Latest news with #BradleyDavids
IOL News
07-08-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Sharks XV aim for Currie Cup redemption with Junior Springbok talents
Scrumhalf Bradley Davids will be tasked to steer the attack of the Sharks XV alongside Junior Springbok flyhalf Vusi Moyo when they face the Cheetahs on Saturday in Clermont in the Currie Cup. Image: BackpagePix The Sharks XV reflected deeply on a disappointing week ahead of their third-round Currie Cup clash against the Cheetahs in Durban (5.10pm kick-off) on Saturday afternoon. After being walloped 64-0 by the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld this past weekend, the Sharks have set their sights on turning their fortunes around as they continue to invest in young players for the tournament. Despite the heavy defeat, there is still positivity in the camp, and according to head coach JP Pietersen, they've prepared well for the onslaught from their Free State counterparts. 'We are only two games in and there are still a lot more left to play in the competition,' Pietersen said on Thursday. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ He announced a side brimming with Junior Springboks for the duel at the Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium in Clermont. Exciting flyhalf Vusi Moyo will partner scrumhalf Bradley Davids in a brand new half-back pairing, while Jaco Williams shifts to fullback. In the midfield and on the wing, Pietersen opted to strengthen the side with more experienced campaigners. 'We spoke honestly on Monday about our performance and how we could fix it,' Pietersen said about their preparation. 'Plum (John Plumtree, Sharks URC head coach) and Neil (Powell, director of rugby) spoke to the boys and told them this is part of the process of what we are doing, and it might not be working now. But it was good for them to speak to the boys.' According to Pietersen, the Cheetahs will be a bit of an unknown factor, especially with their new coaching staff of Frans Steyn and Ruan Pienaar. The duo is, of course, former teammates of Pietersen at the Boks and Sharks. He said they are preparing for a physical onslaught, and every team will target them in that department because of their youngsters.
The Herald
04-06-2025
- General
- The Herald
Sharks draw breath before Loftus semi battle
'Even in my long career, I've never seen anything like that game against Munster,' Plumtree said. 'I'm exhausted. That was a tough 100-plus minutes. 'We will get the group together and see how everybody is doing. 'We might have to adjust our programme a little. 'I'm just glad we had those boys on the pitch kicking for goal. 'The Hendrikse brothers [Jordan and Jaden] and Bradley Davids, who came off the bench. 'The plan was to get Bradley on and sub Makazole Mapimpi. 'JP Pietersen was in the coaching box and was confident that Brad was going to do the job. 'It was a little frustrating it came down to that. 'It was never a plan we as coaches discussed during the week, but Neil Powell [Sharks director of rugby] had a pitch plan and knew which side the boys would be more comfortable on. 'And everyone was pretty calm in the coaching box. 'I was hopeful it wouldn't get to that, because during the first half of extra time, we dominated territory and possession, but didn't take the opportunity. 'I was a little frustrated, and as I said, it shouldn't have come down to place-kicking. 'However, there were a lot of tired bodies, and I am proud of how everyone kept calm and trusted the plan. 'Though we were calm in the change rooms — we've been in that spot the last few weeks — we needed to tidy up a few things. 'The main issue was that when we got momentum, we played too deep. In the second half, we started playing a little flatter and were a bit more dangerous. 'I thought we were the best attacking team out there, even if we didn't take all our opportunities. So it puts us in good stead for next week.' Sharks skipper Eben Etzebeth thanked his goal-kickers for keeping cool heads when the pressure was on. 'I thought it would be over before the 100 minutes,' he said. 'And then going to goal kicks. I don't know how those guys felt. Having to take those kicks must be very stressful. Thank goodness, we won that lottery.' Davids said he spent extra hours on the training perfecting his kicking drill. 'We kick a lot against each other to see — if Jordan gets injured — who will take over,' he said. 'We always challenge each other to see who's kicking the best in training. Luckily, it came off tonight. 'My girlfriend gets fed up with me because I always want to do extra kicks after training. 'She brings her work along to the side of the field. 'Credit to her for coming along and watching me kick. We actually do a shot clock and kick under pressure and fatigue.' The Herald
