Just my opinions…
There is little doubt that finalising the Sharks Craven Week 2026 squad will be one of the more difficult exercises selectors have faced in recent seasons.
The problem is not a lack of quality — quite the opposite.
There are genuine choices across multiple positions, with several players having forced themselves into contention after beginning the year largely under the radar. That is usually a sign of a healthy provincial season.
Jamie Wimble vs Zander Muller vs Nhlanhla Ndlovu
At the start of the season, one positional battle stood above all others: No. 8.
A proper selection committee migraine.
How do you fit three standout players into one squad, let alone one starting XV?
Jamie Wimble feels like the reincarnation of the classic schoolboy No. 8 — cut from the same cloth as Aaron Schramm of Kearsney or Nick Hatton of Hilton. He has the physique, pace and all-action style that makes him a poster-boy back-rower. Injury disrupted the start of his campaign, but players of this quality tend to make themselves impossible to ignore.
Zander Muller looks more like the modern interpretation of an eighthman — somewhere in the mould of a Jasper Wiese or Gregory Alldritt . Compact, abrasive and highly physical, with the added bonus of being well suited to blindside flank.
Then there is Nhlanhla Ndlovu, a player more in the mould of former schoolboy X-factor talents such as Marius Louw or Mark Snyman. Not oversized, but explosive and dangerous, particularly once he finds himself in space among backs. He has all the tools of a future Sevens player.
The obvious temptation is to squeeze all three in.
Wimble looks the natural first-choice No. 8, Muller offers flexibility at flank, and Ndlovu has all the makings of a destructive bench weapon.
Lwandile Mlaba and Siwesambe Ndamase
These are two players South Africa u18 selectors will be particularly keen to assess.
Both are mobile, athletic, tallish forwards capable of covering the second row — a position where genuinely quality schoolboy locks with size and ability in this demographic remain frustratingly scarce.
Lwandile Mlaba feels close to a CW certainty.
Siwesambe Ndamase, meanwhile, may still need to convince selectors that he offers more than the next wave of contenders.
Zion Smith vs Andrew Schnell
This could become one of the quieter but more fascinating selection battles.
Zion Smith deserves inclusion in the back row, but squad balance may work against him there.
With Wimble offering strong lineout value at No. 8, and unless there is a bold plan to use Muller as an openside, Smith could find himself squeezed.
That may force his route to Gqeberha through the second row, where he has served effectively.
The obstacle there is likely Andrew Schnell, a reliable tight forward and excellent lineout operator.
There is also a pathway where both are ultimately viewed as more valuable than Ndamase.
Rory Stanton solves a problem
As a No. 8, Rory Stanton probably falls short in this particular year.
At openside flank, however, he may be the cleanest answer available.
It remains one of the more concerning CW positions in the province, and Stanton offers what selectors typically crave there: directness, work rate and mobility around the park.
Sometimes selection is less about stars and more about solving problems.
Nicolas Salamousas and the tighthead question
Arguably the biggest surprise omission of 2025 was Nic Salamousas.
The tighthead offers genuine X-factor in a position not usually associated with flair. Beyond the set-piece, he provides exactly what wins Craven Week rugby: hard metres in ugly spaces.
One suspects selectors will be reluctant to repeat that omission.
The complication is injury.
Should Sala be unavailable, attention shifts to Janco Visagie and Mholi Khuzwayo.
Visagie is strong yet his efforts feel slightly underrated. Khuzwayo brings useful bulk and carrying ability.
This may prove one of those calls where one player’s joy becomes another’s heartbreak.
Theo Boshoff and the hooker picture
Boshoff is almost a highlights package in human form — contact-dominant and capable of producing eye-catching moments.
His greatest threat may not be competition, but the small details selectors obsess over.
Yellow-card tendencies or lineout inconsistencies become amplified at Craven Week, especially in Gqeberha where windy conditions can make lineout accuracy non-negotiable.
That said, his upside is obvious.
Among the broader hooker pool, Kyle-Reese Clements, Zak Vrey and Max Oliva cannot be ruled out of contention, while u17 prospects Rorke Stirk, Iglesias Bruiners and the Matthew Wilson/Mcebisi Zulu (depending on who starts) debate may influence future cycles.
Chamane, Konza and Makalele
Aphelele Chamane has simply had an excellent season.
Full stop.
Likho Konza has long felt like a player who would be considered.
Clement Makalele, at 114kg, offers the sort of mass and power that remains hard to ignore even though his rise to a starting 1st XV berth is relatively recent, having overtaken reliable Luke Faure.
