What a superb performance, Sharks! Keep it up and we’ll run the top teams very close.
The Sharks tight five really played out of their skins on Saturday and ultimately laid the platform for victory. Something was clearly in the water that the guys drank before the game, because all of a sudden, the synergy and cohesion that has been lacking in the pack all year was back. Carstens was at his bullocking best and Muller reigned supreme in the lineouts. The real stars, for my money, though, were Skipper Badenhorst and Alistair Hargreaves. Skip played his best game yet in Sharks colours and was everywhere. His scrumming and lineout work were impeccable and he hit every ruck as though his life depended on it. Even his Achilles Hands seemed to be be working for him. Hargreaves showed that mongrel streak that we’ve all been looking for. He added a real presence in the tight-loose, something we haven’t seen before.
But it was the looseis who really shone, showing the value of a tight five that is working at its optimum. Jacques Botes was everywhere, yet strangely enough it was Jean Deysel who secured all the turnovers. Wolla had another superb game; he really seems to be made of a different substance to the rest of the guys out there. Keegan Daniel reigned supreme at the back of the scrum and showed off a variety of skills at number 8 reminiscent of the great Zinzan Brooke. Just for once, it was the opposition getting bullied off the ball at every breakdown, in a furious display of competition and counter-rucking. The Griquas backs looked woeful, as the Sharks backs have so many times this season, behind a pack that being completely outplayed.
For the Sharks men, it was a different story.
Scott Mathie, after a fair amount of aimless kicking in the first quarter, finally seemed to figure out what it is that a scrumhalf behind such a rampant pack should be doing: pick up the ball and pass it. Once he got that formula sorted out in his head, he went on to do it again and again and again, turning in his best performance of the season in the process. Monty Dumond again showed that he has no boot to speak off, but can run some beautiful lines and is a crisp distributor at flyhalf.
The real destroyer-in-chief was Riaan Swanepoel, though. The youngster had oodles of ball and oodles of space and absolutely ran riot with the fragile Griquas defence. It’s not often you’ll come up against an opposition midfiled containing a scrumhalf and two fullbacks, so perhaps we should temper our enthusiasm somewhat, but Swannie really does seem to have the whole package. As crushing as the loss of Bradley Barritt will be to the Sharks, perhaps on Saturday we saw a glimmer of a silver lining in the performance the young Elvis-lookalike turned in.
The outside backs, predictably, had a field day and it truly was great to watch Waylon Murray, in particular, taking good ball at pace and rediscovering some of his mojo. Chris Jordaan and Lwazi Mvovo were busy and looked for work all over the show, while Stef did what he does best… All-in-all, a great team effort and a great result for the fans.
Sharks – you beauties. You did us proud, but let’s not forget the five fatties who really put their hands up out there. Men, we need you to play like that every week.
Can it really be just Deysel that’s made such a difference?
gm rob
no it was a team effort , our forwards in most games have been good , but the backs have been awful , this time around the backs stopped kicking the ball away , and it worked\
in saying that deysel was awesome , and so to carstens
Jean Deysel proves that you cannot just have small quick loosies. You also need the big,strong and mobile guys to do a bit of intimidating.
Deysel was huge,but an all round team effort
@robdylan (Comment 1) :
I dont know, but he was huge, always getting well over the advantage line at the same time taking 2-3 opponents with him and then always managing to offload the ball for the move to carry on with momentum. It must have been inspiring stuff for his teammates.
It was almost as if this team was coached by someone new, so contrasting, was it to the performances of previous weeks.
Can I vote more than once in the poll – I need to.
@Salmonoid (Comment 5) : Permission granted!!
We need more votes. 
Then again, I do not have the say here.
here is the team i think will play saturday
15 stefan
14 odwa
13 murray
12 swannepoel
11 jordaan
10 steyn
09 ruan
08 keegan
07 deysel
06 botes
05 muller
04 hargreaves
03 bj
02 skipper
01 carstens
16 burden
17 sykes
18 jannie
19 mlovo
20 mathie
21 strauss
22 another
FIRE THE COACHES, ESPECIALLY THE BACKLINE COACH
@hellbent (Comment 8) : I will drink to that! In fact make it a double!!
Pity Micky Arthur does not coach rugby
my team is taking into account that its still uncertain if or when barritt or cockott will play
eish now if we beat problems on saturday that will set us up nice for semi’s
We are talking about Griquas here…
No need to get all excited…
Wait until you beat a GREAT team like WP, then and only then can you post heading such as this one.