Irish Examiner
03-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Leinster coach Jacques Nienaber dismisses Sharks gamesmanship against Munster as 'normal'
You rarely need all seven degrees of separation in rugby. If Bradley Davids was something of an unknown until last weekend then Jacques Nienaber needed no introduction to the boyish 21-year-old whose kick ended Munster's URC bid in Durban. The Leinster senior coach's son Carlu used to room with the young half-back at Paarl Gimnasium, the same renowned rugby school in the Western Cape that has produced the likes of Jean De Villiers, Handre Pollard and Schalk Burger in days gone by. 'He was the kicker for the school,' said Nienaber. It showed at King's Park when Davids, substituted on to the field of play with just two minutes of extra-time to go, nailed his two efforts on goal from a tricky angle in the shootout that eventually separated the sides after an absorbing URC quarter-final. The pity of it is that Davids' isn't still the name on everyone's lips. That rather peculiar form of honour has gone to another Sharks half-back, Jaden Hendrikse, whose wink while being treated extensively for an apparent cramp in the middle of that dramatic end game so enraged Jack Crowley. Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus has since tweeted a close-up of Henrikse's calf which appears to back up the assertion that the 15-cap scrum-half was indeed suffering from the condition, but there is no doubt but that the matter was milked. Rory Scannell and Conor Murray, Munster's other two shootout kickers, also had reason to be frustrated by the Sharks' attitude after the game had ended all square through 100 minutes. Nienaber, a former Munster assistant coach, was more relaxed about all that. "It's something that happens in the game from minute one to minute 80. There's banter and trying to get under a guy's skin and trying to physically impose yourself on him and try and rub his hair. "I mean, that happens for 80 minutes, so in this case it was for everyone to see because it's not as secluded as what will be in a game. But it happens in a game. "Think of Pete [O'Mahony], what did he tell Sam Cane? I mean, that banter flies. If you listen to just the referee mic and you take the commentators away, it's crazy what you hear on that mic. They got stuck into each other. It's just normal." Saturday's was the first ever shootout in the history of the URC but Leinster have been preparing for just such an eventuality since they met Harlequins in the round of 16 of the Champions Cup back in April. You'd just never know. Is Nienaber a fan of it? Well, as a fan, yes. If his own side was involved? Maybe not so much. If Munster went down all guns blazing in South Africa then Leinster pressed on to this week's semi-final against Glasgow Warriors with a far-from-emphatic 12-point defeat of Scarlets at an Aviva Stadium that was barely one quarter full. The province is still awaiting news on whether Josh van der Flier will be fit for the Scottish challenge. The openside flanker came off early three days ago with a hamstring issue and Leinster were still waiting for scan results as of Monday evening. The official line is a 'hopeful' one and that, should he sit out the Glasgow game, then it still isn't a tear of the type that would jeopardise van der Flier's chances of using the ticket punched for him when named on the British and Irish Lions squad. Garry Ringrose (calf) and Tommy O'Brien (foot) are both still being assessed having sat out the quarter-final, but Tadhg Furlong is again ruled out with what is another, but different, calf problem after a season plagued by them. 'It's tough for a player to get a rhythm,' said Nienaber. 'You like to get a string of games and build on your confidence and get the team to get confidence in you. So I think it is frustrating, yeah.' Glasgow looked to be back to something approaching their best in accounting for the Stormers in Scotstoun on Friday evening and they bring four Lions to the party in Ballsbridge to face a Leinster side that is just not clicking right now. Leo Cullen mentioned the Champions Cup semi-final loss to Northampton Saints four times after the Scarlets game. This despite the fact that no-one had mentioned the game by way of a question. The sense is of a team and a club struggling to find its mojo. Nienaber claimed otherwise. 'No, it's gone. The competition is gone. Next year. Like, is there anything we can about it?'
