News

Sharks sweep awards

Wednesday 29th October 2008

Top form: Stefan Terblanche

The Sharks have been give even more reason to celebrate after full-back Stefan Terblanche and Head Coach John Plumtree were named as Currie Cup Player and Coach of the Month respectively for October following the triumph in the Final in Durban last Saturday.

Terblanche - a veteran of two Rugby World Cup campaigns for South Africa - is enjoying something of a rugby renaissance at the moment, having returned to Durban on a full-time basis this year after an enjoyable spell at Welsh region the Ospreys.

The 33-year-old, who made his first-class debut for Boland back in 1994, has been in sparkling form for the newly-crowned Currie Cup champions and played a key role in their triumph this season.

Not only did Terblanche walk off with the official Man-of-the-Match honours in the Sharks' 29-14 semi-final win over the Lions on October 11, but he was also a star performer in Saturday's final as the Sharks ended their 12-year Currie Cup drought with a hard-fought 14-9 win over the Blue Bulls.

The Coach of the Month is voted for by a five-man panel of top media personalities in South Africa, whilst all eight coaches in the Currie Cup were asked to nominate their Player of the Month for October - as they did in July, August and September.

Loose forwards Cobus Grobbelaar ( Lions), Heinrich Br�ssow (FS Cheetahs) and Jean Deysel (Sharks) were all nominated for the Player of the Month Award, along with scrum-halves Ruan Pienaar (Sharks) and Fourie du Preez (Blue Bulls) - the star duo, of course, having opposed each other in the final.

Br�ssow (July), Deysel (August) and Pienaar (September) are all former Currie Cup Player of the Month winners, and Terblanche was pleased to find himself as October's Man of the Moment.

"To be honest, I don't really know how to describe my feelings at the moment," said the Sharks veteran.

"There's relief, joy, excitement - it was just fantastic to win the Currie Cup in front of our own people; supporters, family and friends."

"It's a wonderful honour. I guess it's always nice to be recognized in any walk of life, but it's something of a cherry on top for me after Saturday, and I'd like to thank to everyone that voted for me," he added, speaking about the award itself.

"I'm also very happy for the coach (John Plumtree) for his award. He's done a wonderful job at the Sharks and he deserves all the accolades coming his way at present."

Plumtree was the obvious choice, having also walked away with September's gong en route to guiding his team into the final and overall glory.

Under Plumtree's guidance, the Sharks lost just twice this Currie Cup season - the last of which came on July 19. The men from Durban scored a whopping 450 points in 14 league matches, conceding just 243 points and scoring 57 tries in the process, before beating the Lions and the Bulls in the play-offs to win their fifth title.

Plumtree, ironically, played for the Sharks the last time they won the Currie Cup - in 1996 - with the New Zealand-born coach coming off the bench as a replacement for Wickus van Heerden, the uncle of Blue Bulls flanker Wikus van Heerden.

"It's nice to be recognised," said a modest Plumtree, "but I'm simply taking credit for all the hard work put in by those around me."

"I didn't think we'd lose [the final], I always thought it was ours," added Plumtree.

"I would have liked to have won it slightly differently, but it was a pressure game against fantastic opponents and we got there in the end."