The Sharks season is turning into a season of “If Only” as they wrapped up their 5th consecutive victory over a Blues team that had only one plan and that was to spread the ball from anywhere and everywhere.
The Sharks won their 5th Super 14 match in a row after their tournament started with five consecutive defeats. Things would have been so different for them in the Super 14, had it not been for their poor start.
However, the Durbanites still have a mathematical chance of a place in the semi’s and thus their chances were kept alive after they beat the Blues yesterday with a well deserved 23-10 victory.
The Sharks understandably got stuck in with their forwards, while the visitors game was to run the ball as much as possible. Many handling errors however, was the order of the day and the Sharks still squandered many opportunities from counter attacking opportunities as the Blues suffered turnover after turnover.
The Blues suffered a severe blow when experienced centre, Luke McAlister, was injured within 10 minutes of the start and was replaced by Rene Ranger, although it must be said that Ranger can hardly be labeled a bad replacement, but McAlister’s steady vision and influence in the midfield was sorely missed.
The Sharks had their turn of bad luck too, as the wing JP Pietersen was injured, replaced byLwazi Mvovo who proved to be better than JP Pietersen anyway.
The Sharks had to defend for all that they were worth as the Blues got stuck in just before the halftime break, with men like Joe Rokocoko hitting up hard and testing the Sharks defence, the visitors had their hands full however with the home team’s pack, for whom the loose trio of Jacques Botes, Jean Deysel and Willem Alberts and, of course, the hooker Bismarck Du Plessis were very prominent.
The injury to Ryan Kankowski was probably a big loss for the Banana Boys, but one can argue that Alberts gets stuck in and his power game at this stage benefits the Sharks more than Kankowski’s speed and creative abilities.
In the middle of the first half it looked like the visitors had started to gain the ascendancy with a few threatening moves, only to be stifled by great defence. Eventually, the Blues hard work paid off though when prop John Afoa stormed through the middle of a few tackles, then passed to Stephen Brett who performed some magic of his own as he hit a huge gap, then put eighth man, Peter Saili virtually unmarked on his inside, through for the try that had Sharks supporters starting to get a little worried.
The Sharks showed some resolve and bite, though… they came back….
A Ruan Pienaar penalty closed the gap slightly as the Sharks got stuck in, in an attempt to go into the break with a lead, with the fine young fullback, Patrick Lambie, tackling his much celebrated opponent Isaia Toeava after a well placed up and under.
Lambie as well as Bismarck du Plessis both came close to crossing the try line, but it took a strong scrum and Ruan Pienaar attacking the blind side to score, to put the Sharks ahead 11 / 10.
The Sharks kept their stranglehold on the game in the 2nd half but points were hard to come by. After Andy Goode was injured, scrumhalf Rory Kockott came on as a replacement, moving to the scrumhalf position and causing Ruan Pienaar to move to flyhalf. Kockott played a good game after initial nerves saw his first kick charged down.
It was Kockott’s two long range penalties in the last part of the game, that saw the Sharks stretch their lead beyond the Blues reach, he also dictated the game from then on keeping the Blues pegged in their own half.
Points:
Sharks 23 (11):
- Try: Ruan Pienaar
- Penalties: Pienaar (2), Rory Kockott (2), Andy Goode.
- Drop goal: Pienaar.
Blues 10 (10):
- Try: Peter Saili
- Conversion: Stephen Brett
- Penalty: Stephen Brett.
hahaha what a translation by google, even i can do better, put up the Afrikaans too.
oh hell no then walla will cry he dont understand 😆
1. Sharky, did you write that above…hehehe. Some things just never made sense……hahahahaha.
oh shit and forgot to put in compliments to louis 😆
Piesangboere!!! 😆 had to laugh there and what does (gatslag) mean?….hahaha
lol nope , in bed with bronchitis woke up very early so thought lemme just get an article up
😆
gpt bad headache ill edit and repair just now lol
5
that is not a pothole , that i can tell you.
ok now its my article lol . re wrote that totally
damn google 😆
Gave me a good laugh, i am the first to admit my English is not good but surely Google gave me hope. They just stuck in a Afrikaans word when there is no English word in the database.
😆
i had a good chuckle too lol
and now imma get back into bed
Get well Sharky
The maximum points the Sharks can get is 40 points. They still need a lot of friends to do them many favours.
The run in to the Super14 semi finals? There are still 10 sides in with a mathematical chance of making the semis with three weeks to go! Below is the log after 10 games, with each team’s next three fixtures:
Team Points 30th 7th 14th
Bulls 39 Sharks Crusaders Stormers
Stormers 34 Crusaders Sharks Bulls
Crusaders 34 Stormers Bulls Brumbies
Reds 34 Brumbies Canes Highlanders
Waratahs 33 Highlanders Chiefs Canes
Brumbies 27 Reds Highlanders Crusaders
Hurricanes 27 Chiefs Reds Tahs
Blues 25 Cheetahs Lions Chiefs
Sharks 25 Bulls Stormers Force
Chiefs 24 Canes Tahs Blues
With the top three sides definitely losing a game given that they play each other, the Reds and Tahs are dangerously positioned with their “simpler” finish to the season …
14 – dWeePer, Sharks wont make a semi. We hardly picking up any 4 try bonus points.
We may still win a few but wont make a semi.
Everyweek it changes. The way it looks to me the top 4 may look like this.
Not in order.
Bulls, Stormers, Reds and Tahs. Somehow don’t see Saders beat the Bulls or Stormers. I could be wrong. For now see it that way. If Saders beat Bulls or Stormers they mays till land up in a semi.
17 – mays = may
Can you imagine the shock-waves in New Zealand if there is no team in the semis
Tjarkie, don’t you read Articles which you place…. Grammar and spelling was aweful, I had to re-write the whole piece.
I would have loved to have read the original article, since my grammer and spelling is awefull, it would have made lot of sence to me 😆
AND !!!!!!!! play nicely with Sharkie he is sick 😥
I see you Bulls are bringing out the big stick to play us little old Sharks, BAKKIES BOTHA.
Will take that as a compliment 😆 , but frankly i dont think we stand a chance judgeing by the way we played on Saterday.
Treehugs the original was great, here is a extract
“The Sharks have rest after their stranglehold on the game reserves, but points were hard at getting”
The original Afrikaans
Die Sharks het ná rustyd hul wurggreep op die wedstryd behou, maar punte was moeilik in die hande te kry.
Look i will never ask google to translate anything for me, read this beauty
“Pienaar gets a man with half sorry gerondskuiwery – at scrumhalf, he was simply brilliant hour that he played at flyhalf and was his first kick charging”
Afrikaans…
Vir Pienaar kry ’n mens half jammer met die gerondskuiwery – op skrumskakel was hy eenvoudig skitterend die uur dat hy daar gespeel het en op losskakel is sy eerste skop afgestorm.
RUDI… Sue me 😆
Maar moet niks van Kockott wegvat nie – hy bly ’n mededinger en sy twee lang strafdoele in die laaste deel van die wedstryd het die
Sharks vir die eerste maal buite trefafstand geplaas. Hy het ook die spel goed gedikteer om te sorg dat die Blues in hul eie gebied vasgepen word.
Translated into Brits it says
But nothing Kockott wegvat – he remains a contender, and his two long penalties in the last part of the game, the
Sharks for the first time outside spitting distance placed. He also dictated the game right to get the Blues in their own area is pegged.
Sharky you alerted me to something that will give me endless fun. Hel i will do that translate thing again.
You sue Google 😆
lol super
I think anything that wears blue is ka**ing itself for a Shark lately.
why 4man
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