I think we are all in agreement.
Bismarck du Plessis’ actions on the field deserved punishment. However, it is time to move on and look at the rest of the team.
Talking about the rest of the team. Didn’t they do us proud. Again, under the greatest adversity, when your captain has shamed you and another senior player has been sent off and left the team outnumbered. You could be expected to hang your heads and take the inevitable defeat, but not these guys. As always, when the chips are down, the Sharks are at their best. I have to say, I was immensely proud of the boys. Now it is time to build on a fighting performance like that, something the Sharks usually don’t do. It is time for these boys to step up and play at that same level, when their numbers are up. Anything less than a win against the Force will not be good enough and will negate all the hard work done against the Chiefs.
Kyle Cooper did immensely well when he was forced onto the field unexpectedly. For a man that hardly gets 5 minutes each week, he got stuck right in and looked like he belonged and it is about time the coaches take notice and give him opportunities instead of using him only as a stopgap. Ryan Kankowski was another player who really stood up and played as a leader against the Chiefs. He is already a senior player and a leader in the squad and I believe he will do a fine job as captain. Pat Lambie stepped up as a captain and though it must feel like his inclusion for the next game is imperative, he must be rested, along with Marcell Coetzee and Cobus Reinach. If you do not rest them now fatigue will come in and play a role later on, maybe even an irreversible role. There are enough quality players in our squad to do the job against the Force.
The tougher replacements are the ones that are technically not forced on the Sharks, but rather requested. Replacing Lambie at this time seems like an impossible request, but for the players own sake, I feel management need to take responsibility and give him the week off, if not now, when? There is never going to be a good time.
Fred Zeilinga and Stefan Ungerer had a good run in the Vodacom Cup in the Super Rugby curtain raiser on Saturday and although their opposition didn’t bring much to the contest, the way both players came out and performed should be enough for the Sharks coaching team to trust these players to take over the mantle for one week. Of course there is also Conrad Hoffman who has been doing bench duty, but I am a strong believer in playing halfbacks in combination wherever possible. I would have the more experienced pair of Hoffman and Lionel Cronje on the bench. These two looked really good as a combination during Currie Cup 2014.
The toughest replacement could well be Marcell Coetzee. Not only do the Sharks not have a proper like for like replacement for Marcell in the squad, but no less than three of their top loose forwards are still on the injury list as well as the recent injury of Pieter-Steph du Toit who has been seen as a hybrid lock/loose forward in the past. Both Willem Alberts and Jean Deysel still have a couple of weeks left in their recovery and news has been scarce on Mtembu’s injury. Ettienne Oosthuizen, injured in pre-season, did have a run with the Sharks XV and could be an option in the back row. While Daniel du Preez has also been given a taste of Super Rugby in the last few weeks. Khaya Majola is the only one of these men that is actually an openside flank, but the Sharks might just opt to go without a fetching option if they do decide to rest Coetzee. Another outside option for the position, could be Johan Meyer, who had an exceptionally good game for the Sharks XV on Saturday.
Although the Force are not been the pushovers they have been in the past and in fact, could count themselves unlucky not to have walked away with more than a bonus point against the Bulls, one feels this will be the best opportunity for the Sharks to rest a few players. They should see this as a chance to test a few players at this level and give them a run in case they are needed again in the future. In fact though with all the changes it might not even be considered, a player like Jaco van Tonder is also long overdue a run, with the inconsistent performances of SP Marais continuing at fullback.
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And I just can’t believe it is raining in Auckland. This has shifted the balance of this game completely back in die favor of NZ. South Africa will have to fight to pull this one out of the bag now.
AB and Faf had them staring down the barrel of the gun, now …
Can’t believe it.
@Letgo (Comment 1) : The weather Gods really hate the Proteas!
I absolutely agree Letgo. It’s so easy for us to look at the negative and slam a couple of players that let us down. But the fact STILL remains that we beat a very good, on-form Chiefs side, with 13 men on the field in atrocious conditions. Those men fought like warriors can came away victorious. I think Marco Wentzel also deserves special mention.. he was colossal and stepped up greatly when the chips were down.
I for one am extremely proud of our performance, and like you said, would love to see more of the same.
@Letgo (Comment 1) : SA cricket and rain – never a great combo
Although from what I read if SA could not continue, the target would have been 264 from 38 overs for NZ.
