The Sharks XV will be down in Port Elizabeth tonight where they will face the Eastern Province Kings at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in their final match in this year’s Vodacom Cup competition.
Both teams have failed to make any significant impression on the log as the Kings are currently fifth and the Sharks sixth. A win for the Sharks will mean they leapfrog the Kings and finish fifth on the log.
Tera Mtembu returns for the Sharks after a lengthy injury lay off and will start at eighthman. Another point of interest will be former Samoan and Kings winger Paul Perez making his return to his former home ground.
Former Sharks player, Tim Whitehead takes over the captaincy for the Kings after Luke Watson was ruled out after he picked up flu late in the week. Former Springbok CJ van der Linde also makes his return to the Kings starting lineup.
Kick-off is at 7pm.
Eastern Province Kings: 15 Siviwe Soqizwapi 14 Siyanda Grey 13 Ronnie Cooke 12 Tim Whitehead (capt) 11 Luther Obi 10 Hansie Graaff 9 Jaco Grobler 8 Paul Schoeman 7 Stefan Willemse 6 Thembelani Bholi 5 Cornell Hess 4 Tazz Fuzani 3 CJ van der Linde 2 Edgar Marutlulle 1 Lizo Gqoboka
Replacements: 16 Mike van Vuuren 17 Enoch Mnyaka 18 David Bulbring 19 Eital Bredenkamp 20 Eniro Acker 21 Sphu Msutwana 22 Scott van Breda
Sharks XV: 15 Garth April 14 Paul Perez 13 Paul Jordaan 12 Marius Louw 11 Tonderai Chavhanga 10 Heimar Williams 9 Hanco Venter 8 Tera Mtembu 7 Johan Meyer 6 Khaya Majola 5 Jean Droste 4 Christiaan de Bruin 3 Marne Coetzee 2 Monde Hadebe (capt) 1 Barend Potgieter
Replacements: 16 Johan Erasmus 17 Mthunzi Moloi 18 Sias Koen 19 Francois Kleinhans 20 Cameron Wright 21 Sandile Kubeka 22 Alcino Izaacs
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Wish the game was televised. 🙁
@Ben (Comment 1) : yeah, would be nice.
Pierre is there, though and he’ll do his best to keep us updated, signal permitting
@robdylan (Comment 2) : Hope he isn’t using MTN! 😈
@Ben (Comment 3) : CELL C Ben 🙄 😆
Evening folks, who’s joining me
@pierre_mackie (Comment 4) : Thank Heavens!
Lovely evening for running rugby, lets hope 😉
Adam Wessels is a late replacement for Sia Koen on the bench
Sharks taking the field
Taking taking it wide early on, turn over from tthe tackle
1st lineout on the Sharks 10m
Good take by the KIngs setting up the drive
Knock on by Graaff, scrum Sharks
Big scrum from the Kings but Sharks get away with it, runs down field taken over touch line inside Kings half
Scrum penalty for Kings Sharks not binding, lineout on Sharks 10m
Big drive from the Kings inside Sharks 22, penalty Kings going for points
Graaff adds the 1st points for the Kings, 8mins gone
Kings 3 – 0 Sharks
Sharks with a strong drive down the midfield
Not scared to let the ball do the work down the backline, taken over the touch line lineout Kings 22
Perez with his 1st touch, runs over one player, Sharks with a knock on 10m from touch line, tried to release the ball in the tackle, scrum Kings
There comes that slow internet now
Kings 3 – 0 Sharks 20mins
Sharks with a freekick inside Kings half
Another pen Sharks 10m from 22, April to take a shot
Kings 3 – 3 Sharks, pen kicked by April
Pen to Kings just outside Sharks 22, going for touch
@pierre_mackie (Comment 24) : Thanks for the updates Pierre!
Some solid defence from the Sharks, turnover and pen to Shark
Lineout still inside Sharks half of the field
Sharks not holding on to the ball, Kings come away with it, strong run by Obi. Penalty just inside Sharks 22
Kings driving it up, but defence is holding
Obi is over for Kings’ 1st try, conv to come
Touchline conversion missed 8 – 3 to Kings
Sharks somehow got away with the ball from the kick off and scores their 1st try
Conversion missed, scores are level at 8 all 14mins remaining
Sorry, to get back to just before the Kings scored their 1st try, Sharks were reduced to 14 men, Paul Jordaan yellow carded
Jordaan returns, Sharks back to 15
Sharks with a lineout on half way
@pierre_mackie (Comment 38) : Thanks for updates Pierre. Why was Jordaan carded?
