It’s finally time to see the Sharks in action against some non-local opposition.
Former Bok coach Jake White has rolled into town with a red-hot Brumbies outfit on the verge of an historic sixth consecutive away win in Super Rugby. They’ll come up against a committed and resolute Sharks team, buoyed by the return of captain Keegan Daniel, despite their recent woes in terms of scoring tries.
The Durban humidity will be a great leveller as two of the best defensive teams in this year’s competition go head to head. Both are currently unbeaten, but only one will remain so at the end of 80 gruelling minutes.
Who will take the spoils? Kick-off is at 17h05.
Sharks: 15 Louis Ludik, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Paul Jordaan, 12 Francois Steyn, 11 JP Pietersen, 10 Patrick Lambie, 9 Charl McLeod, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Keegan Daniel (captain), 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Franco van der Merwe, 4 Anton Bresler, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Craig Burden, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements: 16 Kyle Cooper, 17 Wiehahn Herbst, 18 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 19 Jacques Botes, 20 Cobus Reinach, 21 Meyer Bosman, 22 Lwazi Mvovo.
Brumbies: 15 Jesse Mogg, 14 Henry Speight, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 12 Christian Lealiifano, 11 Joe Tomane, 10 Matt Toomua, 9 Nic White, 8 Fotu Auelua, 7 George Smith, 6 Ben Mowen (captain), 5 Sam Carter, 4 Peter Kimlin, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Scott Sio.
Replacements: 16 Siliva Siliva, 17 Ruaidhri Murphy, 18 Scott Fardy, 19 Colby Faingaa, 20 Ian Prior, 21 Robbie Coleman, 22 Clyde Rathbone.
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Come on sharks! Lets do this
Is anybody down in Capetown at the Sharks XV game at City Park?
Is it just me who’s nervous as hell about this game?
Go Sharks!!!!!!
@rhineshark (Comment 3) : Nope, I’m nervous too.
6 more minutes
“Both are currently unbeaten, but only one will remain so at the end of 80 gruelling minutes.”
Unless they draw 😈
Lambie with the kick off
Brumbies try!
Way too easy for the Brumbies. 🙁
Sha 0 – 7 Bru
5min
Sharks trailing 0 – 7
6min
Ludik knock on
Sharks looked good in the scrum
Brumbies try!!!!
What the fuck 0 – 12
And another piss-easy score.
WTF 😯 sharks lacking so much in intensity! wow shocker
Prior on.
Sha 0 – 12 Bru
13min
Brumbies appear to be coping quite well with the humidity. 😈
Sharks will lose this if they expect to just kick and defend.
It’s always just been a matter of time.
Get the ball, and make them defend!
atleast we have 67min left to win this
Sharks not getting ball and when they do they cant hold on 😕
@McLovin (Comment 21) : 😆
Why is Mvovo on the bench? injury??
Where’s the intensity from our boys??
we cant blame the humidity
@McLovin (Comment 21) :
No way; it’s impossible to handle the ball in Durban right now? 🙄
lambie nice brake
My signal is to weak for proper updates
brumbies good at the breakdown. wtf steyn
poor kick
Fuck off Steyn!
Frans Steyn needs to get serious.
jdp injured
can we have Bosman on?
@DBOY (Comment 36) : Are you at the game?
we need to keep possesion . we got the team to score 4tries tonight
yes nice spirit at game. penalty Sharks
Woohoo penalty to us! We’re going to need plenty more where that came from.
Lambie Converts 3 – 12
fight back
Sharks need to get in this game
According to Bladen, Lambie has kicked 18 from 17.
What a kicker!
scew line out… Sharks scrum.
Nice kick Lambie. cross kick.
Sharks scrum….
Brumbies look dangerous
Wtf…??? 🙁
Brumbies scores! 3 – 17
3 – 19
Nee o jitte. Brumbies make meters way too easy. 😯 🙄
Hartseer om die game te kyk
Sharks offside
Bulls gameplan is not working for us. And every 50/50 decision is going the way of the Brumbies.