Great article Letgo.
I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of changes to our team for this weekend.
Miller is smashing NZ.
NZ needs 298 from 43 overs
@Bokhoring (Comment 8) : Thanks for the updates. Please keep them coming.
Miller smashed 49 of 18 balls. Not often that you see AB reduced to a spectator.
Not a good start.
Our bowling not of to a great start – 18 after 1.2 overs
The decision to bring Philander back in for Abbott looks to be backfiring on us.
32/0 after 3 overs
@Bokhoring (Comment 13) : 🙄
We need to get McCullum out now!
@Bokhoring (Comment 14) : Not good 😯
@Ben (Comment 16) : It is the McCullum show. Guptil still only has 2
If they don’t get some wickets soon, it is game over.
NZ going at a run rate of 13
Piss poor bowling!
Steyn just went for 25 in one over.
71/0 after 6 overs
McCullum out!
McCullum out. Thank goodness
72/1 after 7 overs. Run rate down to 10.28 🙄
Morkel strikes again. Williamson gone.
81/2 after 9. Run rate down to 9
104/2 after 12.
112/2 after 14. Run rate down to 8.
We need a wicket soon.
Vern is also settling in now.
116/2 after 16
Guptill run out. 128/3
Just keep them wickets coming boys.
133/3 after 18
@Bokhoring (Comment 35) : Thanks for tjhe updates. Keep them coming. We can do this! #Proteafire #randomotherhashtagcomments
143/3 after 20. This is incredibly tight.
Another wicket by Duminy. 149/4
Taylor gone.
151/4 after 22. NZ needs 147 runs from 21 overs.
I am super nervous.
Would love another hat-trick!
165/4 after 24. We need another wicket soon.
174/4 after 26.
183/4 after 28
196/4 (29.1)
The writing is on the wall. 🙄
We need a couple of wickets. Quick!
199/4 after 30. Much better over from Steyn
AB is going to bowl
AB stuffs up a run out
Pressure starting to get too much for SA?
208/4 after 32
NZ needs 85 from 60 now
Actually 84 from 60 for a tie – which means NZ goes thru
We need a wicket urgently. AB is going to kick himself after the game.
66 of 48 balls needed
AB and poor bowling costs us the world cup, and of course dropping Abbott, and poor fielding.
Oh and the damn rain
Only a miracle will help us now.
243/4 at the end of the power play.
Fat lady warming here voice now.
@sharks_lover (Comment 57) : How did AB cost us the world cup? 🙄
46 of 36 balls needed.
@Ben (Comment 62) : He fluffed a straight forward runout standing next to the stumps. Elliott was 4 meters out, and AB fumbled the ball and then fell over.
@Bokhoring (Comment 64) : AB wasn’t the only one at fault there. The throw wasn’t good enough.
@Bokhoring (Comment 64) : Wouldn’t call it straight forward. Maybe straight forward for someone like AB but certainly not straight forward.
Anderson gone. We have some hope.
45 of 30 balls
What was that all about? Checking if the ball hit the wire of the camera?
Excellent over by Morkel. Now we need the same from Tahir and Steyn.
@Ben (Comment 69) : Would have been a dead ball if it did – no wicket.
AB taking another over.
@Bokhoring (Comment 71) : That would have sucked big time!
The man has some serious balls.
Ben, the target is easy for them now and still 5 wickets in hand, simple task
35 of 24 balls needed for a tie
28 of 18
I would hate for this to be another tie.
@sharks_lover (Comment 75) : And that’s AB’s fault?
Steyn finally gets a wicket. We breathe
If we can just get Elliot out now.
22 from 12
Nail-biting stuff now.
@Ben (Comment 79) : uhm simple stumping when they needed 100 yes bad mistake
Come on Morné!
This is going to be close
@sharks_lover (Comment 84) : Simple? Have you ever played cricket?
If we win this it is a little miracle, DeKock also misses easy stumping
Who is going to crack here
@Ben (Comment 87) : yes simple, ans as a pro he should have done the job, just like you hsd your opinion due re the sharks? I have mine
Score and Balls?
13 of 7
Update faster please
And you think we are not chocking? Wtf
How useless is that?
My Walka said cheers 2 overs ago. Getting from ESPN cricket now
11 balls from last over
Steyn owes us a big one.
10 from 5
10 needed from 5
9 from 4
Come on Dale!
