The title of this article is the name of a song by an awesome artist called Joshua Radin, whom you should all check out if you haven’t already done so. That’s not the point, though…
The point is, that, although the Sharks performed very poorly last night, we all need to keep the result very much in perspective. My article yesterday warned about the dangers in putting too much emphasis on the result of a warm up game and I’m afraid to say, the way some fans are going on, that’s exactly the trap they’ve fallen into. You’d swear the Sharks just took a 30-pointer against the Lions in the Super Rugby final, for goodness sake! The reality is, the Sharks seem to have approached this as a nothing game – an opportunity to get a bit of contact ahead of the season proper. The Lions, on the other hand, never lack motivation when they play against the Sharks. Could that have something to do with the sheer number of former Sharks players they have in their ranks?
I think pretty much the worst possible scenario for any player, played itself out in front of the team’s very eyes when Ali Hargreaves went down in the first half. We’re still waiting for news, but it appears the lad is still in hospital after doing something quite serious to his lower back. Say what you like, but any player witnessing a team mate suffering a potentially tournament-ending injury before the season has even started is going to immediately go into self-preservation mode to some extent. That’s just prudence – that’s just human nature. Remember that goal number 1 for this game was to come through without any serious injuries. From that perspective, it was a disaster.
Remember that the Sharks, as Currie Cup champions, are going to be playing with a massive target on their backs this year. Every team likes to beat the best and the reality of the situation this season is that the Sharks are going to face highly-motivated and physical opposition every time they take the field. The margins for error in Super Rugby have always been pretty small anyway and if one team is off their game by only 5-10%, they can easily get hammered by any other team in the competition. Kudos must go to the Lions here for stepping up and punishing the Sharks for being far more than 10% below their best… It looks like the boys from Joburg are going to be a real threat this year, which is really good news for their fans. I’m just glad that the Sharks have managed to breed some pretty fine players for them along the way!
For the Sharks, though, it’s back to the drawing board, for sure. As fans, we need to stick with them because, having chatted to one or two of the guys, I know they’re very disappointed in what they dished up last night and are determined to fix those errors against the Stormers on Saturday. Turning on the team – or each other – is never a good idea. Doing so before the season has even started is just stupid.
I’ll leave you with a closing quote from John Plumtree, courtesy of the Sharks official website. It’s something he said before last night’s game, which, coupled with the fact that he was said to be in a jovial mood after the game last night, makes me doubt that he is panicking just yet. “It’s no use saying it’s really important to win, because it’s not. From a confidence perspective, it’s always good to win – if we can come back from this trip with two wins, that would be fantastic. In saying that, I’d like to think that we’re past that as a team – that we have to rely on preseason results to give us confidence.”
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And that is the difference between the Lions and Sharks, Lions needs pre-season results to build confidence, and they got it, good for them.
Sharks however need to quickly rectify what went wrong last night, which by all accounts, included some shoddy defence and that, even pre-season, should be sorted.
Every team likes to beat the best
Sorry, but if I want my team to beat the best, I’ll be targeting the Bulls.
Who won the Air New Zealand cup anyway? Maybe they’re the best 🙄
Winning the CC certainly didn’t put targets on the Cheetah’s back for a coupla years.
In another arti ,plum sounded disappointed about the players commitment on defence..
In another arti ,plum sounded disappointed about the players commitment on defence..said some players let themselves down..
@molly (Comment 2) :
MAN that quote from plum could easily be construed as a dig at some other team. 😉
@Morne: by the sound of it,3 tries came from lions mauling the sharks from line-outs..guess ackermann has been showing the lions pack a trick or two 🙁
@molly (Comment 2) : I can guarantee one thing, Molly… your team will have the numbers “30-10” scrawled up on their changeroom wall before going into battle against us on Saturday night. The Currie Cup might not mean much to you (sour grapes?) but it does to the players.
Teaching them a trick or 2..
@molly (Comment 2) :
😯
@bergshark (Comment 7) : telling you now, Plum is spot on. If the Sharks had really wanted to stop those drives, they would’ve. Rugby players don’t really do shades of grey very well and if the coach has been telling them all week that the result is not important, they’re not going to put their everything on the line.