Beast & Franco offside
fuck this shit what the fuck is going on wheres the fucking passion and guts man geez
Stop kicking the fucking ball!!!!
The humidity and derby thing is working against us big time. And in a minor way complete incompetence.
We are going to be playing ‘catch up’ rugby the whole season again.
11 missed tackles
Nice Sharks.
we need someone to contest the fucking ball the brumbies having it they own way at the ruck
I dont mind the occasional loss but not when this crap is dished up.
Why cant we play the way we did at the end of 2012
Brumbies have scored more tries in 20 mins against us than we’ve scored the entire season.
75% territory and possession to the Brumbies
@rhineshark (Comment 60) :
Seriously dude, no sign of humidity affecting the Brumbies.
They are just playing far superior rugby.
@DBOY (Comment 66) : Because they dont want to remember what works
Whats wrong with us??? damn you Sharks
Wow. Kaplan must really hate us with all the Brumbies forward passes going unnoticed
We are even get owned at the scrum. Sharks will never learn. Think we’ve given Plum too many chances. Need someone that knows how to prepare a side and win a major comp.
Presies Steelshark
If we dont get a break soon, then it might as well be over.
Breakdown??
Is it possible that we could get a few phases together without knocking it on or doing stupid kak. How i miss Alberts and Bissie
@Big Fish (Comment 69) : Ummm, I was being sarcastic. This isn’t a derby either. 😉
Brumbies raping us left right and ccentre. Steyn looking rattled
@SteelShark (Comment 75) : thn thy complain about attendence yet they wanna dish out this bullshit! no team wins forever but for fucksakes atleast show some passion and heart
Need to get out of our half
George Smith owning us at the breakdowns
6min left 1st half
Anybody here NOT see this coming? This is exactly how kak we’ve been playing all the time.
@Big Fish (Comment 69) : What does Plum do during the off season. Our guys are always under cooked at the start of the season.
Brumbies try time. bonus flippen point try
@rhineshark (Comment 78) :
Sorry dude. Just so used to hearing that from the usual praise-singers.
This is a horror show. 😯
Another forward pass, leading to a try this time. Ridiculous how they keep missing these.
I know we suck, but these forward passes just go unnoticed.
Fire the whole fucking coaching staff! Fucking useless the whole lot of them. I’m out
Hahaha! This is laughable.
anyone got an extra Cheetah shirt lol
And I’m sober.
screw this shit im going home fuck you brumbies and fuck you plum
Saw this coming – but not this bad. Our scrum just got owned…Sharks completely on the back foot for everything. John Plumtree has been show up wanting! We have the best team on paper by FAR! How is it that no one knows what they are supposed to do or what the guy next to him is supposed to do. Sorry PLum to have to go!
Even without the forward passes we are getting beaten by a better team
Smith offside!!!!!
How was Smith not offside at that scrum??? Ridiculous. Kaplan is making some awful decisions.
@Big Fish (Comment 87) : No worries. I’m with you there.
Kaplan got a new home in Aus
Caplan is robbing us in the scrums here
Whats the chances of a comeback…would be incredible to see it happen. Rain starts to come down. Sharks penalty. line out 10sec remaining.
@Big Fish (Comment 87) : That’s the problem right there. All the praise singers chose not to address the problem. Reminds me of parents that blame teachers for their kids’ bad behaviour. Myself and a few others have been stating for a while now that our guys don’t do the basics. Got some crap response.
The Sharks are terrible….
The fact they they the worst attacking team in the S15 this year was known to all….but today they not even defending well…
Missing 20 tackles already this half if not mistaken….eish :cantwatch:
Jordaan and Burden are the only players who seem to have the ability to do anything on attack…
Burden just a clean line out plz…
Steyn is poor…he not looking like a first choice 12 for SA…I will play De Allende from the Stormers….
So far, only Kankowski, Lambie and Jordaan are doing things right, but the other 12 are abysmal.