Steyn hurt. Physio on the field.
We are 3 dot balls away from a world cup final!!! I can’t take it anymore!
Seems Steyn is getting some attention for his hammy
5 of 3
4 of 2
NZ wins
Well done NZ.
@sharks_lover (Comment 90) : Steyn didn’t cost us the game?
Oh well
@Ben (Comment 110) : Steyn certainly was one of the culprits with some poor bowling at the start.
Nice one Duminy. Bloody idiot!
@Ben (Comment 113) : ??
Oh well. SA and playoff games.
Chokers, yes or no?
@Bokhoring (Comment 114) : Did you see the dropped catch in the second last over? Duminy ran into Behardien.
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 116) : Nah. Wouldn’t say that this time.
NZ should be very thankful for the rain.
@Ben (Comment 117) : My Walka stopped grafting before then.
@Bokhoring (Comment 120) : Behardien dropped Elliot. Last ball off Morné’s last over.
@Ben (Comment 118) : We did fluff a couple of straight forward wickets there though.
If you want to find a culprit then look to the person that didnt pick Abott
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 123) : It is just stupid to change a team at this stage.
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 123) : @Bokhoring (Comment 124) : Idiotic.
gutted
I hope NZ go on and win the world cup.
Seems we’re able to only dislodge one choker tag at a time….we got rid of the play-off choking tag…now we need to work at reaching the final….then only can we work at winning the darn thing.
For now….when’s the next test match 😈
@Letgo (Comment 126) : Your headline is very apt for the cricket…somehow, you knew 😐
@Ben (Comment 127) : I really did not enjoy their supporters today.
@FireTheLooser (Comment 128) : So in 8 years time if every thing goes to plan?
@Bokhoring (Comment 130) : They are better than the Aussie and Indian supporters.
If India goes through, I will support them. Otherwise NZ
@Bokhoring (Comment 131) : Well, it took us 23 years to finally win a CWC play-off match…so using linear reasoning, it might take a tad more than 8 years. 😉
@Ben (Comment 125) : @Bokhoring (Comment 124) : Its damn frustrating to wake up at 3.00 in the morning, seeing that a form player is left out and at that stage already knowing deep down that its going to end ugly. Im gutted for all these guys but I honestly feel for Abott having to watch this knowing that he has been shafted. Bloody disgusting really.
Rant over.
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 135) : In the end the selectors shafted themselves for selecting a player just returning from injury over one who has been on form. Apparently the reasoning was that Vern is a better batsman, but in the end he was not even needed.
@Bokhoring (Comment 133) : NZ might find it a bit harder to win on a real cricket field 😉
Pity the fool who seriously expects the Proteas to win a tight knock-out game. I’m happy with our tournament performance.
@Bokhoring (Comment 136) : Might be a better batsmean but honestly any fool knows what Abotts ability is to take the big wickets upfront and be very tight throughout his spell now couple that with the Black Caps ability to get going from ball one and the folly of leaving him out is obvious. It was always obvious even to the apologists who try to justify his exclusion.
@Big Fish (Comment 138) : Im that fool, have always been. 😥
To be honest both India and Pakistan gave us a good whack.
@FireTheLooser (Comment 137) : 😀
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 139) : Sounds like they should have started him!
One ball, what a way to lose.
Well at least it wasn’t a tie…..I would never have survived that.
@Pokkel (Comment 143) : 1999 counts with 2007 as sporting days to rather forget.
@Bokhoring (Comment 144) :
Yip.
It wasn’t great sitting in the rain at Kings Mead in 2003 either.
@Letgo (Comment 145) : How could I forget that disaster?
@Big Fish (Comment 138) : @Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 140) :
Me too. I’m that fool to. 😥
so once again South Africa was snookered by the weather.
What is it with the Proteas and the weather.
I would like to ask the resident dominee and all the other God botherers on this site is this God’s doing does he hate the Proteas.
I know this is a loaded question but every week we have to endure some sportsman thanking his saviour for a victory on the sports field.Hell I even heard Coennie Oosthuizen thank the Lord for allowing him to smash his opponents non stop into oblivion for 80 minutes.
So while I am confused that if God actually does play rugby, why would he back the Bulls.
I reckon if he does have an effect on the weather,then he sure as shite doesn’t like the Proteas.
