The Reds bemoaned a number of calls made by South African referee Lourens van der Merwe in their 20-35 loss to the Sharks at the weekend.
Despite an impressive second-half fight back at Kings Park, the reds left Durban empty handed.
rugby365
Down 6-25 at half time, the Reds scored second half tries through Mike Harris and Will Genia – to open up the chance of a comeback victory, before a late Sharks try killed off the match.
Second half replacement Beau Robinson was carded for infringing at the breakdown in the 67th minute, which coach Richard Graham said was a crucial point in the game.
“At that point, we still had an opportunity,” the Reds coach said.
“We finished strongly, so it would probably have come down to how we managed the last 13 minutes,” Graham added.
“I don’t think the breakdown was refereed very well, so I’m frustrated in that sense.”
Reds captain James Horwill spent several instances speaking to Van der Merwe.
“There were certain things that we didn’t get the rub of the green, but that’s rugby sometimes,” Horwill said.
The add injury to insult replacement prop Ben Daley went off the field in second half with a knee problem and headed back to Brisbane on Sunday to have scans.
The teams scored two tries each, but the Sharks kicked seven penalties to make the difference.
Both Graham and Horwill lamented the number of clear chances that the Reds let slip, in particular Mike Harris dropping the ball on the tryline, shortly before half-time.
“There were plenty of opportunities either side of half-time to get closer, and we just didn’t take them,” Horwill said.
“Those guys know themselves they missed opportunities, so I don’t need to say anything to them,” Graham added, looking ahead to their next clash against the Lions at Ellis Park this coming Saturday.
“Our character, when we were down 6-25, was displayed when we came back to 20-28. But our accuracy has got to be better.
“Their spirit has really impressed me, and they continue to fight. We know that we will face something similar to what Frans Steyn did, punishing us from anywhere inside 55 metres.”
Graham added that apart from the missed opportunities, the high penalty count contributed to the result.
“We started the game very well and managed position and possession,” the coach said.
“We then had a 20-minute period where we lost control of the game and decisions at the breakdown compounded the scoreboard pressure,” Graham added.
“The score at half time was challenging, but we composed ourselves and got back to 20-28. At that point the game was where we should have gone on with it.
“We had a couple of opportunities that we didn’t capitalise on and we are disappointed.”
The Reds now move on to Johannesburg where they play the Lions at Ellis Park on Saturday.
“We wake up tomorrow [Monday] and shift our focus to next weekend’s match against the Lions,” Graham said.
“They have started the season strongly and will be buoyed by their win over the Blues.
“We need to prepare well and continue to improve if we are to get the result we are chasing.”
21: Die beste deel van die artikel is ….
“… from the Blue Bulls, the most powerful rugby union in South Africa.”
Oor ou Jake en enige ander afrigter in die land, elkeen van hulle het hul fans en hul vyande, dit is maar die lewe.
Moet sê, White het nie veel fans gemaak met sy dom opmerkings oor ons spelers laasjaar toe hy in Brumbieland gesit het nie. Nou toe die geld reg is, en hy skielik ‘n span ontvang het wat reeds diepte het en hy nie hoef op te gebou het van die grond af nie (soos HM by Bulle), nou is alles weer ‘SA eerste’ vir hom. White het ook die Bulle bokke ge-erf van HM om 2007 te wen, nie eintlik self span gebou nie.
Iets minder as die titel hierdie jaar sal vir hom ‘n mislukking wees. Sal sien hoe vaar hy teen die jong, onervare Bulle span Saterdag, wie niemand weereens ‘n kans gee nie.
Gepraat van die Sharks span vir komende Saterdag, watter versterkings kan nog inkom ?
Jordaan, Deysel, Peyper, PSDT en wie nog ?
32 @ Ben:
Ek dink Jordaan en Pieter-Steph is long term casualties… so dis Deysel, Jaco Peyper & Lourens van der Merwe, as jy my vra!
@ Loosehead:
You surely nailed it
It’s an irrational thing there, same the way they keep running down Jono Ross on this blog, that despite being their best loose forward.
They also drove the late Kitch Christie out of town on a cartwheel, guess what, Kitch went on to win the Super 10, the CC and the RWC with Tvl in a space of 3 years.
I also don’t like JW and his record from 2006/07 which was a shamble but I keep it all about rugby.
@ Pietman:
It was a case of a sheer luck not a rugby proper achievement imo
JW’s Boks didn’t win against the numbers three to one ranked teams unlike Christie who did it in 1995, so I wasn’t impressed but still they pulled it off!