Smash anyone my ass!!!
WPW – I think we already beat WP this season….
@wpw (Comment 12) : You are right, even after Saturday, we cannot say we faced real oposition
@hellbent (Comment 8) :
@Sharksmad – The Blog’s Dudette (Comment 14) : and by Saturday I meant 9 August!
@I’ce (Rebel With a Cause) (Comment 15) : Nothing wrong with that memory!!
@Sharksmad – The Blog’s Dudette (Comment 16) : Hey Dudette!! You somehoe look more like a “Dude” in that picture
, but you do make some sense there!!
SOMEHOE???
@hellbent (Comment 13) : I think he meant beat WP AGAIN !!! Which we will do anyway…
I know PROBLEMS gave us a bit of a scare at the Shark-Tank but we’ll show them how it’s done. I predict that Steyn will have a blinder of a game …wherever he is played.
Wolla! Wolla! Wolla!
@Silver Fox (Comment 19) : Please people, note on your keyboards where the w and e are situated. Then ask Ice about the size of my fingers. Before some witty one comment on that, I mean it as per my picture in my boat!
@wpw (Comment 12) : how much did you win by in Kimberley this year?
@blackshark (Comment 20) : Black one, I am glad to have Steyn back with the Sharks, but mad as hell that he was sent back from the Boks!!
@Silver Fox (Comment 21) :
Pork Sausages for fingers??
@robdylan (Comment 22) :
@wpw (Comment 12) :
“Smash anyone my ass!!!” just remind us once again who it was that was playing with uncontested scrums and why?
@robdylan (Comment 22) :
Kick him where it hurts
Or how far did they win by in Brakpan?
@Silver Fox (Comment 18) : But I’m cute admit it, and I am eating some mountain goat
Nice one!!!
I caught 5 beeeeg ones today… hehehe
@KSA Shark © (Comment 27) :
@I’ce (Rebel With a Cause) (Comment 24) : Have to take that one!!
Tried to avert sleezy comments on a lousy remark, should have done it over before posting it! 
@I’ce (Rebel With a Cause) (Comment 15) : It’s tongue in cheek. When the players are kak, it’s the coaches’ faults. When the players are good, then they get the credit.
I just find it rather amusing that no kudos have been passed onto the coaching staff for this performance.
@Sharksmad – The Blog’s Dudette (Comment 28) : Yeah yeah, so you are cute and making me jealous too!!!
@hellbent (Comment 32) :
I thought as much, Hellraiser!
@Silver Fox (Comment 33) : Making you jealous why? would you like some mountain goat steak?
@Sharksmad – The Blog’s Dudette (Comment 35) :
Fatso’s like that are ALWAYS hungry…
@hellbent (Comment 32) : Let’s become more consistant and then start praising the coaches( didn’t you know it’s ALWAYS the coaches fault
)
@I’ce (Rebel With a Cause) (Comment 36) :
@Sharksmad – The Blog’s Dudette (Comment 35) : @I’ce (Rebel With a Cause) (Comment 36) : Both of you are spot on. Blondie, you will still get wise someday???
And Dudette, it cannot be of your looks that I’d be jealous of, heck, a picture of a man like me?
@Silver Fox (Comment 39) : Oh but look at those cute small eyes set very far apart and a smile full of teeth, I really thought it had to be my looks
@Silver Fox (Comment 39) :
Me, wise?? Maybe you should go and read up on Blondes…
@hellbent (Comment 32) : I did give kudos to both the coaching staff and the players…
@blackshark (Comment 42) :
Tries: Botes 2, Murray, Carstens, Swanepoel, Jordaan 2
I can definitely get used to seeing this type of thing on the match report.
Was only able to watch the 2nd half but I think we played with more patience and confidence. It was only the Griquas but we played through the different phases like we had a plan (for a change). The ball did a lot of travelling between hands and went wide a bit quicker. I can only imagine what we could’ve done with above-average halves.
Credit to the coach and the players…and hopefully with more consistency and less injuries we’ll see an improvement every weekend.
Sharks forever!
Wolla you rock!
