The Sharks will host DHL Western Province in this year’s Absa Currie Cup final after wildly contrasting victories over the Vodacom Blue Bulls and defending champions the MTN Golden Lions respectively in Saturday’s semi-finals.
sarugby
The final – a repeat of the 2010 showpiece won 30-10 by the men from Durban – will take place on Saturday at Mr Price Kings Park, with kick-off scheduled for 17h00.
It is the Sharks’ fourth final in five years – their third at home during this time – and they will be gunning for a third title to go with those won in 2008 (14-9 over the Blue Bulls, in Durban) and two years ago.
In the first semi-final, flyhalf Pat Lambie, who was an instrumental part of the Sharks’ dominant victory in the 2010 final, turned in a second man-of-the-match performance in as many weeks to help his side to a 20-3 win in Durban in a match played on a rain-drenched pitch.
And at Coca-Cola Park in Johannesburg, Lions flyhalf Elton Jantjies kicked what seemed like a match-winning penalty with 90 seconds remaining – only for WP to maul flanker Deon Fourie over the line on the hooter to seal a famous come-from-behind win and so end the defending champions’ reign.
Sharks (9) 20 Vodacom Blue Bulls (0) 3
Another impressive performance by Pat Lambie inspired the Sharks to a comprehensive win over the Vodacom Blue Bulls to power their way into the Absa Currie Cup final.
If ever there was a time that Lambie could send Bok coach Heyneke Meyer a clear message of his intentions to play flyhalf for the national team, the wet and muddy Durban game was the perfect moment.
With conditions not ideal for running rugby, the Sharks kept their composure more and capitalised on the Blue Bulls’ indiscipline and mistakes, and simply built an innings around Lambie’s boot as the visitors disintegrated in their own frustration.
The Sharks controlled the game from start to finish as their pack gained ascendency; they bettered the Blue Bulls in the scrums and made far less mistakes with ball in hand.
This resulted in almost no ball to attack from in the first half, and the Sharks reveled in their dominance up front. With so much ball and so many attacking opportunities, the pressure had to tell. And with it the Blue Bulls started giving away penalties.
Lambie may have missed his first one, but then slotted a perfect second and simply didn’t look back. But his all-round control of the game was a sign of maturity, and it was costly for the Blue Bulls as he saw space behind the defence on the half hour, and chipped only to be stopped by a trip by prop Morné Mellett.
Mellett was lucky to get only a yellow card but the indiscretion was still costly, as Lambie slotted two more penalties in Mellett’s absence to let the home side lead 9-0 at the break.
In the second half the Blue Bulls’ discipline disintegrated even more, and Lambie kept on slotting the penalties. By the time the reserves started appearing the Sharks were 15-0 up and even when Morné Steyn finally got a shot at goal, the game was virtually over.
Lwazi Mvovo slid in at the corner to put the game beyond doubt, and the Sharks were already looking forward to a home final by then.
Scorers:
Sharks – Try: Lwazi Mvovo. Penalties: Pat Lambie (5).
Blue Bulls – Penalty: Morné Steyn.
MTN Golden Lions (3) 16 DHL Western Province (6) 21
The MTN Golden Lions’ reign as Absa Currie Cup champions came to a dramatic end at Coca-Cola Park as a driving-maul try on the hooter clinched DHL Western Province a famous semifinal win.
The Lions will feel they did everything but win as they were the better team for much of the way and put WP under sustained pressure, but they failed to capitalise on their many opportunities and were left to rue the mistakes late in the game that could be said to have grabbed them defeat from the jaws of victory.
Certainly it looked as if the Lions were on their way to their second consecutive final when flyhalf Elton Jantjies made up for some horrendous early misses by kicking an angled pressure penalty 90 seconds from time that put his side two points ahead.
But then came a mistake when they failed to clear their line from the restart, and WP pulled out the most tried and trusted try-scoring method by mauling their way 17 metres for the match-clinching score off the final move of the game.
There was plenty to enthuse about from the WP attacking play in the second half, with the introduction of Joe Pietersen at fullback and Louis Schreuder as the flyhalf in the last quarter making a dramatic difference to a game that they were losing at that point, but in the end it was that lineout maul that lost the Lions the game.