Some of Plumtree’s statements worry me a little, though, talking about individuals letting themselves down. I think he should maybe have been a little bit more open with each and every player ahead of the game and explained to them exactly what he was hoping to see.
@Hertford Highlander (Comment 10) : bruh – you ever hear anything from the Otago RU? I got no reply to my email
The sharks can not lose that far to the lions if they wanted to play,the lions and stormers almost never win the sharks when it matters,only the bulls can say that.
@robdylan (Comment 12) :
Nothing !
@robdylan (Comment 8) : And the same with the Bulls for the S14 final last year, think they’ll be MORE up for that game tbh.
It might be sour grapes, but the emphasis you’ve put on a CC win this/last year compared to the years where your team didn’t win it is quite amusing.
@Hertford Highlander (Comment 14) : any chance of trying your back door contacts?
@robdylan: any info on how engelbrecht looked out there?(Although,perhaps be unfair to judge a player in his first “game” for sharks and the team performance let something to be desired..but did he at least try and get involved both on def and attack?)
@molly (Comment 15) : it’s very clear that your team tried harder to lose the Currie Cup final last year than they did to lose the Super 14 final. Maybe I was wrong about it meaning a lot to them.
Another thing that is a worry(still!),is goalkicking..
@robdylan (Comment 16) :
I think we can pull it off ! 😉
I have just emailed you some info…what do you think helpful ?
so we do need a consolation article after loosing a warm-up. we are sad sad bunch
I’m just glad that the Sharks have managed to breed some pretty fine players for them along the way!
And Thankful for it 😀
@rekinek (Comment 21) :
😆 put it down to being starved of Ruggers for so long …
@CSB Razzmatazz Lions 😉 (Comment 22) : somebody in a good mood today 😆
@molly (Comment 2) :
Yep, that was the great Corne Kriges reckoning before the CC final “I would rather play the Sharks in Durban than the Bulls at Newlands in the final” I loved it.
Let’s see what happens in s15 ..just worried bout back-chatting the ref and getting pen extra 10m 🙁 self-discipline!!!
@molly (Comment 2) : I think you’re spot on. Based on their success in SR in the past, the Bulls and the Crusaders are the teams that all the others want to beat. I don’t think there has ever been any kind of media hype surrounding beating the NPC champs in S14, not even in NZ.
@Salmonoid: lol
@rekinek (Comment 24) :
Ive been a sad supporter going on a decade now ..you get use to feeding off scraps
If 41-10 was a ‘Final’ result, you would have heard or read some very obscene comments from me. GO SHARKS ❗ 😀
All things aside I hope that Hargreaves is okay ..
And I feel for sicknote injured in the similiar fixture last year for the Force.
@CSB Razzmatazz Lions 😉 (Comment 31) : you’re right. poor AP. But what a coincidence.
@rekinek (Comment 32) :
Its time for him to punt for a job at SS , he can beady eye the camera 😎
I really dont get all this non sense about not reading much into preseason games- especially ones 2 weeks before the competion starts! If you cant get things right in the 3 months before this game its not suddenly going to come right in 2 weeks. Creating a winning environment is important. And the Sharks havnt won a game yet – remember they lost that game to the VC side!
Defense and handling should have been sorted out in the preseason!
If this was not the case what were they doing? Sitting in the boardroom discussing contracts?
@Salmonoid (Comment 25) : I wouldn’t have wanted to pick either way, but judging by the way we “played” woulda sucked no matter who the oppo was…
@molly (Comment 35) :
You guys played as well as your opposition let you….
I’m starting to get the feeling the problem was more with the player’s attitude than anything else, which is something that can be fixed in 2 weeks.
@Salmonoid (Comment 36) : true.
It gets worse. Ross Skeate broke his finger
I’m disappointed, Plum clearly got the strategy wrong again. Why just focus on conditioning up until this time, surely there must be a balance between conditioning, game plane execution, ball skills, defensive patterns etc..Do we really have sufficient time to work on all these areas that have clearly not been given sufficient attention??
Stormers at this time of the year are again looking good again, they clearly got their balance in terms of match preparation correct again. A good start in this competition is important, it gives you momentum to continue pushing. I don’t understand why we just focused on conditioning, we have a big squad which means that there will be conditioning during the season for certain players whilst they are being rested. “Results don’t matter at this stage “ ! 41 – 10…you must be joking.. Very disillusioned…
One more thing…can all the guys that think that Lambie should focus on fullback get over it already. Yes he can play fullback very well but he is no Mils, Israel Dagg, Kurtly, James O’Connor (mind spelling), in other words..he won’t bring fear to the opposition. Lambie’s skills set are suited for flyhalf.
