The race for the semifinals berths is hotting up with the Sharks, Bulls, Lions, Cheetahs and Province going all out to secure favourable positions on the log.
Here are the highlights from the weekend, as well as a quick recap of the Sharksworld pool on Superbru and our own Fantasy League game.
Bulls vs Cavaliers
The Bulls showed signs of full recovery from last week’s setback when they trounced the Cavaliers at Loftus on Friday. The Bulls secured their try bonus point within half an hour on their way to scoring 14 tries. Boland did well to keep the Bulls from scoring for almost a quarter of an hour but when they got the breakthrough, the floodgates opened.
FL hot picks: M. Steyn with his try and 5 conversions and Mametsa /W. Steenkamp with 2 tries each.
Final score: Bulls 69 – Cavaliers 19 (Bulls won by 50)
SB closest picks: Stavros, Pump and Paarlbok all picked Bulls by 50, which netted them 0.33 each.
YAY – to Guthro for a great performance. The try was a cherry on top.
NAY – to the trio of Dazel, Francis and Wannenburg for their dangerous tackles which earned them yellow cards.
Province vs Valke
Western Province went to the game knowing they could not afford to hold anything back when they faced the Valke at Newlands on Saturday afternoon. With the possibility of the semi spots being decided on Points Difference, Province went all out as they touched down 14 times.
FL hot picks: Bekker with 5 tries, Grant with 9 conversions, De Villiers for scoring a try as a winning captain. Naqelevuki and Chavanga also picked 2 tries a piece.
Final score: Province 92– Valke 15 (WP by 77)
SB closest picks: Bricktop was not in a sharing mood as he took the entire BP with his closest pick of 75.
YAY– to the tall lock who scored 5 tries… that was fun to watch.
NAY-to the Valke for letting a tall lock score 5 tries…although that was fun to watch.
Lions vs Griquas
The Lions kept their fate in their hands when they collected maximum points from the Griquas at Coca Cola Park on Saturday. With the Cheetahs and Province breathing down their necks, and a tough home game against the “high-flying” Sharks coming soon, the Lions did themselves a favour by claiming 3rd position in a log that might change dramatically in the next couple of weeks.
FL hot picks: Killian with 3 tries, Rose with 4 conversions, Grobbelaar for scoring a try as winning captain.
Final score: Lions 41 – Griquas 20 (Lions by 21)
SB closest picks: Nobody picked a margin of 21 but shark-tank, Walt, Wallywong, geraas, stef, Bergbok, Fierce Allegiance, sharky and jarsonx all claimed 0.11 for being on either side of the correct margin.
YAY– to Earl Rose for dictating play and to Killian for finishing the moves.
NAY– to ME for being one point away from the BP, which would’ve then been 0.10. (all points count).
Sharks vs Cheetahs
The Sharks proved on Saturday that all things come to an end. The Durban based team used good judgment to break a bad streak that had seen them fail to beat the Free State outfit from 2003 –2008. A skillful boxer with a height and reach advantage will always use the jab to keep the opponent at bay and control of the fight. The Sharks used the same strategy through their tactical kicking.
Even though they failed to score the BP, they did however maintain control of the match for the entire second half. The Cheetahs were just not allowed to break out of their half at will. The wind did not only keep a lot of Sharks fans at home, but it also made it hard to play running rugby at times. This was the only match of the weekend that saw semifinal hopefuls going head to head, and anyone who sat there expecting a try blitz was probably at the wrong venue.
FL hot picks: All tries were scored by forwards, namely, Carstens, Sykes, Daniel and Smith. Muller was also a good pick as the winning captain.
Final score: Sharks 22- Cheetahs 10 (Sharks by 12)
SB closest picks: sharky, G4BR13L, McLovin, ticks, Salmo, Ernie, Dick, Sharkie, SauronShark, Gerhardt and MYSELF had to settle for 0.09 for picking the Sharks by 12. I was aware of my pick but I still wanted that BP try towards the end of the match.
YAY – to Frans for reminding us why we think he will be a future Bok star…oh and for that massive drop-goal too.
NAY– to Bis for that crooked throw.
For the latest Fantasy League standings CLICK HERE
Superbru CC Top 10 – SHARKSWORLD
1. superviv
2. blackshark
3. Bricktop
4. geraas
5. Salmo
6. Bat
7. Jagluiperd
8. Gerhardt
9. Western sauce
10. robdylan
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Think the Lions and Province may be the only 2 teams playing in a quaterfinal..
I see the Author wants to make it clear that it was JUST him who wrote this piece. 😉
nice work, BS…. enjoy the game?
Being a superstitious kind of girl I was extremely happy to come accross this article on IOL, while I was looking for another article on the Sharks, and now I am going to keep this on my Pc for the times I get nervous before a match: 🙂
Sharks show shades of ’96 as semifinal looms
The fact that the Sharks have not won the competition since Gary Teichmann led the side to an emphatic 33-15 victory over a strong Golden Lions team at Ellis Park in 1996, is something Sharks supporters will not need reminding of.
However, this week coach John Plumtree admitted drawing on his experience of being part of that successful Sharks Team of the 90s and I think it is worth looking at the comparisons between the ’96 team and this Class of 2008.
In the front row there are quite a few similarities. Both teams had a Zimbabwean-born prop who played for the Springboks in Adrian Garvey and Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira.
Both teams had a Springbok hooker, John Allan (96) and Bismarck du Plessis (08) and a No 2 who had played for another country, Frederico Mendez (Argentina) and Skipper Badenhorst (Namibia).