And the Sharks getting boo’ed off the field at half time. Deservedly so…
@DBOY (Comment 105) : I don’t believe in miracles.
Lambie stands toooo far back…Morne Steyn seems a better attacking 10 this year thus far…
@Poisy (Comment 94) : Plum won’t take us to the next level. He lost 3 finals in a row…against different teams.
atleast it cAnt get much worse second half. Sharks playing like the Proteas one day team
Why is Mvovo benched???
What a display from the Brumbies – teaching us how to attack. Always support runners behind the ball carrier. Now compare that to the attacking rubbish we serve up.
It is hard to watch the Sharks being ripped to shreds, but at the same time I must admire the Brumbies. Reckon they can go all the way this year.
Sharks I am afraid will struggle to even make the top six this year.
Gotta love the way the Brumbies play.
The coaching team of White, Larkham and Fisher seems to be the perfect foil for each other.
@DBOY (Comment 113) :
He has been poor on attack and finishing off…did he not screw up 2 tries against the Kings?
And he always been less than average on defense…
I think Habana / JPP will be SA wings with Aplon / Rhule / Basson cover…and that will be fair selection…on skill and performance…but JPP will need to start showing his stuff…else Aplon / Rhule might get a start ahead of him….
Brumbies now scored double the amount of tries in one half than we’ve managed all season.
Dis presies so iets wat my weer tot drank toe kan dryf
Italy 16-15 Ireland
65min
@Bokhoring (Comment 114) : They are a well drilled side. Their goal is clear. Us on the other hand say we want to win this competition but show it from week 8 and then use travel as an excuse when we get our butts kicked.
Ndungane not much better …. i would rather play Mvovo who i believe is a x-factor player
Wish I could hear the Sharks halftime team talk.
2nd half changes to get things going…and I am mentioning a name that I cannot believe…
Reinach for Mclaod
Botes for Daniel
Bosman for Steyn (eish)
@DBOY (Comment 122) :
Not much better….but better…
Brumbies just landed in Rsa and giving us a hiding…travel fatigue…
And I was backing the Sharks to be the SA side to do best…
hopefully this is just a once off bad game…they got the team to beat anyone…
Brumbies are not unbeatable … They’re being flattered by the sharks and kaplan. Very poor reffing esp at the scrums. He is not penalising anything – I’ve counted 4 or 5 collapsed scrums that have been restarted and as many crucial foward passes.
We need to attack the inside flyhalf channel, draw in the numbers and then go wide … Geez were missing dysel today
agree with those changes
I give up. I can not watch this!
missing Deysel BIG TIME
Forward pass no. 6 by the Brumbies…
hope we can atleast score a few tries
Kaplan retard
So happy we play the Rebels next week and have a bye afterwards. We need it
Herbst on
Mcloads passing is slow…receiving players have to slow down to take balls….complete oppo of the Brumbies who take like 90% balls at good deal of pace…
I cant watch this. Going home.
@DBOY (Comment 133) : That’s funny! 😆 😆 😆
Truck and trailer
Feels like my dog died after a homeless guy raped him
3 – 26
So to summarise:
– We get killed at the breakdown
– We cannot win our own line outs
– Our scrum is being destroyed
How can we possibly win this?
can we get a try?
Shocked!!!
Kaplan reminds me of Stu Dickinson today…
Steyn is KAK!
Steyn brake the line but knocks it on.
Cooper on. at last.
Sharks starting to play much better…Lambie taken a lot of balls flat…not seen him do that this year so far…
I believe Reinach will speed up play some more…and that slit second could be that lil extra to score a try…
Seems Jake is doing the business out there in the outback.
Sorry for the loss lads.
Sharks 10m out
Coetzee injured.
@rhineshark (Comment 147) : YIP
Bsoman will be better…
Sharks playing a bit better. I believe. Do you?
@DBOY (Comment 126) : Those are the excuses we make.
30min left.
