Sharks skipper John Smit is set for his first appearance of the Super Rugby season this weekend
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Sport24's Gavin Rich previews John Smit's first appearance of the Super Rugby season and ponders where the year will take the Springboks' skipper.
"Smit will wear the No 3 jersey in place of Jannie du Plessis, who moves to the bench for this game, and resumes a position which most critics felt didn’t really work out for him when he was switched there by Springbok coach Peter de Villiers for much of the 2009 rugby year.
"But that is not really the point, for when Smit struggled at tighthead it was usually against smaller props, and in any event Plumtree is not saying that tighthead prop is Smit’s position. It will be recalled that Smit was down to play loosehead prop ahead of Beast Mtawarira before he was forced to pull out of the Cheetahs game three weeks ago with a calf strain.
"In a pre-season interview Plumtree said he was excited about what Smit, who has improved his fitness and conditioning since last year, could offer the Sharks this year both as a player and a leader, and he predicted that he would show the Bok management how Smit should be used.
"Considering that, if you factor in the pre-season friendly against the Lions where Smit started at hooker, Smit has now been selected for three different positions in what effectively amounts to three matches, you could say that the dye has been cast and Plumtree has confirmed what we suspected. Smit is going to be employed as a jack of all trades, a very good one at that, and in so doing will offer the teams he plays for enviable front-row options."
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