Will there be heartbreak on the rugby side again this year. I hope not. I will have to give up one code if it happens.
The Sharks need to start losing now or win the whole thing.
Really, really gutted.
@The hound (Comment 148) :
Very philosophical question that. Are you actually looking for a genuine answer to that.
God doesn’t care about sport.
Players thank God for giving you the talent and the privilege to play the sport, not for the win and therefore you will see losing captains sometimes also taking a knee.
Btw, God can allow adversity to make us stronger or to draw nearer to him. The Bible talks a lot about God testing his children because he loves them.
Like AB said in his interview last night, the sun will come up again tomorrow.
And with that, I have to thank you, because now I feel a lot better.
Sport is sport. It is there for our enjoyment and entertainment and this game certainly was that.
Admittedly I still feel a nauseating feeling at the pit of my stomach.
@Letgo (Comment 150) : There was no disgrace in that loss, I was merely taking the mumbo jumbo out of the equation.
If you have ever been to New Zealand you will understand why they absolutely had to win.
The whole country is defined by one thing the All Blacks,and now the Black Caps.
We were hungry for a win they were desperate,a loss would have meant mass suicides,and the Prime Minister resigning.
Ia
@The hound (Comment 151) :
I think maybe some of our boys were also too desperate.
AB’s stuff up with the run out. Faf running backwards for a catch when Amla was coming in from the boundary, Duminy diving into Behardien while trying to make a pretty simple catch. De Kock missing the ball trying to effect a run out. Muller missing the stumps to run Vittory out.
Choke. And I don’t like giving teams that tag, but really. The pressure got to us and we choked.
@The hound (Comment 151) :
I thought you may have just been asking in jest.
@Letgo (Comment 152) : you are so wrong we lost on the second last ball,that is not a choke.If we had won it would have been a great victory,and we were two balls away from winning.
Steyn couldn’t do it today unfortunatelyAnd we were beaten by a South African.
@The hound (Comment 154) : Sad but true.
@The hound (Comment 154) : We choked boet, when the pressure came we couldn’t handle it and thus the mistakes as we know, that’s choking with a capital C 😕
@sharks_lover (Comment 156) : We mostly looked flustered in the NZ innings – totally flustered in the last 15 overs. The pressure got to us.
@sharks_lover (Comment 156) : You are such a dick with a capital D.You have a contest there is a winner and a loser.It doesn’t get closer than this.In that cauldron .that atmosphere,with the majority willing you to lose to come that close is hardly a choke.
You my friend have probably never played anything more competitive than playstation.
That team left nothing out there.Fuck I hate South African fans,where is it written that we have rights to every contest we enter.
We made it to within two balls of a world cup final,and you call it a choke.
@The hound (Comment 158) :
I find myself agreeing 100% percent with you hound.
SA did us proud and ABdV was the perfect sportsman. After the game there was no blaming DL, the rain, the crowd, the dropped catches. Just thank you to the electric crowd, the better team won and walks off with tears in his eyes.
That was no choke – we got beaten by a team that was better than us, both on the day and throughout the last 6 months or so.
I’m proud of the boys. They played decent honest cricket, made the semi and lost with a ball to spare. Sad, but such is profesisonal sport. Small margins win matches.
@Bokhoring (Comment 157) :
WTF are you talking about.
If anythign we handled the pressure better than, for exmaple, in the Indian game.
End of the day our batting hasnt been quite good enough and we were seriously short of a 5th bowler.
Its worth mentioning, we seriously, seriously missed JK in this WC.
@VinChainSaw (Comment 159) : Thanks Lucky,best sports contest I have watched in ages went all the way to the wire.That is what T.V Sport is about.
@VinChainSaw (Comment 160) : McCullum’s little blitzkrieg set the tone for the innings. An excellent over from Tahir slowed down the carnage, but by then the damage (to the scoreboard and our psyche) was done. We had our chances to win the game – we just did not take enough of them. Nothing to be ashamed of – I just think NZ handled the pressure a lot better in the end.
I do agree – we missed an all-rounder of the calibre of Kallis.
@VinChainSaw (Comment 160) : And it is a damn pity that a once in a lifetime player like AB will probably never win a world cup.
@Bokhoring (Comment 162) : Who is that all rounder and who played so appallingly that you would have dropped him.
And give us an example of someone who couldn’t handle the pressure,because I watched the whole game and must have missed some one crumbling under the anxiety.