Luxolo Sonkononkono and Nathan Aneke
If these two are not already close to automatic selections, something has gone badly wrong.
Both are attack-minded supremos.
Nathan Aneke has a rare ability to make beating the outside line look routine, while Luxolo Sonkononkono combines flair, skill and the added value of covering flyhalf.
These are the sort of players who can change tournament games.
Ludi van der Walt vs Dom du Toit
This feels increasingly like a straight shootout.
Ludi van der Walt has emerged impressively after operating in the considerable shadow of predecessor Jed Mun Gavin in 2025. He looks more assured this season, with a sharper eye for exploiting space behind defensive lines.
Dom du Toit, meanwhile, was something of a revelation in 2025. He asks questions of defences and offers useful goal-kicking value.
Both have arguments.
A quick word in for Richaard Kriel, a hybrid player who covers wing as well, so don’t rule him out plus his ball-in-hand speed at 9 could be a useful weapon.
Daniel Miskey vs John Grubb
There was a strong sense, even before a ball had been kicked this season, that this was Daniel Miskey’s jersey to lose.
He arrived with a significant reputation and the kind of long-term upside that naturally excites selectors. There is a polish to his game and an obvious class about him that suggests a bright future lies ahead.
Yet, for all that promise, Miskey has perhaps not quite produced the definitive statement performance many expected — the sort of commanding display that emphatically announces a player’s arrival on the big stage and removes all doubt.
That is not to say he has disappointed. Far from it. He remains a high-quality operator.
In Gqeberha, conditions can be heavily influenced by wind, meaning teams often find themselves either playing with it or directly into it. In both scenarios, a composed game manager with an educated tactical boot becomes enormously valuable.
That is where Miskey strengthens his case considerably.
But selection years are often decided by timing as much as talent.
Enter John Grubb.
Grubb feels a little like a phoenix in this conversation — a player whose stock has risen through substance rather than hype. He is more direct by nature and, in schoolboy rugby especially, a flyhalf willing to genuinely challenge the gainline can transform an entire attacking shape by asking harder questions of defensive lines.
Alex Jankowitz vs Keanu Williamson
Alex Jankowitz increasingly feels difficult to leave out.
He ticks nearly every box: consistency, sound decision-making and a few bonus attributes besides.
Not necessarily the early frontrunner due to switching from 15 to 12 for this season, but his body of work now demands serious consideration.
Keanu Williamson, however, continues to intrigue.
For two seasons he has operated outside intelligent flyhalves and quality outside centres, but there is a sense that he may actually be the key connector in that backline ecosystem.
Conveniently, the two go head-to-head at Sharks Day.
Centre depth and flexibility
Olwethu Kosani was excellent in 2025 when fully fit, though injuries have complicated his 2026 campaign.
His ability to cover both 12 and 13 remains valuable.
Guy Fender offers similar versatility and one suspects he may shine even brighter in a different tactical school environment.
Then there is Sifiso Meyiwa — perhaps not the name dominating public discussion, but quietly instrumental in elevating his school’s performances in recent weeks.
If selectors view someone like Jankowitz as capable of covering 13, Meyiwa’s utility could become highly valuable.
Fullback or wing?
A few seasons back the Sharks went to Craven Week with three very talented fullbacks including Luyanda Kunene (remember his header), Hopewell Ntshangase and one bright talent in Jaco Williams. Obviously two were meant to double as wings. The selectors probably don’t want to go that route again but if they do…
The Lungelo Hadebe vs Lwazi Mbebe conversation is an intriguing one.
Hadebe looks highly adaptable and could easily function as a wing. He has enough pace and dangerous footwork to trouble defenders in wider channels.
Mbebe, on peak form, is pure game-breaking theatre.
But like in his more unpredictable moments, he can sometimes appear to be operating on an entirely different wavelength to everyone else around him.
Perhaps framing him as a utility fullback/wing improves his chances.
Wings: depth, but no obvious banker
The wings are competitive, though without one player screaming “automatic selection”.
Amogelang Mataboge arrives with a strong CV, while Lwandle Mkhize, Avu Lisa, Lisa Sijadu and Richard Gyamfi all have legitimate claims.
A special mention must go to Laird Hamilton-Brown and Luke Grobbelaar, both of whom have been excellent.
The difficulty is that Craven Week squads are brutally unforgiving. Outstanding players can still become unaffordable luxuries once balance and versatility are factored in.
And that, perhaps, is what makes Sharks Craven Week 2026 selections so compelling: there may be more quality than there are seats available.
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