@GreatSharksays (Comment 40) :
I think you need to relax a bit..
Rate the coach after the first official game..
@molly (Comment 35) : I am quite surprised at you Molly, normally you are the level headed one here, but the amount of sour grapes from you this morning is making my eyes screw up 😕 Maybe you should go view the final again, and see whether your team lost it or we won it, maybe the picture of Schalch on one knee on the field holding his head wondering what do try next might give you some indication!
@GreatSharksays (Comment 40) : relax mate. Plum’s job is to win the trophy, not the warmup games
@Sharksmad – The Blog’s Dudette (Comment 42) : jeeez Molly what did you do
I think Molly has a point. Seems to me we are a bit sensitive today.
@rekinek (Comment 44) :
Im getting that ..and the season has yet to start .. Hold on tight !
@robdylan (Comment 8) :
@Sharksmad – The Blog’s Dudette (Comment 42) :
😯
I have no problems with what Molly has said guys. She is correct to a certain extent. The Cheetahs winning the CC those few years certainly didn’t make them a feared team in the S14 or make them the team everyone wanted to beat.
And the same can be said for us. yes there are some teams who whe banter with and therefore we want to beat them but it has nothing to do with where they ended the CC season.
i’m worried some egyptian looters may rip the heads off the mummies of brian van zyl and rudolph streauli.
@robdylan (Comment 39) : Now it’s time for Anton Bresler to shine
@KSA Shark © (Comment 46) : I did not find anything wrong with her first statement, however, what I did take exception to is this comment “I wouldn’t have wanted to pick either way, but judging by the way we “played” woulda sucked no matter who the oppo was” which implies that the Sharks did not win the game but that the WP gave it to them, any one with no blinkers would have seen that WP played only as well as the Shark allowed, and not that WP “hadn’t pitched”.
@Sharksmad – The Blog’s Dudette (Comment 49) : those sort of thoughts and observations are VERY subjective. And I see no real problem with a supporter of a team believing they played bad Rugby when they lost and had they just done this or that correct then they would have won. WE ALL DO IT.
How many of us have said we played crap yesterday rather than saying the Lions played well?
What I see on this new day, is anxious Sharks supporters who are reliving last year awful start to the S14. Remember its 2011 and the guys know what they have to do, perhaps they were not all that motivated for the Game, they hold the CC and have everything to lose, whereas the Lions had nothing to lose and everything to gain. If I was a shark Supporter I would be happy that they got a wakeup call now and not in the first week of the competition Teams do not go from CC champs to lousy teams, a little faith is required , that’s all!!
@KSA Shark © (Comment 50) : Point taken. But I am one of those that believe that the Lions (whom I loath) played really well while our Sharks couldn’t catch a ball nor keep discipline, which I guess is why I am so touchy at the moment.
Can’t believe I’m gonna type this out on my phone. 😳
I used to play squash with a mate in RSA and everytime I lost I’d bitch about how crap I played.
Until one day he got really pissed at me and asked why it was always me that played crap rather than him that played well when I lost?
Then I bitched about it after every point that I lost. 😛 It was easy to get in his head and disrupt his game.
The point of whether you played bad or the other guy played well is VERY subjective, depending on which side of the fence you are on.
Go back to the next few threads after the CC final and you will see A LOT of people from both sides of the fence saying that WP played crap. It doesn’t take away from our win in any way.
@Sharksmad – The Blog’s Dudette (Comment 52) :
Its easy to loath a crap team 😐
@Whindy (Comment 51) :
In a World Cup year its going to be a loooong rugby season.