@The hound (Comment 164) : We did not have one to select – that was one of our weaknesses. There is just no one currently in SA that can perform the role Kallis did for us.
How many lifelines did we give Elliott in the end?
hey guys, any news on what happened at liam’s citing hearing?
@Stiko85 (Comment 166) : No punishment.
seriously??? nothing at all? is there like an official report on his hearing like with bissie and steyn?
Choke:
“An act in which a team or a person collaspe when they are expected to win no matter what the other team does.” – Urban Dictionary
I guess we didn’t choke….
“The failure of an athlete or an athletic team to win a game or tournament when the player or team had been strongly favored to win or had squandered a large lead in the late stages of the event.” – wikipedia.
I guess the Sharks never choked either.
@FireTheLooser (Comment 169) : New Zealand have yet to lose a game, we lost to India and Pakistan.They are at home, playing on a rugby field with vey short boundaries,they were heavy favourites.They only caught our total in the last two balls,so how is that a choke.
Wait till New Zealand get to the MCG,and have to play on a real field,a lot of their sixes at Eden Park will fall vey short of the boundary.
by the way Sharks won last week.
@Bokhoring (Comment 165) : There is currently no Jaques Kallis any where in the world,so don’t feel left out.
@The hound (Comment 170) :
Crikey, yes, Eden PArk looked like a mini-crickt field.
We were beaten by the better team on the day and the better team over the tournament.
Amazing that we got so close, given how lacking weve been in the fourth and fifth bowler category.
I also didnt say we should left a JK replacement at home – im saying we missed his allrounding and the gap he left was where this campaign fell down.
@FireTheLooser (Comment 169) :
We werent close to being favourites.
@The hound (Comment 170) : @VinChainSaw (Comment 172) : Which is why I said, I guess we didn’t choke.
Agree RE: the field, had it been a cricket oval (and not a glorified rugby rect-oval) I’m fairly certain we would have taken it.
For me though…bring on the real cricket, bring on test cricket 😉
@VinChainSaw (Comment 171) : Parnell and Behardien were sent over there to do the Jaques job.
Bigest mistake today was to play an unfit Philander and an injured Steyn ahead of Abo.
@FireTheLooser (Comment 173) : O.K. Sorry I read you wrong,I see what you mean,yup playing in Eden park would be like playing in Ellis Park.
@Stiko85 (Comment 168) : http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3551_38922,00.html
You could see the panic written all over the SA cricket players’ faces in those last 10 overs. Botched run outs, dropped catches. Yes, it was a clear choke.
But then, it was SA in a CWC. What did we expect?
My take is that you only had to listen to AB de Villiers in press conferences and his post loss conference to realise the team were placing FAR too much pressure on themselves. The press here in NZ ramped up the self imposed pressure and we had comments from NZ players that SA were placing themselves under too much pressure to win and”cricket is meant to be fun”.
Worst part for me is the number of SA expats here in NZ who now support NZ. These guys are so bitter with SA and the circumstances which caused them to leave that they’ve gone overboard in their support for their new but still foreign country. Heard a few times the phrase “I support the country which supports me.” They seem especially pleased – as if its a justification for their decision – that the winning runs were smashed by a SA expat. They disgust me. But its their choice.
@Feather (Comment 177) : Ah mate, yeah it’s distasteful, but each unto his own.
Everybody justifies their choices in their own way.
I’ve been living abroad for more than 10 years and my experience is that expats showcase the best and worst that SA has to offer. It’s a very bipolar bunch and each has his or her cross to bare.
I hold another passport but will always see myself first and foremost as a South African.
@Bokhoring (Comment 176) : thanks #okhoring. horible reasoning if you ask me. so because liam has a good track recorded he has licence to choke hold our player and get away with nothing. mxm. sick of these damn new zeelanders being treated like gods by sanzar. whats the damn point in finding a player guilty and yet imposing no sanction. ken ma net gese het hys ‘n all black so hy kom vry. kag man. mxm
@Feather (Comment 177) : are they any worse than the one’s who emigrate but still have one foot on the plane.
Hell friend if you are going to emigrate either adopt the country you have voluntarily gone to or come home.
I have lived outside the country many times in the past forty years,but have always come home to Durban.U.K. ,Canada,Australia,Singapore,
My pet hate are theS.A. expats who took the chicken run and years later are now incredibly pissed off that terrible blood letting they were convinced was going to happen never did.
