Okay, now that the week is over and everyone knows that we all know that it was our own fault that we lost last weeks game, because we didn’t play the best game we could. I just wanted to ask, did no one see the boot that really sealed the victory for the Bulls.
Let me tell you what I’m talking about by refreshing your memories. Remember Botes scored a try and got us to within 5 with 10 minutes to go. After this there was a period where the Sharks put together 10 phases of play before losing the ball and then getting the scrum from a Bulls error. With 5 minutes to go we put together another 12 phases. The ball went through the hands Whitehead and Botes setting up good go forward ball. Lambie was the 10th man to touch the ball in this play. It was quick and clean the ball had moved from within Sharks territory to just behind the Bulls 22, he was back with his old halfback partner, he took a step inside and beat the new Bulls captain with his white Rambo band wrapped around his head (yeah you heard me, Rambo band, that’s what I’m going to call it). Spies turned and caught the flyhalf from behind now 7m inside the 22. There was 3 minutes to go, it did not look like the Bulls knew how to stop the newly invigorated Sharks. Spies went flying over Lambie and came down flat on his back, Lambie pushed the ball through his legs and made the ball available cleanly, for the next man to take. That man was JP. Did you see his face when he realised that he may have just dropped the last chance for a victory. Poor guy.
I wonder if it would have been better had he seen Rambo band’s boot kicking the ball out of his hand.
It sure would have helped if the ref had seen it.
No! This is not sour grapes. I already said the Sharks had just themselves to blame and had to look towards individuals and game plan to fix their problems. I’m just wondering what would have happened had the ref given a penalty and yellow card right there and then.
I bet our Sharkies would have pulled it through.
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@Morné (Comment 1) : It may suggest it, but it doesn’t mean it. Seriously, I’m not angry or upset. The ref didn’t see it and it wasn’t glaringly obvious, JP didn’t even realise what happened. I didn’t say the ref should have seen it or had it not been for the ref we would have won.
I’m just saying, the Sharkies was very motivated and had we gotten the ball back there and then I bet we would have scored the try and Lambie would have converted.
So lets say the scrum still happened and the Sharks pushed and got a tight head, I bet we would have gone over for the try. It’s not a reflection on the event, but rather a reflection on what our or my team is capable of when they are motivated, which does not suggest sour grapes, but rather faith and confidence into the next game. 😉
Nope. Sorry. Your last line do in fact suggest sour grapes.
Trying to justify the loss doesn’t make it any less.
If we are to analyse a game in specific moments, we will come up with 400 plus instances where moments or opportunities were lost.
Sorry comments a bit messed up here.
@Letgo (Comment 1) :
Hey I had these okes to win the bloody thing, so I am as pissed off as the next guy – especially given I reckon the Bulls are very average!
Hey and by the way, in my “Changes there must be” post I suggested or actually stated that Kaplan was very poor on the day. I think he missed a couple of the things, but after watching the game again, this time more calm and objective, I realised although some of the calls was tight, they weren’t wrong and he let a couple of things go, but not so much that it influenced the game.
It was really the two teams that didn’t deliver their best performances that produced the poor game, not the ref.
@Morné (Comment 4) : Yeah me too, really didn’t think we’ll go down against this Bulls team, but we didn’t play how we should and can play, so if we pull up our socks we’ll be able to turn Friday’s performance around.
Hopefully tomorrow! 🙂
Oh and morne, I must say that one grape was pretty sour, but overall the grapes was fine. we had gotten ourselves in this situation.
We ate a whole bunch of good grapes, actually a lot of them was spoilt though, knockon’s, scrappy line-outs, one dimensional attack…then that one sweat one when the ball bounced into Whiteheads hand for Botes’ try. But mostly it was all spoilt, a couple of sweet ones and that one sour one.
So its one sour grape, but not sour grapes. 😉
@Letgo (Comment 7) :
Well the one thing is that at least you guys saw, or got a glimpse of what Timmy is capable of… 😉
I still got the Sharks to win the SA conference.
@Morné (Comment 8) : Cool, I hope so.
I am out, till tomorrow.
It’s like saying had the ref seen the handball right at the end of the 2007 S14 final the Sharks would have won it…
Shoulda, woulda, coulda. You can what if as much as you like but it won’t change anything.
If a certain 2007 final has taught me anything – it’s that this is a particulary dangerous path to go down if I value my mental well-being.
@lostfish (Comment 11) : Great minds… 😉
Appropriate that the article is written by LetGo! 😉
Yes I saw this but it is just a foot that got in the way when someone was clearing a ball from a ruck, happens in almost everygame.
@Rahul (Comment 14) : 😆
I’ll loose my lost mind if I have to top about things like this…..
@Franshark (not using reply because I couldn’t be bothered to wait for this whole page to load on my phone, very heavy on graphics. More than 4mb)
I agree, worrying over stuff like this will do your head in.