@Sharksmad – The Blog’s Dudette (Comment 52) : don’t let it (being touchy) get under your skin, it ruins the blogging experience. 😉
@CSB Razzmatazz Lions 😉 (Comment 54) : with NO breaks in between. 🙁
Divorce rates will be high this year. 🙂
@CSB Razzmatazz Lions 😉 (Comment 54) : I am afraid I don’t hate the LIons for the team, but its administrators and many of its fans. Like the Cheetahs are forever berating the Sharks for their “recruitment” policies but fail to face the fact that a. Greys has a reputation and most of us parents that have kids with sporting talent would consider sending them there – talent not necessarily from F.S. B. Greys has been caught poaching pupils at the end of their school carreers, even making them repeat a year in order to have the best 1st team, how is that developing the player? and
C. Now that the Lions have money are using the same recruitment methods that they accuse the Sharks of using, suddenly its fine! Just too much hypocrasy for my taste!
@KSA Shark © (Comment 55) : very true. blogging not for sissies
@KSA Shark © (Comment 55) : Too true, KSA but with me it normally only lasts for a day after a loss 🙁
I know this is probably going to go down as more “sour grapes”, but I need someone to explain the “You only play as well as the opposition allows you” phrase. For example:
“WP allowed Sharks to play as well as they did”, so WP played poorly making the Sharks look good.
or
“Sharks allowed WP to play as well as they did”, so Sharks made WP look bad and hence the scoreline.
So, whether I think a poor WP made the Sharks look good, or you think Sharks made WP look poor, its the same thing with that phrase… its really up to your opinion.
I tried writing this 4 different ways and can’t think of an easier way of explaining it, so it might not make sense, sorry.
Also… I’m not saying that its only here that I’m debating the phrase, in general I don’t get it.
Sorry, in my typing out that long/confusign explanation, KSA has covered almost everything I’ve tried to say. Shot dude!
@molly (Comment 60) : there is a saying in Polish (it rhymes nicely) that your point of view depends on where you sit.
If this is the reactions after a warm-up game then this is promising to be a very lively S15 especially with all the local derbies
So here is to the 2011 SupeRugby season 😀
@Pokkel (Comment 63) : I’m in a quandary.
If the Sharks lose our traffic sky rocket’s. (broke our daily views record yesterday)
So here is my dilemna. Do I want the traffic or the victories?
VERY tough decision. 😛 I’ll go and hide now.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 64) : Well since I have no financial incentive either way I’ll go with the Sharks winning. Although it does get interesting when we lose.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 64) : So is the amount of traffic a secret or can you share it with us?
I believe in the team and I know for a fact they will be much better on saturday! Sharks FOREVER 😎
Well said Rob,
Its only warm ups and for fans to stick with the players is a must,
we,ve done much worse and must say we as fans have always tend to boot the team down and when we win we all jump for joy i think and i know in my heart that its not over yet so lets us as fan stay with the team when they are down and still jump with joy when we win we always seem to come up ahead in the old end so i still say
we are all behind the team no matter what happens 🙂
Black and White is all that Matters 😉
@molly (Comment 2) :
🙄 What ever Molly
@robdylan (Comment 8) :
GO SHARKS !!!
@robdylan (Comment 39) :
oh [email protected] 😥 but AJ played in the WC 1995 with a broken finger with that split so lets just hope it heals quick or we must get him that split if and when we hit the finals for S15 2011
@Charlie (Comment 70) :
Hi Adi
Happy New Year my friend,
@molly (comment 60)
Playing poorly and making the other team look good would be knocking on, passing forward, turning over possession slipping/missing tackles when not pressured to make these mistakes – as per the Sharks last night.
Wait thats not entirely true because the Lions did play well but I think you know what I mean.
On the other hand if the opposition is so in your face, tackles the living daylights out of you, shoves your heads up your backsides at the scrums, smashes you in the loose and mauls the living daylights out of you to such an extent that you make the errors as mentioned earlier then it is a case of the one team allowing the other to play as well as they did. This holds true for the glorious final played at Kings Park on the 25th of September 2010. 😉
@Salmonoid (Comment 73) :
What am I saying, I meant to say that it was because the Sharks out muscled and bullied the Stormers that they made their mistakes in the final.
@war1 (Comment 48) : Didn`t he get a yellow? 😉
@Salmonoid (Comment 74) :
I’m with you on this, but is it worth the effort? All I know is that it feels wonderful having the 2010 CC in the bag. You can’t theorize that away.
@Original Champion (Comment 75) : yes, but he’s sorted it out with the coach
@CSB Razzmatazz Lions 😉 (Comment 23) : I think that’s it in a nut shell….