The Sharks delivered an error-strewn and heartless performance that was a far cry from the bonus-point hammering many were expected them to hand the Lions. In the final analysis, it was the home side who came away with 5 log points, winning 38-28.
A stunning opening display saw the Lions with all the possession, running through lacklustre Sharks defence at will. Three tries were scored faster than you could blink, before a good score by Lwazi Mvovo gave the Sharks some hope.
That was to be short-lived, however, with winger Deon van Rensburg scoring his side’s fourth just before half time to take his team into a 32-11 halftime lead. The Sharks threatened to stage an unlikely comeback, as JP Pietersen and Odwa Ndungane scored within seconds of each other to get their side within 7 points, at 25-32 down. The Lions, to their credit, weathered that storm and as the teams traded penalties, it was Elton Jantjies who had the last laugh.
An increasingly-desperate Sharks side threw everything into attack in the final minutes, but were ultimately denied any log points, despite Louis Ludik coming close to a fourth try for them at the end. It was the Lions who lead throughout, though and who ultimately deserved the win.
The Sharks have now slipped back into 7th position on the overall log and are currently out of the play-off race in Super Rugby.
Scorers:
Lions (38). Tries Hattingh, Minnie, Mapoe and van Rensburg, 3 conversions and 4 penalties by Jantjies.
Shakrs (28): Tries Mvovo, Pietersen and Ndungane, 2 conversions and 3 penalties by Lambie
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That will be the season. My patience is wearing thin with the beautiful letdowns.
Why cant the Lions play like this ever game .. ai …
Thumped by the worst team ever! No honour for the Sharks colours!
@Zibbie (Comment 2) : Congratulations.
@Ben (Comment 4) :
Thanx . im in a bit of shock . did not expect this at all .
Please do not come for a big game vs Bulls. Not interested. Send the youngsters for experience
Rob, what did deysel not do to get selected? I mean plumtree gave him so many chances this year! Anyway he is our best fetcher. He practicaly rips the ball out of oppositions hands. Would have been handy tonigh. Not so?
Season wasnt ours anyway .Just had to beat the lowest team in the competition to secure it .
Keep Plumtree ,tell the rest to get lost .
@cody007 (Comment 7) : [email protected] ou, u really think Deysel would have made a diffs with a no-show frontrow?
Anyway – on a bitter-sweet note, I heard a very true saying : Rugby is like golf. The one week you are Tiger the next week Mattewis…
Should probably read “Sharks capitulate like bitches”. 🙄
@Ice (Comment 9) :
We got owned at the breakdown – starting either (or both) of Deysel or Botes might have made a huge difference. Fair question.
Great game McLoed. Freddie stopped all momentum with his antics and kick
@Big Fish (Comment 11) : I just think with such individualism, it would not have mattered, there was NO sense of “team” here.
@KILLER SHARK (Comment 12) :
Yeah; fair comment. I’m not a huge fan of Mcleod’s play, but he was pretty good today, while we got the other Fred in this game. Not sure why we didn’t move Lambie to 10 at halftime.
@Big Fish (Comment 15) : Charl’s passing was utter, utter shyte all day
@robdylan (Comment 15) : As was Michalak’s.
yes Ice, a hell of a difference. I’m shocked that sharks supporters cant see it but Deysel is our best player. He turns over ball like candy from a baby. Anyway i’m all up for blaming the players but 1st the coach must select the best team.
@cody007 (Comment 17) : Lol, Deysel a fetcher turning over the ball like taking candy from a baby? Clearly your view is obscured with your favorism for Deysel. He’s no fetcher!
Embarrassing!
@cody007 (Comment 17) : and I think he is predictable. Not close to what he use to be. I love Jean, but he is nowhere close to what he could be, and to make a significant impact.
I am in bumkak nowhere on an island in Thailans right now and was gobsmacked when I found a pub showing the S15 last night. I went back this evening and was amazed that they had the game on. I need to caveat this and say that I am on my honeymoon and my extraordinarily patent English wife joined me to watch the whole game despite it running into the wee hours here.
And what a bloody dissappointment. I felt our forwards just didn’t turn up tonight. Did they have altitude poisoning or what? I guess there’s two lessons to be learnt here:
1. Don’t underestimate the sports coverage of a small island off the coast of Thailand.
2. Don’t underestimate the team at the bottom of the log.
Eish.
,
Ben and Ice, ok so how many games did he have this year to prove himself. 5mins in 3 games?
