The final round of Currie Cup rugby is upon us, and to get proceedings under way, we have another wet game at Mr Price Kings Park to entertain us, as the Sharks host Griquas. Most of you will already know the permutations, but here they are anyway:
Should the Sharks win this encounter, they will end top of the Currie Cup log, securing both a home semi-final as well, potentially, a home final. Coach John Plumtree held back on naming all his returning Springboks, selecting only Pat Lambie in the starting team, while Burden, Jannie du Plessis, Marcell Coetzee and Lwazi Mvovo are on the bench to add some oomph in the second half.
For Griquas, we paint a different picture altogether. They have to win to simply get into the play-offs, and an away semi-final it will be, should they beat the Sharks. Griquas have opted for consistency in selecting an almost unchanged team, bar a change in midfield where JP Nel misses out.
Sharks: 15 Louis Ludik, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Paul Jordaan, 12 Tim Whitehead, 11 JP Pietersen, 10 Pat Lambie, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Keegan Daniel (captain), 7 Jean Deysel, 6 Jacques Botes, 5 Anton Bresler, 4 Jandre Marais, 3 Wiehahn Herbst, 2 Kyle Cooper, 1 Dale Chadwick.
Replacements: 16 Craig Burden, 17 Jannie du Plessis, 18 Peet Marais, 19 Marcell Coetzee, 20 Charl McLeod, 21 Meyer Bosman, 22 Lwazi Mvovo.
Griquas: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Jannie Boshoff, 13 Jean Stemmet, 12 Walter Venter, 11 Rocco Jansen, 10 Francois Brummer, 9 Marnus Hugo, 8 Leon Karemaker, 7 Justin Downey, 6 Marnus Schoeman, 5 Martin Muller, 4 Rynard Landman, 3 Lourens Adriaanse, 2 Ryno Barnes (captain), 1 Steph Roberts.
Replacements: 16 Matthew Dobson, 17 Ivann Espag, 18 Edwin Hewitt, 19 Wesley Wilkins, 20 Jacques Coetzee, 21 Marnitz Boshoff, 22 Richard Lawson.
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I’m exited to see Reinach and Lambie in action
@Mutley (Comment 1) : Ditto!
@Mutley (Comment 1) : same here…
late change for the Sharks…. Marcell Coetzee starts at 6
Mtembu on the bench in 19
Anyone got a link? Awesome 😯 Sky can´t be bothered to show this.
Found a very nice link: http://www.usagoals.com/live/220733-the-sharks-vs-griquas/watch/stream/online/free/feed/p2p/en/vivo/tv/gratis/
Great worked try by Deysel, Reinach and Odwa. 😀
Sharks 7 – Kwasse 0
12 min
Jeez this Reinach boytjie is special! 😎 Great break almost leads to a try, but Kwasse penalised and Lambie ads 3.
Sharks 10 – Kwasse 0
15 min
Marcell penalised for not releasing the tackler before playing the ball. Brummer kicks the penalty.
Sharks 10 – Kwasse 3
18 min
Kwasse scrum the crap out of us and earn a penalty. Kick into our 22 and earn a penalty from the lineout mall. Kwasse kick for the corner.
Some good play by the Kwasse, but our defense holds and eventually they knock about 5m from our line.
Scrum and following play really sloppy from the Sharks. Luckily we get a penalty for Kwasse playing the ball off their feet and we progress to the half line.
From the lineout play Lambie kicks into the Kwasse 22, from where Willie le Roux knocks and we have a scrum roughly 5m out.
Lambie with a beauty of a grubber after JP came round the scrum and Ludik scores! Sweeeeet!
Pat misses the relatively easy kick and the score moves on to:
Sharks 15 – Kwasse 3
28 min
Keegan yellow carded for collapsing a mall.
Unsurprising card, Griquas on attack and we had conceded a few penalties prior.
Helter skelter rugby after we turn over ball after the Kwasse attack from the penalty lineout and eventually we have a scrum halfway btween our 22 and the 10m line. We earn a penalty from the scrum and Lambie doesn´t kick it out.
Griquas with another bad error inside their 22.
Wanted the AR to play with them!
Kwasse kick it back and we run the ball. After a number of phases and some really good rugger we end up with too few players at the breakdown and lose the ball. Kwasse counter attack from their 22, but end up passing into touch. From the backline move Mvovs scores.
Sharks 22 – Kwasse 3
28min
Third try! Lwazi Mvovo from Lambie’s inside pass.
(Down to 14 men right now, still playing good rugby).
Lambie has been playing pretty much how you would expect him to. A few errors and looking a little rusty, but not afraid to try things.
This game is over. If they aren’t playing in Kimberly, Griquas just don’t have any fire power
Jannie Boshoff gets a yellow card, but lucky to not get a red, for a dangerous tackle. Lambie misses the penalty.
Sharks 22 – Kwasse 3
HT
Awful from Boshoff. Given a yellow; made a late, dumped tackle.
Could have very easily been red.
Lambie pushes the kick but they delt with their one man deficit well.
22-3 HT.
Right now I’m thinking Louis Koen did get his dirty hands on Lambie.
@Mutley (Comment 26) : Same thing happens to us when we travel to the Groot Gat.
Even though he is rusty PL keeping Kwas guessing and moving the line well. This half back combo is awesome……….green and gold maybe.
Watching Marcelle play, so sad to see HM knock the off load out of him. Still great to see the youngster again.