Ita 19-15 Ire
79min
12m out
Try time !!!! Kanko jou doring!!!
We scored a try. 😯
10 – 26
@Hmmm (Comment 154) : Much!
That high tackle was a straight yellow to everyone but kaplan
KANKO! Finally something positive.
Italy 22-15 Ireland
Final score.
Mvovo replacing Odwa
Kaplan having a shocker
@byron (Comment 164) : Referees should give yellow cards even after advantage results in a score.
@McLovin (Comment 166) : Sweeeet!! 😎
aharks offside at the ruck
Frans is a shadow of the player he once was
At last a try…3 hours of rugby for the Sharks to score that one…
Seriously, our backline “attacking moves” could be read by Helen Keller.
was that forward?
I don’t get why Botes is on the bench. We desperately need a fetcher at the breakdown but we play with Daniel and Coetzee…
@DBOY (Comment 175) : I have counted 8 forward passes by the Brumbies that were not penalized. Every debatable knock from the Sharks results in a scrum though.
Bosman on. Steyn move to 15
The good news is that it took the loss of Bismark and Alberts last year to remind the coaches that we have a backline.
This hammering could well have the same effect.
Great. Bosman comes on for Ludik. Now we have to see Steyn mess up the full 80…
atlast Kaplan spots a forward.
PSdT making a difference here.
Sharks scrum penalty
Another earlÿ engagement goes unpunished
Cooper’s basics have been light years ahead of Burden.
Mcloed knock on.
Cooper is pushing for the nr 2 jumper
Sharks MASSIVE scrum. penalty
Afternoon SW,
gee what is going on we seem, we just can’t get it up and going for a win, come on team we just need another 17 points 😳
We MUST score from this lineout.
17min left
Blaming the ref is poor form. Kaplan’s not the one missing tackles and knocking on.
Not saying we would win with a different referee, but the score would be closer if he would have called all the Brumbies infringements.
Coetzee knock on
10 – 26
14min left
Brumbies penalty infront
Just counted 2 Sharks forward passes that went unnoticed. 😉 😈
Frans Steyn the most over rated player in SA at the moment…
10 – 29
12left
Hi Mc
agree we always seem to give alot of blame to the ref but the team is playing and what i can recall is not a good game at all we can and have done much better
cheers. Im out
@Hmmm (Comment 197) :
Yes he is, and a legend in his time
@chaz (Comment 199) : Just one of those days for the sharks. 🙂
@Hmmm (Comment 197) :
Ludik was a lot more lively than Steyn at 15…
@McLovin (Comment 202) :
Agree got no idea what the [email protected] they are doing but this is school rugga in my eyes we have the best but still we seem we just can’t get the points
Stop it with the stupid fucking little kicks!!!!!!!!
@Hmmm (Comment 203) :
100%
@McLovin (Comment 202) : Yes, we’re very unlucky.
@rhineshark (Comment 205) :
😯 really
but must say its a hell day in ST
We might as well have a prop at fullback.
Oh well there is no way in the dark days in ST we can win this one
@rhineshark (Comment 182) : We need to stick with him.
@rhineshark (Comment 207) : 😆
12 points needed for a bonus point.
What’s the bet that Rathbone scores just to rub it in.
Brumbies galloping away at the top of the log. 😐
@rhineshark (Comment 214) : Close.
@McLovin (Comment 215) : And us wallowing in the middle.
Only one home win this weekend. 😯
@McLovin (Comment 216) : Call me almost Nostradamus
So for those who didn’t know what “Ons kak is in die pos” means. you just saw it.
Happy that we never gave up.
This won’t all be in vain if we start to see less reliance on the forwards and more adventure on attack.
Hope we see Copper and Mvovo starting now. Need a big blindside option to add variety. And need Frans to find his mojo.
Now for England vs Wales. Cheers everyone. Try to still enjoy the weekend.
