The Sharks need to start winning and not stop in order to sneak a play-off berth. Will it start in Durban today against the Bulls?
kick-off is at 17h05.
Sharks: 15 Odwa Ndungane, 14 S’bura Sithole, 13 Waylon Murray, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Fred Zeilinga, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Renaldo Bothma, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Marco Wentzel (captain), 4 Mouritz Botha, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Franco Marais, 1 Beast Mtawarira.
Subs: 16 Monde Hadebe, 17 Thomas du Toit, 18 Lourens Adriaanse, 19 Giant Mtayanda, 20 Etienne Oosthuizen, 21 Conrad Hoffmann, 22 Lionel Cronje, 23 SP Marais
Bulls: 15 Jesse Kriel, 14 Francois Hougaard, 13 JJ Engelbrecht, 12 Burger Odendaal, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Rudy Paige, 8 Pierre Spies (captain), 7 Jacques du Plessis, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Grant Hattingh, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Marcel van der Merwe, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Dean Greyling.
Replacements: 16 Callie Visagie, 17 Morné Mellett, 18 Trevor Nyakane, 19 Arno Botha, 20 Pieter Labuschagne, 21 Piet van Zyl, 22 Tian Schoeman, 23 Jurgen Visser.
Tweet
It’s been a while since I’ve had a good feeling about an upcoming game. Butterflies are going nuts, but to look at it another way the Sharks are 80 minutes away from getting things back on track
Dear Sharks
My three wishes for this game:
1) That the Sharks win
2) Notwithstanding point 1) above, that that overgrown girl Pierre Spies does not score a try against us, and
3) That Conrad Hoffman gets nowhere near the field of play
Much obliged
@Culling Song (Comment 2) : what are you drinking? Mine’s Auchentoshan
My daughter of three just keeps asking when the rugby starts. “Ons moet vir die Haaie skreeu!”
Komaan Haaie!
@robdylan (Comment 3) : King’s Blockhouse IPA on the beer front, soon to be replaced by Old Pulteney 21
@Culling Song (Comment 5) : Sterie Stumpie. Blou.
😀
@vanmartin (Comment 6) : BLOU!??
@Culling Song (Comment 8) : I only drink the blood of my enemies.
@vanmartin (Comment 9) :
Did we have a kick off yet? Or is nobody interested?
sharks tactical kicking not great
Sharks lead 10 – 0 after 30mins
Bulls try 10 – 13
Mvovo dropgoal
halftime
sharks 19 – bulls 15
@JarsonX (Comment 15) : 🙂 my stream is lagging badly
I’m using my imagination
After 18mins the Sharks lead 3 – 0
21mins gone
Or is it closer to 28mins
Apparently there was foul play but could not be proved
Pollard’s drop goes wide
23 min: The ball is sent high and possession regained.
Marcell makes a good break and sets up the penalty.
But the attempt goes wide.
25 min: Renaldo Botha leaves the field for blood,
Etienne Oosthuizen is on the field for a Sharks scrum
on the Bulls 10m line.
If anyone was wondering, I’m doing the copy n plaster thing via twitter
The score has changed but I’m not saying how
@JarsonX (Comment 27) : Nice, keep ’em guessing 🙂
@vanmartin (Comment 28) : I can’t watch and I don’t have a radio close by either 🙁
Esterhuizen could use some velcro gloves…
32 min: Another smashing tackle from Willem earns
another penalty at the breakdown.
Paige and Hougaardt catches Sharks napping. 8-3
@Culling Song (Comment 30) : So could SP
37 min: Renaldo is back on the field. It’s a Sharks
lineout on the Bulls 10m line.
That’s half time. Not terribly much to get excited about unfortunately
Time is at half of what it should be when it is full.
Bulls dominating territory and possession. The few Shark attacks make little progress, and result in turnover very quickly.
Interesting how Bulls TH can bind on Beast’s arm, but Jannie gets penalised for binding on bulls lh arm 🙄
One team is leading and one team is trailing.
@vanmartin (Comment 35) : Great defense from Sharks (save for that one incident 😳 )…and much better intensity.
Now just need someone to break the shackles
Half Time
Sharks 3 – 8 Bulls
Reinach, Fred and SP poor in the first half.
@Ben (Comment 42) : Fred 🙄
Seems to be doing his best Kyle Cooper impersonation 😐
Willem Alberts was our best player in the first half in my opinion.
Commentators aren’t even bothering to discuss the Sharks game. Entire discussion about issues with Bulls cleanout.
@FireTheLooser (Comment 43) : Seems Franco is starting to do a Kyle impression. Couple of really poor throws.
@Bokhoring (Comment 45) : At least we don’t have to listen to Mr. Know-it-all Mallet, probably crying in a dark corner somewhere after Brendan’s article. 😈
We need a scrumhalf
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 48) : Someone capable of breaking the line would be nice too…
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 48) : Hoffman is on the bench. 🙄
@Bokhoring (Comment 46) : Don’t know why everyone suddenly decided he was better. He’s not much better at lineouts and nowhere in open play.
Thomas du Toit replacing Jannie… isnt that the wrong side of the scrum for Thomas?
@Pablo Dinero (Comment 52) : ahh… commentator error.
Finally some decent bloody play!!!