Ball went to the midfield and back over the touchline, another lineout for Sharks on the 10m
Sharks inside Kings 22, 5m out
Pen for Sharks, 5m out
Strong counter drive by the Kings, ball goes to the blind side but player steps into touch
Lineout Kings, 4mins remaining
@Rvw (Comment 40) : hands in the ruck if i remember correctly
Sharks with another strong drive ref playing adv, 5m out
Kings defending for all they worth
April tries the cross kick to Perez but just too far as the ball goes over the touchline
Players go back for the penalty, Sharks setting up the lineout
last chance to score before halftime
Hooter goes in the back ground as the Sharks lose ground on attack
Player held up, ref blows for half time
Half Time:
Sharks 8 – Tries: Venter. Penalty: April
Kings 8 – Tries: Obi. Penalty: Graaff
Players back on to the field for the start of the second half
Kings with an early pen inside their 22, Sharks playing the ball on the ground
Another pen to Kings Sharks not releasing the ball in the tackle, Kings setting up a lineout just outside Sharks 22
Pen to Sharks, lineout just inside Sharks half
Kings gather the overthrow, driving it up inside Sharks half
Sharks get their hands on the ball, Louw with a strong run
Play is back inside Kings half, Graaff with a big up and under Mtembu knocks, Kings back on the Sharks tryline
Kings over for the second try
Schoeman scores Kings second try, Graaff miss conv
Kings lead 13 – 8
Sharks cant get any momentum. Knock on by Kings scrum Sharks just inside their 10m
Some good play by the Sharks and April coming in from 15, Kings offsides pen Sharks on Kings 10m
April looking to add the extra 3
April had the distance but not the direction, scores remain 13 – 8
Some aimless kicking by the Sharks, just kicks it straight to the man
Obi intercepts and run 50m to score under the post, but the ref calls them back for a knock on, scrum to Sharks
Another massive scrum by the Kings, but ref awards a pen the Sharks, April kicks it 10m down the field to set up a lineout
How does Terra look? Available for SR soon or too rusty?
April is handful for the Kings’ defence
Ja also keen to know how ready Jordaan looks?
Eish, sounds like Kings have all the momentum
Sharks had a good period of attack, but turnover ball for the Kings, kicks into touch, Sharks lineout on Kings 22
@pierre_mackie (Comment 72) : good to hear! At least he has had more than a week to practice with some team mates. How is Heimar going?
@Kabouter (Comment 74) : Very rusty made one crucial error not catching the high ball which led to the Kings’ 2nd try
@coolfusion (Comment 73) : not too much just a yellow card to speak of
@Kabouter (Comment 76) : Tera was replaced about 5min ago
Sounds like April is quite useful. No dstv so I cant really see what’s happening. Tommorrows game I’ll be streaming.
@Kabouter (Comment 74) : Kings are putting them under a lot of pressure, they back on Sharks’ 5m line, Sharks lineout
@pierre_mackie (Comment 77) : off the point. Botes on Toks and Tjops and still looks like he can run out on the field. He sounds positive re Sharks future and youngsters
@coolfusion (Comment 80) : yes he is very quick and nippy comes in to join the line
Kings with another attacking lineout inside Sharks’ 22
@pierre_mackie (Comment 81) : how much time left? Things looks like slipping away
Some relief for the Sharks as the Kings are penalised, lineout just outside their 22
Van Breda kicks a penalty to give the Kings a 16 – 8 lead, with 11mins remaining
Van Breda slices through the midfield, ball went forward in the offload scrum Sharks on their 22
Sharks falling off a lot of tackles, penalty to the Sharks deep inside their 22, lineout 10m from halfway
@pierre_mackie (Comment 88) : gotta score asap
Kings are back on the Sharks’ tryline
Acker scores Kings’ 3rd try, conv to come
@pierre_mackie (Comment 92) : wrong team scoring. Good night nurse. Please dont say it was around edges of lose scrum with poor pillar defence
Kings now leading 23 – 8 EINA 5mins remaining
Kings looking to score their 4th try
Game reaches the final minute
Kings camped on Sharks’ 5m, ball eventually goes over the touchline, final lineout,
@pierre_mackie (Comment 97) : thank goodness this disaster of campaign is over
Kings well deserved 23 – 8 winners, Sharks wasnt up for the game really disappointing effort from their side.
Welldone Kings
Sharks: (8) 8 – Tries: Venter. Penalty: April
Kings: (8) 23 – Tries: Obi, Schoeman, Acker. Conversion: Van Breda (1). Penalties: Graaff (1), van Breda (1)
Very disappointing. 🙄
*sigh*
@coolfusion (Comment 80) : DSTV wouldn’t have helped you. Game wasn’t televised.
Strudwick will now get to focus on age group rugby, and build his CC teams…that is what I’ll judge the Sharks on this year.
Not surprised that the other Sharks teams and age groups are suffering. The fish has been rotting from the head down for quite a while.
Pretty embarrassing from the Sharks XV…im really concerned about CC