Oh well i really expected more much more than today, really they know what they have to do to get to the top of what they need to get the SR 15 Trophy at this rate will we ever get what should of been our years ago
@rhineshark (Comment 220) :
yep it is we just have to work real hard and deal with it i guess
We urgently need a real attacking coach. Do we even have one?
Only positives for me was the play of Cooper and Du Toit. I am afraid Burden just does not do it for me. Cooper does need to work on his lineouts – but he is far superior in all other aspects of play.
Frans Steyn is in really poor form at the moment.
Lambie kept trying to create all evening, but he really needs better options around him
@Big Fish (Comment 221) :
now that is true words they should of started and FS yes i agree he has to pick up his game and that goes for the rest of the team
Changes for next week. Bosman for Steyn, Botes for Coetzee, those two need some time off to realize they are Sharks now, not Springboks. Look at how they played last year vs the last 4 games. Also Mvovo for Odwa.
Duties for the week, pray that Timmy and Bismarck are back super soon!
At 26-3 ahead, Brumbies kick for corner twice when awarded penalties. Lol thats the ultimate insult when the opposition reckon they got this. Feel sorry for that one supporter sitting in the rain by himself watching this horror show. If only the players had such commitment to the cause
@Die Kriek (Comment 227) :
now that is a name i miss on the field Bismarck
night all
@Die Kriek (Comment 227) : Biggest change needed is a real attack coach, and some hard work on getting the support play up to scratch.
Changing the players will do nothing.
Torches lit and pitch fork sharpened, that was a fucking disgrace!
I know no one cares, but the Lions lead 28-14 half time
We’ve got great players, plum and co need 2 sort their stuff out
Piss poor by a team that wants to win.
A walking humiliation.
Please…. Wake the fuck up and play some rugga!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lions beat Mont de Marsan 56-24
@Mutley (Comment 233) :
😆
@Mutley (Comment 236) :
Congrats.
@RuckingFun (Comment 234) : How I wish Nic Mallet would takeover from Plum with immediate effect. Under Plum, the Sharks have used SupeRugby as a platform to learn the basics (again), improve fitness and see what other teams are doing in terms of gameplan, strategy, tactics etc so we can duplicate what they are doing and add our flavour. Lambie only woke up in the second half of the 4th game, after witnessing what a playmaker should be doing on the field. The Sharks under Plum will continue to be reactive. The side looks clueless, guys run into each or in each other’s way, clearly they don’t know what to do. Why is it that year in year out we have a slow start to this competition -3 tries in 4 games. What’s the off season for Plum? This team is always under-cooked at start of the season. Plum’s lack of attention to detail and getting a side properly ready for the big stage is our biggest downfall.
Very simple…
Gutless performance.
No Bismarck, no Willem & no Deysel and we cant get over the advantage line.
We tried to play flat versus a quick rush defense and we were shown up.
Guys missing one on ones ,players being sucked in because of the lack of proper tackling technique.
Most concerning was our pure apathy.
I still feel the same as yesterday. The coaching staff should go or at the very least get a mental coach in. We will never win a competition if the guys dont get their heads straight. We need to get that Killer instinct and not show mercy to anyone. I’m starting to feel like, ‘whatever’. I dont mind the occasional loss but if we play like yesterday, its unacceptable. Cant we get a petition going or boycott their games untill they make an effort to get this laid back shit out of their heads.
And stop the damn unnecessary kicking!!!
And how the hell do you go from a 90% tackle success rate to about 60% within a week? (Give or take a few). I demand a public apology from each individual involved. Every player and coach better get down on their knees and start begging for forgiveness.
@SteelShark (Comment 242) : Our weaknesses were exposed. No line speed, no intensity, no brutality at the collisions and rucks, kick chase is non-existent. Question then becomes, what the hell are these guys doing during the off season? We should see what they’ve been working by now shouldn’t we? REACTIVE!
We have shit load of talent.
We have shit load of depth.
We should win every home game we play because of above….