Sharks 10 – 8 Bulls
For a big guy, Beast falls down was too easily. Well, the lead was nice for those 2 mins…
Why can’t Beast pass?
10 – 11
Sharks are really poor at protecting ball onattack
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 57) : Velcro gloves
@vanmartin (Comment 60) :
@vanmartin (Comment 60) : 😆
How late is the tackle on Mvovo
About 18:14
Piss off Reinach!
Penalty to the Bulls. Thanks Reinach! 🙄
These palookas are punching way above their weight
Luckily he misses.
Seems the Sharks are dragging the Bulls down to their level now.
Sharks starting to look more fluent on attack
Why don’t we involve Esterhuizen more?
Fred is going to cost us this game…
Shocking decision by Peyper. Two sharks on their feet, haul the ball back, then penalty to the bulls…
How did SP get on the field so quickly?
Peyper making some interesting calls on the breakdown against the Sharks. Some consistency please
Peyper useless cnut!
10 – 14
@JarsonX (Comment 74) : Odwa was injured early on
The injury gods truely are against us
Sharks need a goal kicker
Let’s keep kicking at goal! 🙄
@JarsonX (Comment 79) : As are the kicking gods
REPORT: Clermont beat Saracens 13-9 in their
European Champions Cup semi-final in Saint-Etienne
Arno just got kicked in the face. Fortunately Bissie was nowhere near the field.
He was clearly pushed back as he tried to step over the player on the ground. There was no intentional stamp. If this is a penalty and worse a card, its a travesty!!!
Who’s boot?
@JarsonX (Comment 86) : Adriaandse
Good decision by the TMO finally
@JarsonX (Comment 86) : Nothing in it though, clearly accidental and thankfully the ref agrees
Hoffmann is kak
Ah!
Hoffman weaves his magic first up. Penalty Bulls. Blindside break with no momentum, tackled backwards and sells Bothma
Please coaches. Time to blood some young nines.
Another breakdown penalty against the Sharks. If Pollard nails this I’m afraid our proverbial goose is well cooked
I think someone might have evidence of someone doing something hence their continued selection.
Well, its now come down to whether the sharks can salvage a draw boys. 10 – 17
@vanmartin (Comment 94) : Whoop there it is…
@JarsonX (Comment 95) : That’s really the only reasonable explanation
Best hope is a draw
Is Horak our kicking coach or is the Hound barking up the wrong tree?
Fuck they’re clueless
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 99) : Only hope is a draw…
@JarsonX (Comment 100) : It was Ben that mentioned that and according to an article discussing his signing, he is indeed
No wonder we can’t kick
Or didn’t they practice kicking during the pre season either?
No imagination on attack. Another turnover.
Congrats Bulls
At least we prevented the Bulls from scoring 4 tries. About the only positive from the game.
13 turnovers conceded by the Sharks. No respect for the ball. No respect for possession. No respect for the jersey. No passion. Eat shit Sharks!
I don’t see an SA side in the semi-finals this year.
Hoffman is kak
@Ben (Comment 109) : Timeout Ben 🙂
We did way better than expected. Well done “special” team of the week.
I said it months ago. 7 maer jare le voor vir die Sharkies.
@vanmartin (Comment 112) : 😈 🙂
So Venter apologised for neglecting defense. That’s cool considering all the time they’ve obviously put into scoring all those tries.
We have one game changer: Reinach…sadly he as reliable as a woman in the red light district.
The rest of our team is for the most part playing like drones, waiting for someone else to take the lead and do something.
Useless!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@JarsonX (Comment 114) : JosephX
@Ben (Comment 109) : I think the players tried hard, but this team is currently mostly made up by journeymen, lacking x-factor players.
@FireTheLooser (Comment 117) : 😎
@Bokhoring (Comment 120) : You don’t concede 13 turnovers when you try hard.
@Ben (Comment 122) : Poor ball protection has been a Sharks problem for years. Nothing new. That is why JW started with a kicking game plan in his first year.
@Bokhoring (Comment 123) : True
Sharks worked on their defense for this game. It improved dramatically. Well played. The tackle count was massive.
Their attack was a bit dismal, though. But if Lambie and JPP returns I’m sure that will change.
Murray was crap at the Bulls a couple of years ago and he still doesn’t warrant Sharks selection either.
Was still a close game and a rare 4 points in Durban you take anyway you can.
PS. On a possitive note, at least it was a cardless game for both sides.
Lineouts – a throw back to the Plum era.
Kicks at goal – a throw back to the Boks in ’96 (or was that ’97?)
General kicking – Like playing soccer without goal posts
Generally unable to put together an innings, can’t build pressure, can’t maintain pressure, apple-crumble under pressure.
Now I’m hungry 😉
Lost to a better drilled and resourced team. The names in the Bulls squad were huge and they delivered. But Fred and SP are not ready for this level…why isn’t Cameron Wright getting a look into.
@Blue Centurion (Comment 125) : Well done on the win bud
@Blue Centurion (Comment 125) : Congratulations.
FULL TIME
CHEETAHS 17 – 18 REDS
Shame. I re-read comment #1 on this thread after the final whistle. Such misplaced optimism and faith. We all want to be optimistic. But we are truly awful. We are going to get resoundingly smashed on tour. Face it now.
GOLD OUT.