Comment 12, posted at 04.08.08 08:56:09 by blackshark
And my earlier contribution re the coaches is:-
“It was almost as if this team was coached by someone new, so contrasting, was it to the performances of previous weeks.” thats not derogatory of the coaches, is it? – hell I hope not because its not meant to be.
Hey All
New to the site. Just read the news on Barrit, which is a bummer, but there is something I don’t get. How can he be elagable to play for England if he’s already represented SA u21 and the Emerging Boks. It shouldn’t make a difference that his mother has a British passport, once a player has represented one country at senior level they shouldn’t be able to play for another. I thought that rule was implemented after Rathbone switched?
@Stinky-Winky (Comment 45) : age-group doesn’t count.
The only thing that counts is senior (national and A-level) and sevens.
So the Emerging Bok tour would not count, but a South Africa “A” tour would.
It’s all moot anyway, cos Brad has no intention of playing for England.
BTW – welcome to the site. Love the nick!
Cheers Robdylan
Thanks for clearing that up, but I’m pretty sure the Emerging Boks are our A team. Anyway I’d still prefer him to stay in Durbs.
released 30 minutes ago
Sharks Media Release
Durban – Bradley Barritt will be leaving the Sharks at the culmination of the Absa Currie Cup to link up with UK Club side Saracens on a three year deal. The centre who has also shown his skills at flyhalf has already accumulated 58 caps for the Sharks since making his debut in 2006.
Appointed vice captain because of his leadership abilities and organization of the backline, his season has been disrupted by injury but he is expected to start playing again either this week or following the three week break between the Province match this weekend and the game against Boland on Friday 29 August.
Despite being contracted for another year, the Sharks have generously released him to leave later this year in the interests of his own development as a player.
“From a team perspective, losing Brad is a big blow for all of us,” admitted Sharks Coach John Plumtree. “He is an outstanding Super 14 player, a good guy with great leadership qualities but we are not going to hold him back. He could even be back in a few years to play for us.”
Turning just 22 this week, in three years time he would still be a youthful 25 years of age with plenty of rugby left in him, but with the added advantages of having experienced rugby in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, in competitions like the Super 14 and Heineken Cup.
“He is still young enough to return to us and become a very valuable member for the Sharks,” Plumtree added. “We are going to miss him and we all wish him well.”
“This is nothing to do with the Sharks,” explained Barritt. “I wouldn’t consider another option in South Africa, the Sharks is my home, where I grew up, but this is a unique opportunity as young guy to broaden my horizons.
“I want to emphasise the point that I am not turning my back on the Sharks or Springbok rugby. This is a unique opportunity for me as a young player to grow and improve by playing in different conditions.”
With the extended periods away from home during the Vodacom Super 14 and the fact that it is almost impossible to study, Brad will also use his time in the UK to complete his Business Degree, where he is majoring in finance.
“It’s a nice opportunity to finish my degree overseas, it’s encouraged over there,” he pointed out.
“Eddie Jones (the former Wallaby Coach, now coach at Saracens) and I had good chat, and we agree that experiencing rugby from a different perspective may help me grow and improve as a player.
“I also see it as the chance to grow as a person away from my comfort zone.”
He believes that it would be arrogant to even presume that by playing in England he would be selected to play for them. “It’s being presumptions on my part to go and play over there and expect to receive a call-up to the national squad.
“I am not turning my back on South Africa, but if the opportunity arises I will obviously have to weigh up the merits of the case, the pros and cons. But in essence, I am going over to play for Saracens, that’s it.”
@KSA Shark © (Comment 48) : Now there you all have it straight from the horses mouth!! He is looking after his OWN interests!!! AND WHY NOT??? How sad the idea may seem that “loyalty to one course or another” has gone down the drain, we need to realise that we do live in a proffesional era. Good luck Brad!!
@Stinky-Winky (Comment 45) :
Here is the relevant regulation for clarity on the wording.
REGULATION 8. ELIGIBILITY TO PLAY FOR NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE TEAMS
8.2 A Player who has played for the senior fifteen-a-side National Representative Team or the next senior fifteen-a-side National Representative Team or the senior National Representative Sevens Team of a Union is not eligible to play for the senior fifteen-a-side National Representative Team or the next senior fifteen-a-side National Representative Team or the senior National Representative Sevens Team of another Union.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 50) : BF’s language that!
@Silver Fox (Comment 51) :
yeah but if you read it slowly it is pretty clear actually, but probably only BF will get through it first time and understand.