Jaco Taute, destined to play for the DHL Stormers in Vodacom Super Rugby next year, will kick himself for his role in his team’s demise. He kicked directly into touch in trying to clear the Lions’ red zone and was adjudged by referee Marius Jonker to have done so after the ball was carried back into his 22.
So instead of the Lions getting away from the 22-metre area, they ended up having to defend as Scarra Ntubeni fed the lineout and WP drove inexorably to the line, where flanker Deon Fourie eventually touched down.
It was a sad way for the Lions to end competitive rugby for the season as they head into the no-man’s land that they will find themselves in next season when they watch the Super Rugby tournament played without them.
Scorers:
Lions – Try: Michael Rhodes. Conversion: Elton Jantjies. Penalties: Jantjies (2), Ruan Combrinck.
WP – Tries: Joe Pietersen, Deon Fourie. Conversion: Joe Pietersen. Penalties: Demetri Catrakilis (2), Pietersen.
@ grootblousmile:
Yeah he came from the Sharks academy, damnit nou pla dit my ook!!!
@ fender:
Wife has been watching your music non-stop! Well done bru.
91 @ Sharks_forever:
No man, not Adongo, the Kenian fumbler….
82 @ bdb:
BdB had had thought it was but not sure.. hehehe. I have not watched much of the u21’s or u19’s this year or last or the last. But will this Saturday boeta.
84 @ Pietman:
Howzit Piet,
Jeez that time of year there boeta. Enjoy the homebrew….. 🙂
Ja, Tim was baie goed, jammer oor daardie besering van hom.
Ek vermoed elke provinsie gaan een beker elk wen Saterdag:
– 0/19: weepie
– 0/21: BB
– die belangrikste een: Sharks.
84 @ Pietman:
hahahaha. “Byt Hulle”………….. Had a good laugh Pieta. We will do just that…………..hahahahaha. 🙂
96 @ bdb:
Sien hom so nou en dan daar by Loftus…. hy lyk nog superfiks…..
91 @ Sharks_forever:
So would you start with Deysel or Alberts? I somehow think we must start with Deysel. Need to watch Fourie at the breakdowns, he has become very good there.
Sharks should win on Saturday… but can you imagine the Sharks gloating afterwards…. might become quite painful…. hahahaha
98: voorspel jy enige verandering van afrigters daar by die Bulle, enige iets gehoor in die wandelgange, of gaan hul volhard met die huidige afrigters en dus met dieselfde onsuksesvolle wedstrydplan ?
99 @ Puma:
Deysel is dom and predictable…. well Alberts is a bit of both too, but bigger and better.
Hahaha
@ grootblousmile:
No Boet, as far as i was Told Tim also went to the Academy then went straight to Bulls,?/ i am talkng under correction
101 @ bdb:
Pine sal inkom as hulpafrigter vir die Bulle Super Rugby span, Nollis sal Vodacom span afrig…. Victor dink ek sal meer permanent word met Bulls voorspelers.
So paar ander dinge ook in die pyplyn
Hello all!
102 @ grootblousmile:
Ja, but Deysel is playing very well again. We need someone to take care of Deon at the breakdowns. Deysel can do that. Alberts adds something else. Was superb coming on later as impact and he did make a impact for sure. I would start with Deysel.
105 @ Bullscot:
Hello Bullscot. How is Scotland doing? Have just got a phone call from a mate that is coming in January. Jeez I have them here so much…….hahaha. Coming for 4 weeks this time. Time I go over there I think.
103 @ Sharks_forever:
Tim was from the Pumas initially
100: laat die Sharks nog een wen, hulle het nou eers 6 keer gewen. Om dit in perspektief te plaas: Baas Notha het meer CB gewen in sy 11 finale (9 keer) as wat die Sharks in 120 jaar gewen het. Sharky forever is reg, dit is hul beurt om te wen, WP het ook al oor as genoeg die CB gewen, en nog een gaan hul rekord van 10 jaar sonder ‘n ordentlike beker verpletter.
@ Puma:
Two names, Daniel and Lambie!!!!