@macshark (Comment 21) : Congrats on the wedding.
Here hoping the wife understands your pain right now and says and does all the right thijgs to make it better. 😆
Ek lkan dit nie vo##en glo nie!!!!die lions_goeie bliksem man…Plums time is at a end…..just think if we had Jake White!!!en julle almal se moere wat nie saam stem nie!!!
Hey ben, sorry i’m using mobile so i cant reply directly but, how many turnovers do coetzee, botes or daniel effect in a game?
@BoerSeun (Comment 24) : F*k is met ‘n F!
@BoerSeun (Comment 24) : Showing your true colors there boet. Shameful.
Get Jimmy Stonehouse, he is the most underrated coach in SA
@cody007 (Comment 22) : @cody007 (Comment 25) : It doesn’t matter how many ball they turn over. Deysel doesn’t have the technique to be labeled as a fetcher and he certainly isn’t our best player. Actually I think he’s overrated. And that is my honest opinion.
@Salmonoid (Comment 23) : Thanks boet. Wife was equally disappointed and has gone to bed. Thankfully these surroundings should take my mind off the game pretty sharp. Wonderful island this. Does anyone know -are we out of the playoffs completely now or what are the permutations?
@Ben (Comment 29) : Bismarck is a better fetcher than Deysel.
@macshark (Comment 30) : Not out of the playoffs at all. In 7th. Canes 6th but level on points.
Ben, who is our best player then? Please say lambie.
@Ben (Comment 32) : Both teams have 8 wins but the Canes have a better Points Difference.
@cody007 (Comment 33) : On current form Marcell Coetzee.
I have seen the entire sharks squad at kingspark training by chance, jean deysel was training with beast.
@cody007 (Comment 36) : And your point is? So if you are the strongest that automatically makes you the best? Beast would probably outrun Deysel in a sprint btw.
@Ben (Comment 27) :
Cry me a rivier!!! Sorry man ek spel V## verkeerd eerste keer in my lewe wat ek dit moet skryf, My true Colours is absolute Sharks!!! So go and watch netball if you like losing a chance at the Cup against a string team of vodacom cup players…@ The Ben!!!
While the Lions thoroughly deserved their win, can someone who saw the coverage please give their opinion on the reffing? Was difficult to be sure from the stands, but some decisions were extremely confusing.
@BoerSeun (Comment 38) : 😆
Ben, it does not matter how fast he runs, but he turns over ball. Just let plum give him 3games in a row then u will see
Sharks were kak plain and simple..too many guys worried bout saturdays game against the english instead of cementing a win..how do we go from beating the stormers to losing to a practually vodacom cup side..sure the refs call were kak at times but the guys minds were on somethingf else..as usual we have to rely on other results to get into the play offs..shocking and heart breaking
That side where the hell were the lions all these weeks..
@cody007 (Comment 41) : I’ve pretty much seen enough of Deysel to convince me he’s not a fetcher…
@Ben (Comment 43) : now now guys..we all on the same team..even if deysel was playing I think nothing could of helped us..team played like kak..
@shaniboi (Comment 44) : No need. We are having a healthy debate..
Guys, I’m at a loss for words. what do you say, how do you defend your team when they lose against the worst team in the competition? In a game that mattered the most? I can’t believe we fell into the Ellis Park trap again! Our guys let the ex shark players, those guys with beef against the Sharks Union niggle us and get under our skin. Just like the CC final. I thought Meyer Bosman was on the rise but then he showed his same old defensive mistakes again. Whitehead and Jordan were soreley missed. Lambie had his worst game that I can recall and the forwards were frankly all rubbish. It was really shabby.
@Ben (Comment 45) : more like you’re rearranging the deck chairs on the titanic. Why are we debating about one player when the entire team was awful.
@CapeShark (Comment 47) : It’s a free country boet. I can debate whoever I want to.
@robdylan (Comment 15) : Out of all the sharks players, at least McCleod looked like he wanted to actually win. Geez, Bismark, Beast and Lambie went out with a whimper.
@CapeShark (Comment 49) : these guys were focused on the springboks and nothing more..
Sharks team: 2013,
15. Prinsloooooo(
14.Mvovu
13.Whitehead/Jordaan(no joubert nowhere)
12.Steyn/whitehead
10.Lambie Lambie And Lambie
9.Jano Vermaak Bulls, Pretoruis from Tahs, Meyer from Lions.