It is almost as if they resent the fact that we are still alive,and most of us still living the life20 years after apartheid
So Liam Messam is found guilty but gets no punishment?! Hmmm…
@Stiko85 (Comment 179) : It was Jannie Lubbe – same guy that canceled Frans’s red card.
@The hound (Comment 170) : JK is a special case, but most top teams do have an all rounder in the mix. Take Anderson from NZ – ODI batting ave=36.72, bowling ave=24.68, economy=6.31. The closest we have is Duminy – batting ave=39.66 but bowling = 39.98.
@Bokhoring (Comment 182) : same guy that gave bissie 4 weeks. the difference is he found steyn not guilty. liam on the other hand was found guilty but apparently choke holding someone on the ground, intentionally, is in the lower region of offences and therefore no further sanction is needed. mind you the player wasn’t punished during the game itself. so what sanction were given to the player besides the fact that he was guilty? no apology no warning nothing.
@Stiko85 (Comment 184) : He was found not guilty of a dangerous tackle – “The original charge of a breach of Law 10.4 (e) Dangerous Tackling was amended to a breach of Law 10.4 (m) Acts contrary to good sportsmanship.”
Bissie appeared in front of Adam Casselden.
with steyn they admitted the ref made the wrong call. with liam they admit he broke the law that he acted unsportman like and he himself pleads guilty. but suddenly lubbe decides that it would be wrong to punish him for his actions. no we just parden him. not even a slap on the wrist mind you. u cant just parden someone who commits a red card offense without any form of panishment. if he got a yellow card or a red during the game than fine. but he gets away with what he did just like that. unfair!
@Bokhoring (Comment 185) : so the folks that laid the charge against him called charged him with breaking the wrong law? kag man. this is still unfair. wonder what will happen if a south african chokes someone like that. i bet you he isnt going to get away with “no further santion”. so bissie should have appeared before lubbe ne. he might have gotten away with a slap on the wrist or one week.
@Stiko85 (Comment 187) : For sure – it seems Lubbe is the man you want to judge your case.
@The hound (Comment 158) : @VinChainSaw (Comment 159) : Ok maybe we didnt choke, but we as sure as hell dont have BMT, couple that with dodgy team selections and the writing was on the wall. No one is saying they didnt try, they did right down to the end but the more they tried the more they fumbled and stumbled – no BMT.
A few weeks ago Domingo said we didnt need a sports psychologist for this team and so none accompanied the them. They needed one and they probably need one even more today.
You want an allrounder – Ryan McLaren should have been there. he would have filled a huge void. Why wasnt he selected?
In the end Im immensely proud of them, they are my team after all.
@Feather (Comment 177) : @VinChainSaw (Comment 178) : Yeah we are an enigma unto ourselves. Safffas for the larger part cant love their homeland and their new country equally and that should be the easiest thing to do.
And the emigrants just cant stop scanning all forms of SA media looking for a rant.
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 190) : Every South African no matter what colour is the descendant of emigrants.
Mclaren was not there because Parnell and Behardien were selected ahead of him.
McClaren should have been there. Abott should have played yesterday.
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 192) : I agree with you 100% on both counts,Abo should have been chosen ahead of Steyn who was carrying an injury,and Philander who hadn’t played for two weeks.
If anyone choked it was the management,which consists of a huge team of coaches and not the players.
But imagine if Steyn had been dropped and we still lost,we would never have heard the end of it
Interesting that Kaplan reckons the ref made the right call by red carding Steyn…
@The hound (Comment 193) : Spot on, management needs to man up on this one, far, far more than any one of the players.
@VinChainSaw (Comment 194) : Did Kaplan see the additional video?
Also interesting is that Kaplan feels the refs need to “protect” players more, referring to Bismark being constantly targeted with off the ball crap.
@VinChainSaw (Comment 194) :
I agree with Kaplan and the on field refs. Since when is it not a red card when the tackled player manages to brace himself with his forearm before landing on his shoulders/neck/head. I thought it was dangerous and could have ended up seriously injuring Cruden.
I also thought Steyn would get at least 2 weeks.
But then the shoulder charge of Hika only got a week and Messam got of complete free, the player who went into Reinach with his knee and injured him, was never even mentioned.