In the second row, both eras had two Springbok locks with their back-up hailing from Durban High School.
The ’96 side had Bok locks Mark Andrews and Steve Atherton, who were ably supported by DHS old boy, John “Slugger” Slade, while this Sharks side has Bok World Cup squad members Johann Muller and Albert van den Bergh with former DHS headboy Alistair Hargreaves growing in stature every game he plays.
Plumtree packed down on the flank for the ’96 winners and is now tasked with breaking that 12-year drought.
In the backline, the comparisons continue with the ’96 team fielding playmaker Thierry Lacroix, a player who featured in a World Cup semifinal for France the previous year, and this team boasts another French midfield general in Frederic Michalak, who coincidently played in last year’s World Cup semi-final against England.
Both ended up on the losing side and promptly headed for the Sharks.
And lastly, both teams had World Cup winning wings in James Small and JP Pietersen, who also both played fullback for the Boks.
Let’s hope over the coming weeks the parallels between the two teams continue, with one exception – that this year’s final is at Absa Stadium.
😆 shot blackshark, very entertaining recap.
😯 This would sound like a Conspiracy theory or a theme for a movie…. But it is food for thought for a HUNGRY SHARK who has been waiting for 12 years for some silverware!
The Sharks only won that match cause Magic didn’t have his kicking shoes on…
@CoffeeShopBok;-) (Comment 7) : Personally I am hoping for a Sharks Lions final, ofcourse the Sharks to win 😉 my two favorite sides in the comp in the final! And I hope your team keeps those pesky Wpees out! You did it a couple of months ago just have to repeat the performance at Newlands!
@Sharksmad – The Blog’s Dudette (Comment 8) :
That would be great..I have to say that the comparisons to 96 are incredible..I was at that game and recall being very frustarted at watching my side lose but in the end the Sharks deserved it and the party after at Ellis was good fun (it being the last time ever I stayed behind and partied there)
One major difference though is that although its a good Lions side its not the class of 96…but I hope we can atleast give you a run for you money.And the final would also be at the sharktank instead of Coke Park.
😎
@robdylan (Comment 3) : Yep…apart from the BP thing…I thought we played well.
Some crazy moments earlier on…but my nails were pretty safe in the 2nd half.
@just blackshark (Comment 10) : you chat to any of the Free State journos? 😉
@Sharksmad – The Blog’s Dudette (Comment 8) : that was before we had our Boks back.
The Lions won’t be able to beat us this time around… en nogal op Nuweland. 👿
Think WeePee is close now. If the Cheetahs dont get bonuspoints this weekend we will pass them.
@PaarlBok (Comment 13) :
wouldn’t it be awesome if we won the CC even though we lost to the Valke and Griquas and the lowly Lions???
It’s a black Monday. If any of you have investments, do yourself a favour and DON’T check the value for at least a year 🙄
@Pokkel (Comment 15) : Rugby value a year back the Lions was in exact the same position. They nearly won it . Watch the WeePee, if they make the semis they will be the team to beat.
@PaarlBok (Comment 16) : Agreed , I would rather play the Lions in a semi than the WeePee(being a Shark that is)
@Pokkel (Comment 15) :
Sheesh pokkel understatement..just found out my medical aid has gone bust 😯 one of many…
@wpw (Liverpool 2 Man Utd 1) (Comment 14) :
The lowly Lions 🙄 😉
Seriously though Province is inbound and its going to take a monumental effort to stop them.
@CoffeeShopBok;-) (Comment 18) :
Please tell me you are not in SA.
@CoffeeShopBok;-) (Comment 18) : HUH?????
@PJLD(RIP Bernie Mac) (Comment 21) :
AIG awaiting finacial help from the goverment..
@Salmonoid (Comment 20) :
No Im not its an American medical aid.
One of the world’s biggest banks US based Lehmann Brothers has filed for bankruptcy this after Two of the US’s biggest money lender Freddy Mac and Fanny May (real names I kid you not) were bought by the US gov to save them from going under.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 23) :
AIG falls under the Lehmann group umbrella.
IRB World Rankings 15 September 2008
1(1) NZL
2(2) RSA
3(3) AUS
4(4) ARG
5(5) ENG
6(6) WAL
7(7) FRA
8(8) IRE
9(9) SCO
10(10) ITA
What a HUUUUGGGEEEE gap between 3 and 4. No wonder the northern hemisphere are paying such astronomical sums of money for the Southern Hemisphere’s guys. 😯 😯
@Silver Fox (Comment 25) :
I wonder if ANY of them have ever managed a SH grandslam in one year by beating the Aus, SA and NZ teams?
@KSA Shark © (Comment 23) :
Those are very funny names 😀
good old US goverment to come to the rescue..the tax payers are going to be nailed for it.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 26) : Make that your next question when you are giving prices away. 💡
@KSA Shark © (Comment 26) :
Very good question..I doubt any NH team has ever achieved that..not in the modern era anyway.
@CoffeeShopBok;-) (Comment 29) :
I don’t think ANY of them have ever played all three in ONE tour. That is why I asked if they had done it in a year.
Would still be keen to know whether it was done or not though. 😛
@CoffeeShopBok;-) (Comment 27) :
The first time I heard of those names I thought it was some fast food chain or something.
In interesting if not scary stat is that with the US gov now owning those two banks it now makes the US government the biggest mortgage holder in the US.
@wpw (Liverpool 2 Man Utd 1) (Comment 12) : I was talking about the S14 ! and it was with all your SBs 🙄