Lambie oozes pure class, and Daniel is a classical 8th man from the ‘Teichman school’.
Okay I am off. Going to get a cup of coffee then off to bed. Have a teleconference at 6am tomorrow morning to Oz.
Cheers everyone. Catch up early then.
GO SHARKS GO! Just feel it in my bones, Saturday gonna be a good day for us Sharkies…………
96 @ bdb:
Goeie naand bdb daar is geen rede dat ons nie albei die o19 en o21 games kan wen nie. Onthou met WP se seniors in aksie sal hulle sekerlike van hul o21s afstaan vir die seniors en dus ook van hul best o19s vir o21s. Met ons wat nou uit die seniors Curribeker uit is kan van die ouens terugkeer na die o21s en dus ook van die o19s (indien daar enige was) wat o21 gespeel het terugkeer van die o21s…teensy die WP besluit hul best kans vir ‘n beker is in die o19s en kies die beste span wat hul kan daarvoor in plaas van om enige van die beste o19s vir hul O21s te laat speel.
111 @ Puma:
Hello and cheers Puma, have a good nite.
110 @ Pietman:
For sure Piet. Lambie is our complete flyhalf. Have said so here many times before. Everyone knows how I feel about our fh at the Sharks. He is class. So is Keegan, what a superb player. A genuine 8.
Before I go will leave you guys with a article McLook wrote today about Lambie why he should be our flyhalf. I really enjoy McLooks articles. Has very good rugga knowledge.
here it is:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Lambie the Solution on 10
Where Jantjies was unable to pilot the game Lambie on the other hand was outstanding in his ability to navigate the Sharks to a win under high pressure circumstances. Lambie’s line kicks and place kicks were excellent but it is his ability to read the game that makes him such and valuable player at No10. While Lambie stood out in the match Morné Steyn was hardly noticeable during the entire match.
Lambie’s talents are wasted on No15.
He is the playmaker SA needs in the pivotal flyhalf berth. I like the way Lambie tackles low on the ankles in the flyhalf channel and he is a far better defender in that position than back at No15.
Lambie and Goossen should in my books be the flyhalfs for the end of year tour (that is if Goossen recovers in time. If not I’ll even consider Peter Grant). Here specifically is what I like about Lambie as a flyhalf:
1.He is unpredictable and constantly varies what he is doing;
2.He reads the game and have an intuitive feeling for where to be, what to do and where to position himself (deep or flat) behind his pack;
3.He defends well in the inside channel;
4.His tactical kicking is great and he uses the kick as an attacking weapon and not as an option because he doesn’t know what to do with the ball;
5.He is fast of the mark –probably the fastest of all the SA flyhalfs- and plays direct rugby;
6.He attack space and know how to put his outside backs into space; Frans Steyn is going to be a real factor on 12 if he plays next to Lambie;
7.His line kicks are excellent and he maintains a high percentage success rate as a place kicker and more importantly he can kick under pressure;
8.He has a compact built with a low center of gravity with fast feet and an intuitive feeling for space and time which not only makes him the ideal flyhalf but also less prone for injury; Goossen needs to be nursed and Lambie is a type of player who can take the brunt while Goossen matures;
9.He distributes well with both hands and;
10.He has good hands in the sense that he catch difficult passes (high, low and behinds his back) and can make instant decisions on what to do with the ball if he receives a bad pass under pressure.
Lambie in short is a player around which countries like Wales, England, Australia and New Zealand will construct backlines and game plans.
Game breakers vir Sharks: Keegan, Lambtjops en JPP (player of the year by a country mile)
Vir WP: Eben, Habana, Aplon.
As ek Sharks was, konsentreer op die onervare skakel(paar) en die voorry. WP se teletubbies sonder Tiaan is maar dun en min.
Cheers everyone catch up tomorrow.
@ bdb:
:lol; bidibidi,
@ grootblousmile:
Ah Ok thanks Rudi
112: is daar enige 0/21’s in die Bulle se senior span, ek glo nie ?
115: lekker slaap Puma, onthou om vir Lambie ‘n goeie nag soentjie te gaan gee. 😉
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