We have no fire. No guts. No plan
This is the coaching staff’s fault
@SteelShark (Comment 242) : SteelShark, do you blog on the Hilux4x4 forum under the usename Froll? I see a similiar pic, hence my question.
@SteelShark (Comment 242) : I agree 😆
Kings have more heart, last night was spineless
@KingCheetah (Comment 245) : Nope, I stole this one somewhere 😳
@SteelShark (Comment 247) : Lol, how rude!
Yo KSA! What’s your opinion on this performance?
No match report up yet? Must be hard making up sharp headlines when the Sharks performance was so blunt.
How about truth in advertising?
“Sharks, who sucked, easily beaten by Brumbies, who didn’t.”
feel sorry for the people that went to the staduim must have been hard to swallow that shit
@Poisy (Comment 251) : I know how they feel. I was one of the poor sods who sat through the 6-5 loss to the Reds. We were just as planless that day.
@chaz (Comment 230) :
Hey chaz. Was great to see you around.
@rhineshark (Comment 250) : you’re a bit of a sod some days, you know that? 🙂
If you’re so keen for a match report after that disaster, feel free to submit one…
Not a good day at the office. We are definitely missing Bismark.
@Big Fish (Comment 221) : Hi Fish, thanks for bringing reason to the table and not this endless tiresome negativism.
@SharksRTB (Comment 244) : we have a plan but it seems to revolve entirely around Alberts deysel bismark beast getting over the advantage line and taking a few players with them thus freeing up some space and having an overlap/extra man around. But when they’re either injured or the opposition stop this, then were stuffed, simple as that
Must say it was a match I watched with mixed feelings. Never great to see your team humiliated, but at the same time I could not help but admire the way the Brumbies are playing. That is what I call total rugby. This was not the SA idea of what expansive rugby should be – i.e. just swing the ball from side to side, but forwards and backs working together – creating momentum by driving forward and swinging the ball wide when it was on. The big difference was the support play – it was incredible to see support players always behind the runners – ready to take the ball up. Unfortunately we have very few Sharks players who come even close to that level of support play – Botes and Daniel probably the only ones I can think of. Some how Jake White and co have managed to drill this into all 22 players.
In hindsight this pasting was probably to be expected. The Brumbies have just continued where they ended last year, whereas the Sharks has undergone their usual start of the season reset. A coaching trio of Plum, Bashford and HRE is just no match for a coach (with a senior and junior wold cup in his cupboard) who has organisational skills probably unmatched in rugby, one of the attacking geniuses in rugby with his own world cup, a very unorthodox forwards coach who really thinks out of the box, plus one George Gregan to work with the SH’s. On top of that throw in all the other specialists JW likes to rely on.
The Brumbies came out knowing that if they came out and throw the kitchen sink at the Sharks and manage to score 2-3 tries quickly they would have the game in the bag. There is just no way the Sharks class of 2013 will accumulate enough kickable penalties to reduce a lead of even 12-15 points in time. Everyone knows by now this Sharks team has no idea how to score tries – especially in the Durban humidity.
So what now for the Sharks? First thing I suggest Plum do is make copies for every player and coach of the match recording of that first 30 minutes from the Brumbies. That is how you attack as a team – not players trying to bash over the advantage line all on their own.
@Bokhoring (Comment 258) : Yes, the Brumbies were incredible, the skill level was just on another level.
The most frustrating thing is how the Sharks re-invent the wheel every yr, why can’t they just play in the same way as they ended off last year. Makes one think they stumbled upon that defensive understanding and attacking nous accidentally, and have no way to re-discover it.
I had to laugh at yesterday’s paper, the Sharks are holding a strength and conditioning seminar open to the public. On the evidence of Saturday’s showing in my mind the Sharks are not fit and are poorly conditioned. How else do you explain how a player of the same weight can advance you 5m in the tackle?
Part of it as well I suppose, was the seeming lack of passion and motivation. If there was a game this season so far that you get up for and are mentally ready for, it is this one. Very disappointed, yet also proud at what a South African has achieved over there…ie Jake White.