8. Alberts
7. Peter stef du tiot/Daniel
6.Coetzee
5.Muller(Captain)/Quin Roux(stormers)Sykes
4.Sykes/Bressler/Pieter stefdu Tiot
3.Beast
2. Bisness
1. Jannie
Bench:
Deysel(4/7)
Kanko
CiLiers(Lions)Redelinghuis/Dell/Herbst
Pretoruis/Meyer
Viljoen
Who ever!!!!
Couch(?????)
Assistent (not Edwards)
Biggest Fan!!! Me!!!
@BoerSeun (Comment 51) : was that written in a drunken moment?
@shaniboi (Comment 52) : what’s your team Bud!!!
Haha mŸ avatar should say it all..but the sharks all the way!!
Really wanted to ask why Deysel was not in the team this week but feard here my head would be bitten off again! Damn we could have done with Deysel this week for sure.
Once again we have to start ALWAYS with our consistent fh. Lambie should have come on after the half. Why did we play straight into he the Lions hands? Surely we should have played tight, tight rugby tonight? Test kinda rugby. WE were playing straight into the Lions hands all night long. Anyhow thought we might be caught off gaurd. We sure were. Think our season is done, hope we have learned from it. One postive thing will come from this is that never to take your apponent for granted. Also never, ever be arrogant. I thought we were when we had the penalties given to us. We should have gone for poles instead of going for the lineouts and getting a try. Crazy. Keegan is a superb player but really not sure about his captaincy.
We out of it for now. Shame really as we just might have picked up 4 points tonight had we played a tight game. We really never deserved the win tonight, Lions were totally the better team.
Just have to think of next year (ONCE) again. From here on we need to select consistently. Really hope that Tim is back after the tests and by that time Jordaan is back. Well by that time we will have Fransie back too. Not that it matters how we out of the play offs, well I think we are. We level with Canes. Jeerpers how did that happen????? Come on Sharks you are better than that. We need a better showing next year. Once again we hope for next year????? Just knew we might let ourselves down tonight. What a shame.
Anyhow still a Shark Supporter know matter what. Win or lose.
Go Sharks.
That was unnecessary. On a positive note, the Hurricanes are playing the Crusaders after the international break and we get 4 points for a bye. I would rather play the Brumbies in Canberra than play the Crusaders in Christchurch! 2 reasons for the loss, Lambie is one of our best players, if not the best, and MUST play 10. We missed Whitehead and Jordaan.
@CapeShark (Comment 46) : Guys thought this would be a walk in the park, wrote that this is the most important game of the season and that we should treat it with the respect it deserves..we didn’t do that. Our big players were absent. Wish Plum had a bit of brain…should have selected all the frindge players that have a point a point to prove i.e. Deysel,Burden, Sithole.. Wish us as fans would also start respecting every team in this competition and treat one game at a time. The players feed off our energy…if our focus is on the predicting who is going to be picked for the Boks before a game on Saturday, surely our focus is also [email protected] and we can’t blame the team…we as Sharks don’t have respect for other teams and think being number 1 is our birth right. We need Mallet to sort out all of this shit.
Pathetic result.
I’m shocked.
Flabbergasted.
When it mattered most, the team crumbled. On the same weekend a true champion team, the Crusaders, smashed another play off contender by 50 points.
Why are the Sharks always the team that underestimates others?
Mental midgets.
Sack the coach now.
Kiss the play offs goodbye.
I will say this once…yes we are in need of a quality 9..there is a reason why McLeod was 3rd choice behind Pienaar and Kockott in years past…
Also Like I have said all season – we need a fetcher (Botes) on the field. Dont tell me Willem Alberts was MOTM last week – Keegan Daniel was!!! We need Botes on the field from the start…
I HAVE SAID ALL SEASON MICHALAK BLOWS HOT AND COLD – How can a professional coach not see this???
Finally and MOST IMPORTANTLY – over the past few years we have repeatedly blown opportunities due to blatant ARROGANCE from management and players. This is STILL NOT A TEAM. THEY PLAY INDIVIDUALLY LIKE A BUNCH OF HOLYWOOD REALITY TV STARS
1. vs Lions
2. Last year vs Lions Currie Cup
3. Last year vs Lions S15
3. 2009 so many home games in our run in after being in a favourable log position..
GET RID OF COACHING GROUP..
