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.
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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.
@ Puma:
What if he cant??
Serioualy i could call my mate in PTA, you would have to trasnfer money into the supporters club account and just collect your tickers from us on entry to the stadium,
We normally meet near the Riverside Hotel
@ Puma:
Ok cheers bro catch up laters
@ Sharks_forever: Hi Puma and Sharks Forever here I am 🙂 took your advice and joined this morning 🙂 hehe this is a breath of fresh air! Coming from that gutter 🙂
Must go to a meeting but will be back ASAP! Please don’t desert me 🙂
OOPs didn’t realise how many smileys I was including. Will be better behaved in future!
@ Sharksgirl:
Welcome Hun, yeah it is a bit quiet now
always is.
@ Sharksgirl:
😆 no problem there are lots of smileys to click on btw,
If you click on [-] Zaazu Emoticons just above the submit link?? it opens many emoticons
Hellloooooooooooooooo Guys and Gals!
184 @ Sharksgirl:
Welcome to Rugby-Talk, the friendly blog!
Good morning people and Sharks fans
Good morning people and Sharks fans
@ Bullscot:
Good morning Skirt…… Oops i mean kilt man 😆
Oompie Puma, the man with the rickety knees,
Yeah, we must do some prediction Articles on a regular basis…. I think THAT could be the Ideal job for you here as Author on Rugby-Talk!
Told you I would rope you in, you old geyser!
@ grootblousmile:
Good morning old chap!!!
@ grootblousmile:
He suffers from Knee_Monia 😆
191 @ Sharks_forever:
Helloooooooooo Ty, you old freegin Tjark!
192 @ Sharks_forever:
Bwahahaha…. think I’ll call him that from now!
Knee-Moania!
189 @ Sharks_forever:
yip that will be me 3 weeks this Saturday in my kilt at Murrayfield watching the BOKS! I know you guys are all in Currie Cup final mode but I posted Welsh squad for the end of year test, and Ireland will be announcing their’s today so that will be something for the Boks management to pour over and plan for.
Good morning sharky great to see the lessons have finally paid off
@ Bullscot:
Wales will be a very difficult test to win.
Eish… let me see if there is some news to put up…
194 @ Bullscot:
Hello Bully,
Dang we’re having a wet and miffy summer so far here in good ols SA.
Must be pis-bitter cold up there in your neck of the woods.
I am busy doing something for a Sharks thread re the final
197 @ grootblousmile:
What do you make of Wales squad GBS?
198 @ grootblousmile:
Hi GBS not the warmest here but not that cold either, it is a bit dreich as they say up here at the moment, overcast skies a bit misty BUT it started like this yesterday and the afternoon was stunning with blue skies – put some pics up if you want to go have a look and see – coastal scenes. Later this week though its gonna get much colder, if we were just a bit higher up we could even have been getting snow…
GBS, did the heavy rains wash away the shark Nets on all of the rivers?
We’re under siege from potential Shark Fin Soup ingredients. LOL.
Seriously though. Welcome to all Natalians, and even the Sharks supporters who don’t live in the Last Outpost.
You guys who still visit KEO must really search for a cure for your illness’.
Since the day I unearthed where GBS and co had disappeared to I haven’t even looked at that cesspit of a blog!
I think things are slightly more civilised here.
196 @ Sharks_forever:
Yeah Sharky luck Boks not playing Wales, their backline will be impressive, possibly the biggest in the world with Phillips, Roberts, Cuthbert and North there, even Biggar and Priestland are not small guys. But have not been than impressed in general with the Welsh forwards in the domestic/Euro season so far and also starting with Howley as coach with Gatland away think they may not play to their potential, although their only real test should be against the All Blacks, think they will be way too good for Argentina and Samoa. Boks play Ireland Scotland and England, should be a tough but at least short tour for the Boks.
@ grootblousmile:
Got lots of airmiles if you want to go and watch the Boks at a discounted airfare.
@ Bullscot:Morning Bully – in answer to your question last night, we are moving to a lovely big farm house in the middle of nowhere, plenty of space to get lost in, and to hide from – I prefer the quiet solitude, so it’s perfect for us.
183 @ Sharksgirl:
Good morning Sharksgirl welcome to the site, its nae bad here
Hello JFK see you’re also up on board this morning, hows it going in your neck of the woods? Not long and will need to get moving with laaitie this side, its their holiday time so will go do some fun stuff today again.
200 @ Bullscot:
Wales ALWAYS has an interesting squad… and I like the fact that Rugby is their National Sport.
Good mix between experience and a few youngsters, some good game breakers… but there is a chink or 3 in their armour too!
204 @ Scrumdown:
Hello Scrumdown, sounds good hope you twist Gbs arm to get a discount airfare to Edinburgh to watch the Boks, still 3 weeks to go, what about you joining him, you guys can touch down in Dublin for two weeks time then fly to Edinburgh or take the ferry and drive across and then head home via London… you would have a blast!
204 @ Scrumdown:
Nah, can’t go and watch the buggers overseas… some hectic shit planned for me here in the next few weeks.
But I think next year I MUST make a plan to go on a rugby tour of sorts….
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