Walter Venter couldnt believe he did something wrong when he passed to the AR.
@JarsonX (Comment 30) :
What is Monty up to these days? Wonder if he’d stop by Kings Park and help out.
Perhaps try to get van Straaten in if he is no longer with the Lions.
@JarsonX (Comment 30) : Why the hell do the Boks even need a kicking coach? I thought they called up players for exactly the reason that they can already kick pretty well. 😯
@Here be dragons (Comment 34) : @rhineshark (Comment 35) : No idea and no idea. 😈
@JarsonX (Comment 33) : That was classic. Had to feel for Venter, though. 😀
@rhineshark (Comment 37) : I almost spat my coffee out when I saw his face
So Pyper fucks up again, kwas wrong side and off his feet, bring back Willie Roos.
Second half starts. We progress to the Kwasse 22, where we lose the ball again by having nobody at the ruck. Kwasse kick it out on their 10m line.
Better from Lambie, 25-3.
Great rugby from the ensuing lineout, with JP and Ludik combining well before Keegan picks up from the base of the ruck and gets tackled inside the Kwasse 22, where they concede a penalty. Pat
does the honours.
Sharks 25 – Kwasse 3
We knock from the kickoff and concede a penalty for Herbst not binding. Kwasse Kicking for touch. 47min
2 kicks from Reinach charged down now
@rhineshark (Comment 43) : You’ve filled in admirably today, sir.
From the lineout Downey knocks and we have a defending scrum in a 22. Now WE earn a penalty at the scrum and Pat puts us on the Kwasse 10m line.
Saw the Reinach try during halftime replays. Surely he’s got to be considered to at least shadow Ru on tour?
Does anyone else agree that, after having a kak backline for so long, we now have the best one in SA? 😎
From the lineout JP wreaks havoc and the ball goes wide quickly, with Ludik breaking to the inside and just missing the pass to Mvovs. Scrum Kwasse on their 10m out from their tryline.
JP on fire, brilliant. Another lost opportunity
Ludik having another good game.
Kwasse kick and we win the lineout. From the backline move Kwasse don´t release in the tackle and we get a nice kickable penalty just right from the uprights on the 22. Lambie kicks it.
Sharks 28 – Kwasse 3
53min
@klempie (Comment 48) :
Very much a possibility.
Look at our midfield options now compared to two/three seasons ago.
Lambie with another three points, 28-3. We have just under half an hour, but that fourth try would be nice.
Flat batery, later guys.
I’ve burnt my palate. 🙁
I’ve lost count of how many times Andy has referred to an offload as a ‘Sonny Bill’. Were they never executed pre-2010? 😉
@Here be dragons (Comment 56) : Well we won’t have to hear about them from next year.
Deysel’s best game for a long time
After some half-to-half action with Keegan and Marais showing awesome backline skills, we once again lose the ball at a ruck and the Kwasse manage to get to our 22 and earn a penalty. From the lineout in our 22 they manage a few phases before knocking. We have a defensive scrum in the middle of the field on our 5m line. Mtembu on for Deysel (blood).
Kak pass from Reinach to Lambie results in a pressure kick and a lineout on our 22.
From the Kwasse mall we get warned for collapsing and penalised. Ends up Kwasse taking the lineout and our defense gest them into touch. Lambie takes us to the 10m line after the lineout.
Long passage of play and eventually Keegan kicks it out on the full after fielding a short kick.
After watching a loooong bit of action the Kwasse knock at a ruck and we have a scrum halfway between our 22 and 10m line. Reinach off and Charl feeding the scrum.
We progress into the Kwasse half and lose the ball. Bosman on for Whitehead and Terror off when Deysel returns after his blood bin. Why? Terror having a ball and Kwasse ain´t gonna win this by a long shot.
Now Keegan off (a minute later) and Terror back on. 😯
Try for Tera, bonus point.
Ludik has been excellent today, as have many others.
From the scrum we go left with a few phases following and quick recycling with Bosman prominent and Lambie passes to Mtembu and guess what ? Terror scores. 😀
Lambie converts.
Sharks 35 – Kwasse 3
70min
McLeod swiftly kills a good attack, forgetting about laws against obstruction.
JP hasn´t lost one IOTA of his pre-injury mojo. STILL ALL CLASS.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! Nice one Burden! 🙄 🙄
Hahaha! Burden butchers one of our best opportunities. 😀 Would NOT have been laughing if this was closer.
@rhineshark (Comment 71) : 4 Sharks on 2. And he takes it into contact. 😆 😆
Excellent try! Turnover ball from JP to Terror to Ludik and Bosman back Jp and Terror and Mcleod under the posts. Brilliant!!!
Sharks 42 – Kwasse 3
49min
Sharks 42 – Kwasse 3
FT
Well played Sharkies! I know this was Griekwas playing away from home, but we´re starting to look like a VERY GOOD outfit!
A very very good outfit. Well done boys.
Good win, great team performance.
Playing at home is massive for us.
Well done, looking forward to next week.
Were we that good or were griquas that kak?funny how without viljoen we played so much more expansive rugby.
@shaniboi (Comment 79) : We played well, but Griquas always struggle away from home. Difficult to say.
@rhineshark (Comment 80) : But they didn’t struggle against the Lions away from home.
Glad we’re playing the Bulls in the semi, we need to lay our national fh conundrum to rest once and for all.
It’s going to be a hard game against bulls next week, hope Sharks are hungry and perform.