Here is our best available team:
1. Beast
2. Bismarck
3. Jannie
4. Sykes
5. Bresler
6. Botes
7. Coetzee
8. Daniel/Kankowski
9. EASILY OUR WEAKEST LINK IN THE BACKLINE (Hoffman, Reinach??)
10. Lambie – CAPTAIN – he has proven calm under pressure (wise head)
11. Mvovo
12. Whitehead
13. Jordaan
14. Pietersen
15. Ludik
(Bench is debatable I’ll admit)
16. Burden
17. Herbst
18. du Toit
19. Kankowski/Daniel
20. McLeod
21. Bosman
22. Ndungane
Same old bugbears showing up:
– no protection of our own ball due to an unbalanced trio
– lineouts
– defense going walkabout
– clueless attack
My team taking injuries into account therefore no Whitehead.
15 ludik (even if it means dropping lambie)
14 JP
13 ADI
12 bosman
11 mvovo
10 lambie or fred
9 charl
8 kanko
7 alberts
6 deysel
5 bresler
4 sykes
3 jannie
2 bismarck
1 beast
Choose new captain, FIRE the coach and whoever played a part in marius being in the team instead of adi.
I think a new policy should be made at Ellis Park. The away team should always play in Black&White because that is the only team we perform against at home
Lions dump Sharks out of play off spot???!!!!!
That’s so wrong! The Sharks needed no help. Did a pretty good job themselves to get dumped out of the play offs.
Gatvol vir sie sharks se kak,elke jaar is dit dieselfde storie.
Net die sharks kan teen die swakste span verloor elke jaar.
Lambie needs to learn how to kick his team out of trouble,thats the only reason why I would put morne steyn ahead of him.
We need a new culture and work ethic at the Sharks. Just can’t wait to see the back of Plum and his clowns, they just can’t get the guys to focus and respect every team. Have a one size fits all game plan and still expect to beat a team with a coach that has coached at the highest level. Just heard that on Friday night the guys were worried about being selected for the Boks and the perceived bais towards the Bulls’ players and game plan…We are then schocked when we get a good hiding the following day. So much is wrong at the Sharks.. Guess we can look forward to the CC..
Sharks need a captain that the ref does not warn personally every game for his negative play…(Even Schalk gets it right)…who can lead a team to move forward (when things are not going your way)…and who is not personally responcible for ave 6/9 points against the Sharks…
Need to keep JPP out the midfield (and he is one of the better 14’s in the world), play Lambie at 10, Sithole at 11 and Ludik at 15…
Your backline will have a lot more pace, skill and improved def…
And the Sharks are not dumped out…
The NZ sides on borderline play-off spots are all playing each other…
The Sharks starting panicking way to early and started taking quick taps and lineouts off penalties when they should have been going for posts. At least 4 goalable penalties in the last 20 minutes were thrown away, which would have won us the game.
Bad captaincy… allowing the team to panic with still 20 minutes on the clock!!!
@Hmmm (Comment 68) : and sell off Meyer Bosman… Geez, how many game changing mistackles is he gonna be allowed to get away with. That feeble attempt on Lionel Mapoe was a regulation tackle.
This is why I can’r bring myself to spend R600 on a Sharks replica jersey. It would just be very embarrassing.
The Sharks did not play percentage rugby and kept ball in hand for too long. No kicking for territory and running into contact with no game plan after going to ground.
My guess it that Dumbtree underestimated the Lions.
Lambie was not protected by his forwards and looked out of sorts under pressure.
I was worried when Bosman got a start due to his well documented defence issues. He was true to form yesterday. Also not happy with Ndungane getting a start. He does not have an all round game potential..defence a problem too.
This result quite frankly just pissed me off ..a bittersweet moment I guess ..
Why the &%$£ have they not been playing like this all season ..????
Sharks were at their worst it must be said .
Unlucky but still very much in the hunt for a play-off spot and you guys have the bye coming.
@csb (Comment 72) :
I agree !!!! but man !!!! i still enjoyed it !!!! Watched with my Sharks flatmate !!!! i loved every second off it !!!
Please should Carlos come available – could we tempt him to come down to Durban to coach our backline instead of the 2 clowns we have currently
I just wish i’d put some money on the Snoil… This game mirrored the Waratahs game in so many aspects, as well as the last two games i remember at the Coke tin.. Last year’s draw, and the Currie Cup final. Team coming off a good win, confidence supposedly high. Pressure supposedly off, and what happened? The team left their brains on the bus for the first half… Yes, the TV ref overstepped his authority with the Ludik try which could have given us 2 points and the opportunity to win it in the dying seconds, but alas, it was not to be. You can’t play for 40 minutes and expect to win.