The Citizen
02-06-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
OPINION: Bulls and Sharks sure to bring in the fans — at a better kick-off time
At least the game kicks off at a more regular time this weekend, as opposed to the lunchtime kickoff against Edinburgh. Well, what a weekend that was of United Rugby Championship action! And as things stand the top four teams after the regular season have advanced to the semifinals – exactly what the organisers would have hoped for. Top-placed Leinster will host fourth-placed Glasgow Warriors, who are also the defending champions, while the second-placed Bulls will host third-placed Sharks, in the last four. This last weekend everything went as expected, for the most part, with all the home teams winning, but few could have predicted the drama in Durban, with a first-ever kick-off to determine the winner. How very exciting that was, and now everyone knows who Bradley Davids is. Well done to the Sharks, but they will be up against it this weekend at Loftus, playing against a Bulls team determined to finally win the URC. Semifinals Thankfully this weekend's big local semifinal kicks off at the more appropriate time of 6.15pm, which gives fans enough time to watch their kids in action on Saturday before heading to Loftus. It is odd that last Saturday's quarterfinal against Edinburgh kicked off at 1.30pm, especially considering the Bulls finished second on the log and should surely have been given a later kick-off. Because, let's be honest, who's actually ready to go to a big URC quarterfinal at midday or lunchtime on a Saturday? Not too many fans, I believe, who have things to do in the morning, and also possibly have kids of their own playing sport. It wasn't the best crowd that Loftus could have had on Saturday, but let's hope it's bigger and better this weekend. I'm sure it will be … and the Bulls deserve a big crowd backing them, after the season they've had, and this game potentially their last at home in the competition. It promises to be a thrilling match, because while the Sharks haven't been great this season, they did finish third on the final points table, and are in the semifinals, and now anything can happen. The good news is South Africa will have a finalist for the fourth season in a row – but who will the Bulls or Sharks face – Leinster or Glasgow, and will that final be in Dublin, Pretoria or Durban?
IOL News
01-06-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Bradley Davids leads Sharks to thrilling URC quarter-final victory over Munster in dramatic penalty shootout
UNBRIDLED JOY Bradley Davids (left) and Aphelele Fassie (right) celebrate after the Sharks' United Rugby Championship victory over Munster at King's Park, in Durban, on Saturday. Picture: Gerhard Duraan/BackpagePix With the match heading towards penalties at the end of extra time, Springbok Makazole Mapimpi on the wing was whipped off for the 22-year-old replacement, back Bradley Davids, by Sharks coach John Plumtree . The regulation 80 minutes saw the sides end 24-24 and in extra time neither team could manage any further scores. In what was a rare sight on a rugby pitch, the match had to be decided in a shoot-out from the kicking tee after the sides could not be separated after extra time. The Sharks scored a dramatic victory in sudden-death penalties in their United Rugby Championship quarter-final over Munster , at King's Park, in Durban, on Saturday. Bradley Davids Shines Under Pressure with Match-Winning Kick The move would make more sense moments later when the sides left the result in the 'boots' of their chosen kickers. With Munster's chosen hero Rory Scannell slotting the first kick, Davids matched his opponent by also converting his penalty from a tight angle. In his second attempt, the Munster centre missed, which left the door open for Davids. The Sharks youngster then stepped up, and calmly slotted the winning kick to thrust his side into the semis. Speaking after the game, Plumtree sang the praises of Davids. 'He's a real student of the game, Bradley, and he's just going to get better and better. He's just got that nature and is a very calm guy. He probably plays a bit above his years. He's confident and when you put him out there, he's not scared to have a go,' said Plumtree. 'We had no hesitation in putting him in that moment. We could've used [Aphelele] Fassie, but we were more confident that Bradley could do the job. Even if he didn't, we would have stood by him. It would've been tough for him if he had missed that last kick, but he kicked the goal to win it.' @Michael_Sherman IOL Sport
