What they had to say: Sharks vs Rebels, Round 16

Hi Sharks fans. What can one say after a performance like we saw on Friday night? I suppose the late withdrawals of Kankowski and Alberts played their part. It was nice to see Majola get a run, but that’s about as far as rotation this year has gone.

South Africa:

“In a match littered with errors and the sooner forgotten the better, the Sharks edged the Rebels in their Super Rugby clash in Durban on Friday.” – news24.co.za

“It was another night of ill-discipline in Durban as the Sharks edged the Rebels 25-21 in a dour match on Friday. What is it about the humid Durban air that makes rugby players lose their heads? For the third time this season the Durban faithful witnessed a red card after Rebels prop Laurie Weeks took the law into his own hands with a flurry of punches after Jannie du Plessis had provoked him with a slap to the back of the head. Weeks’ actions cannot be excused and despite his protestations he can have no complaint about referee Jaco van Heerden’s decision to brandish the red card. From a Sharks perspective it was another moment of ill-discipline from a senior player resulting in a yellow card that might’ve cost them more had Weeks not retaliated the way he did.” – sarugbymag.co.za

“The Cell C Sharks celebrated their homecoming after a difficult overseas tour by scoring a hard-earned 25-21 Vodacom Super Rugby win over a Melbourne Rebels team that played more than half the game down to 14 men in the penultimate match of their campaign at Growthpoint Kings Park on Friday night. It wasn’t a great game of rugby, with way too much ball being lost in the contact by both teams, particularly in the first half. Indeed, were it not for a great solo try from Sharks substitute centre Heimar Williams, it might have been said that this was another of those Sharks home games where off-the-ball incident leading to cards was the most memorable aspect of the 80 minutes.” – supersport.com

“The Sharks survived a late Rebels charge to walk away with a narrow 25-21 victory in a match that saw six tries and a red card after an uneventful first half. Two tries and a try assist to Rebels’ captain Scott Higginbotham put the visitors within touching distance as the game neared its conclusion, however, the Sharks were able to hold on for a second successive victory and leave the Rebels with just a losing bonus point to show for their endeavours in a game which saw each side score three tries.” – rugby365.com

“In what their first home game since April 18, three impressive solo tries allowed the Sharks to salvage a 25-21 victory over the Melbourne Rebels last night, though it was far from a memorable match between two teams out of the running for the Super Rugby play-offs. The Sharks played the entire second half against 14 men after Rebels prop Laurie Weeks had been red-carded for punching, but despite this, they only outscored the visitors 15 points to 14 during the final 40 minutes. Nevertheless, it signified back-to-back victories for the Durban side after they finally snapped a six-match losing streak last weekend, and while it was hardly a high-quality encounter, the result still allows them to retain hope of ending the season on a winning note.” – iol.co.za

New Zealand:

“South Africa’s Sharks provided a knockout blow to the Melbourne Rebel’s Super Rugby playoff hopes with a 25-21 victory at King’s Park. The Rebels, who played for 52 minutes with 14 men after a red card for prop Laurie Weeks, have 31 points from their 14 matches and with two rounds remaining are now out of the running for a top-six place.” – stuff.co.za

Australia:

“The Sharks have broken their losing streak in the most scrappy game of the season…” – greenandgoldrugby.com

“A two-try haul from skipper Scott Higginbotham wasn’t enough for the Melbourne Rebels to achieve a break-through win in South Africa, falling 25-21 to the Sharks in Durban.
The captain did his best to help his side to their first victory in the republic but the Rebels were hamstrung by the first-half dismissal of Wallabies prop Laurie Weeks, leaving them to play over 50 minutes down a man.” – smh.com.au

“THE Melbourne Rebels were left ruing a missed opportunity against the Sharks when they played more than half the Super Rugby match down a man and fell just short 25-21.” – foxsports.com.au

International:

“S’bura Sithole, Lwazi Mvovo and Heimar Williams made the most of the extra space with tries but the Sharks struggled to break free on their way to making it two wins in a row after last week’s success over the Reds. A try in each half from Scott Higginbotham kept the Rebels in touch, with Bryce Hegarty’s late try setting up a grandstand finish in what was a poor quality encounter.” – planetrugby.com

“The Sharks had been dealt a late blow when Ryan Kankowski failed a late fitness test, with Willem Alberts also ruled out. As a result, Khaya Majola came into the starting lineup for his first Super Rugby appearance. It didn’t seem to affect them early though, and while they struggled to turn early dominance into points, they did score break the deadlock with a Lionel Cronje penalty. They lost Tendai Mtawarira to injury however after he’d limped through most of the opening quarter but the defining moment of the game came just before the half-hour when Weeks completely lost his head.” – sanzarrugby.com

Twitter:

“Sbura Sithole needs to get a Bok cap soonest #SharksvRebels”

“its s’bura sithole vs the rebels tonight #ssrugby #SHARKSvREBELS #SuperRugby”

“This is such a boring game of rugby! Like Nick said sharks embarrassing them selves!! #ssrugby #sharksvsrebels”

“Booooom another win #Shark4Life #winorlose 25-21 victory sharksrugby “