched level of consistency.

The 34-year-old belied his age against the Lions at Ellis Park last weekend. Although his team lost, narrowly 23-21, he showed SP Marais a thing or two about joining the line from fullback in the lead-up to Mvovo’s try.

Then there is Mvovo – a man on a mission to avoid missing out on the World Cup this time around. He’s a superb finisher but will have to prove that to opposite Francois Hougaard, who has found his twinkling toes at wing.

Ideally, Sithole should be bracing for a head-on collision with Engelbrecht at outside centre but Sharks coach Gary Gold is married to Waylon Murray’s reputation than his current ability.

What Jake White got from Sithole last season – in a stellar year that earned the Old Queenian a Springbok call up – is what Gold should seek this year.

The Bulls on the other hand have produced some of the most riveting counter-attacking plays of recent weeks. Although Basson has been overshadowed by Hougaard’s electrifying displays he has enough gas to cause unease.

So too does Engelbrecht, who has to show that he is truly Bok-worthy, or risk being pushed to the bench by Burger Odendaal when Jan Serfontein is fully fit.

“I never like to highlight individuals because we’ve been winning on a huge team effort,” Ludeke said, on the eve of the derby.

“If the team plays well, it means Basson and Engelbrecht contribute to that and they create opportunities.”