Basicly the way I see it is, no body pitched for the game.
I also have to question KD as captain and also the fact the he and FS were taken of the field? I mean wtf is that? How can you not have your captain or vice on the field?
@neilster (Comment 259) : If the other player does it at full speed, and you are already slightly on the back foot from the momentum created by the player before that one. Very difficult to defend against.
If you compare what we do – often slowing the ball down on purpose while the SH waits for runners to get into position. Very easy to defend against.
@Bokhoring (Comment 261) : For sure, but I’m talking before then ie how was the momentum created..they won the collisions way too easily.
@Uli (Comment 260) : Indeed, one of the biggest problems in my mind, is the lack of a clear leader in our squad. Compounding the situation was that both Daniel and Steyn were abjectly poor.
and nobody wanted the services of jake white in south africa. 🙄
@pete69 (Comment 264) : SARU have always been masters at cutting of the nose to spite the face.
@neilster (Comment 262) : Pretty much all the time they attack the space next to each defender (or between defenders if there are multiple defenders). So even when you tackle them, it is half side on. Once they created that extra bit of space, the ball is very quickly popped up to the support runner. Once you get that going, it is almost impossible to stop.
Even their big no 8 hardly ever tried to run front on over anyone.
@Bokhoring (Comment 266) : I’m confused, so you are saying that no defense would have been able to stop that kind of attack?
@pete69 (Comment 264) : exactly.
@neilster (Comment 267) : I am not saying that will always work, but is certainly better than how we go into contact. The Brumbies played with real intensity, and the Sharks definitely seemed to lack intensity in everything we did.
I am really looking forward to the Stormers – Brumbies game this weekend. At least the Stormers should be aware of what is waiting for them, and hopefully find a better way to shut them down.
@Bokhoring (Comment 269) : Pretty much the best defence against that is to retain the ball, and do some attacking yourself.
The saddest thing of it all is that Jake White ISNT coaching a South African side. This is the biggest “Up yours” he can give to SARU and the South African franchises who should have snapped him up!
@Bokhoring (Comment 269) : Without a doubt, but offensive tackling would have gone along way to stop that game, but were weren’t up to it. Knock a player backwards and he can’t offload. Also try and flood a few rucks for crying out load, don’t just fan out and allow them quick ball every time!
The Stormers game will tell us plenty yes, they have a heavier and more physical back row for starters, which was definitely an issue for us.
Time for some work…
@Just a Fan (Comment 271) : Well SARU asked for it. Well done to JW.
@neilster (Comment 272) : I think actually the ball stealing skills of Fourie and Vermeulen might assist the Stormers there. Except for Botes and Deysel we really don’t have any forwards that has any idea to spoil the opposition ball legally.
I still reckon it is harder to tackle a player backwards that attacks the space next to you at speed than someone that simply tries to run straight over you.
The Stormers back row may be heavier than ours, but at the same time they are also a lot slower.
the stormers are said to have the best defence in super rugby.so this weekend we will see how the cope with the brumbies.
@pete69 (Comment 275) : I reckon it will be the game of the weekend.
To be honest I am really looking forward to this game, and I feel rather indifferent to the Sharks – Rebels game. I will watch the Sharks game off course, but at the moment expectations are low.
Whew, that was diabolical.
I much prefer the previous edition of the Sharks, the one before the Springbok defensive coach and Carlos (presumeably attack)got hold of them.
@Salmonoid (Comment 277) : Although Spencer was only used as a consultant for a few sessions, and from the reports I read was mainly used to assist the back line with their tactical kicking.
i do not have any faith in hugh reece-edwards,they should have got spencer. 💡
@robdylan (Comment 254) : I know. Can’t help it.
Anyone have the official attendance figures for this game?
@rhineshark (Comment 280) : Hey Rhineshark, correct me if I’m wrong, but was it you who raved about the Kanonkop Paul Sauer some time ago?