Hondo keeps it all about rugby.
Cough cough.
Ben wrote:
A nee a Ben
Kom saam met my oor na die dark side, ek het die lig gesien.
Die Sharks is wonderlik, fantasties, te goed vir woorde.
Hulle trek die kortste ent van beslissings en as ons nie so n wonderlike span en afrigter en CEO en oog afrigter gehad het nie sou ons seker nie so gerieflik al ons wedstryde gewen het nie.
Jy is net jaloers, soos sekere ander wie se name ek nie gaan noem nie.
Ons gaan Saterdag chop chop met die pienk melk koeie afreken en hopelik sal die Waratahs ons ietwat van n challenge gee die week daarop.
Ek wil nie he my span moet in die finaal speel sonder om ooit gee toets te geword het nie, ons kan nie help ons is so ver die ander spanne dat dit so maklik is nie.
Ons spelers gee al selfs vir die skeidsregters lesse tydens die wedstryd van hoe om te skrum, so superior is ons. Dink jy dis dalk hoekom die skeidsregters eintlik so teen ons blaas? Dalk is hulle ook jaloers op ons, ek dink so.
Groete
Jou Sharkie vriend.
Ps kom jy ook nou oor na die wen kant toe, Mr. Price hou n uitverkoping op verlede jaar se stock. Hierdie jaar se nuwe truie het klaar die goue bekertjie met 2014,2015 en 2016 op die regtermou, so dis n bietjie duur.
33: Sal begin met Lourens en dan vir Peyper opbring die laaste 10 minute vir die nodige impak, hy is baie goed daardie laaste paar minute van ‘n game.
@ Hondo:
Look, SA had an ideal draw. It also helped that Aus and NZ were knocked out. But that is the nature of a competition like the WC. Even Kitch said that SA needed to beat Aus on to get the better draw.
@ Lion4ever:
Well, they did beat the Wallabies in the opener, didn’t they?
JW guys beat the Poms 36:0 if I remember correctly
34: Ross was baie beter op agsteman, dit het al die mense daar op die Bulle se blog ook erken, hy is nie ‘n flank nie. Maar dat hy die Bulle se ‘best loose forward’ is, is ‘n klomp stront. Gaan kyk of hy enige ‘best super 15’ spanne gehaal het na elke rondte, of laasjaar toe hy vir CB span gespeel het, was hy nêrens nie. Julle engelse moet ook nou nie sy engelse taal insleep nie, ons glo die beste speler moet speel ongeag van sy taal of velkleur. Feit is, daar is heelwat losvoorspelers wat beter as hy is, hy is nie te sleg nie, maar definitief nie Bulle se beste loosie nie. JDP is loshande die beste loosie wat die Bulle tans het na 4 wedstryde, en met Steggies en Dewald terug dink ek dit is ‘n goeie gebalanseerde kombinasie.
Jannie apologies to ref
2014-03-17 18:00
News24
Rob Houwing, Sport24 chief writer
Cape Town – Jannie du Plessis, the Sharks’ veteran Springbok tighthead prop, has cleared the air with Super Rugby referee Lourens van der Merwe.
VIDEO: Jannie du Plessis backchats ref!
Sport24 has learnt from an impeccable source that the charismatic doctor and 31-year-old front-ranker phoned the official on Monday to apologise for his backchat in the match against the Reds at Kings Park on Saturday.
Van der Merwe, during a break for treatment to an injured Reds player early in the second half, had addressed the prop over his dissatisfaction with a binding issue in the scrums, telling him he was on a final warning or he would “have to penalise”.
Du Plessis, to the incredulity of many people listening to the SuperSport audio feed, spiritedly protested, saying that his technique had received the backing of scrumming guru and former Bok No 3 Balie Swart and also Paddy O’Brien, once a Test referee and former head of the International Rugby Board’s Referee Board.
“So please don’t lecture me,” Du Plessis was clearly heard to say during the novel exchange.
It has subsequently been learnt that in the heat of the moment Du Plessis confused O’Brien’s name with that of the personality he meant, current SANZAR referee manager Lyndon Bray.
“(The disagreement) was over a technical issue surrounding binding,” the source said.
“But Jannie felt very bad about it; he knew he came over a bit strongly in his views.
“He has had a good chat to Lourens and apologised; it was a spur of the moment event and he doesn’t want to be seen as someone who has a go at refs.”
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