Apologies for over sleeping a little, fans…. here’s your rather belated match thread.
at 10:40 we have Reds v Blues.
Reds: 15. Karmichael Hunt, 14. Chris Feauai-Sautia, 13. Samu Kerevi, 12. Anthony Faingaa, 11. Eto Ntabuli, 10. Jake Mcintyre, 9. Nicholas Frisby, 8. Jake Schatz, 7. Waita Setu, 6. Hendrik Tui, 5. Rob Simmons (Captain), 4. Cadeyrn Neville, 3. Greg Holmes, 2. Andrew Ready, 1. Sef Faagase
Replacements: 16. Matt Mafi, 17. Pettowa Paraka, 18. Sam Talakai, 19. Ben Matwijow, 20. Curtis Browning, 21. Scott Gale, 22. Sam Greene, 23. Ayumu Goromaru
Blues: 15. Lolagi Visinia, 14. Rieko Ioane, 13. Male Sa’u, 12. George Moala, 11. Tevita Li, 10. Ihaia West, 9. Bryn Hall, 8. Steven Luatua, 7. Blake Gibson, 6. Jerome Kaino (Captain), 5. Josh Bekhuis, 4. Patrick Tuipoluto, 3. Charlie Faumuina, 2. James Parsons, 1. Ofa Tu’ungafasi
Replacements: 16. Quentin MacDonald, 17. Nic Mayhew, 18. Sione Mafileo, 19. Hoani Matenga, 20. Kara Pryor, 21. Akira Ioane, 22. Billy Guyton, 23. Matt McGahan
Then, at 17h05, it’s Lions v Cheetahs
Lions: 15. Andries Coetzee, 14. Ruan Combrinck, 13. Lionel Mapoe, 12. Howard Mnisi, 11. Courtnall Skosan, 10. Elton Jantjies, 9. Faf de Klerk, 8. Warren Whiteley (Captain), 7. Ruan Ackermann, 6. Jaco Kriel, 5. Franco Mostert, 4. Andries Ferreira, 3. Julian Redelinghuys, 2. Malcolm Marx, 1. Dylan Smith
Replacements: 16. Akker van der Merwe, 17. Corne Fourie, 18. Ruan Dreyer, 19. Lourens Erasmus, 20. Robert Kruger, 21. Dillon Smit, 22. Jako van der Walt, 23. Rohan Janse van Rensburg
Cheetahs: 15 Clayton Blommetjies, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Francois Venter (c), 12 William Small-Smith, 11 Raymond Rhule, 10 Neil Marais, 9 Shaun Venter, 8 Henco Venter, 7 Uzair Cassiem, 6 Paul Schoeman, 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Carl Wegner, 3 Maks van Dyk, 2 Torsten van Jaarsveld, 1 Charles Marais.
Replacements: 16 Jacques du Toit, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Johan Coetzee, 19 Francois Uys, 20 Hilton Lobberts, 21 Boom Prinsloo, 22 Tian Meyer, 23 Fred Zeilinga.
Lastly we go to Cape Town for Stormers v Brumbies, kicking off at 19h10.
Stormers: 15 Cheslin Kolbe, 14 Kobus van Wyk, 13 Johnny Kotze, 12 Juan de Jongh (co-captain), 11 Dillyn Leyds, 10 Kurt Coleman, 9 Nic Groom, 8 Schalk Burger, 7 Siya Kolisi, 6 Nizaam Carr, 5 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe (co-captain), 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg.
Replacements: 16 Scarra Ntubeni, 17 Oli Kebble, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 JD Schickerling, 20 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 21 Louis Schreuder, 22 Jean-Luc du Plessis, 23 Leolin Zas
Brumbies: 15. Aidan Toua, 14. Henry Speight, 13. Tevita Kuridrani, 12. Matt Toomua, 11. Joseph Tomane, 10. Christian Lealiifano, 9. Tomas Cubelli, 8. Jarrad Butler, 7. David Pocock, 6. Scott Fardy, 5. Sam Carter, 4. Rory Arnold, 3. Ben Alexander, 2. Stephen Moore (Captain), 1. Scott Sio
Replacements: 16. Josh Mann-Rea, 17. Allan Alaalatoa, 18. Leslie Leulua’iali’i-Makin, 19. Tom Staniforth, 20. Jordan Smiler, 21. Michael Dowsett, 22. Robbie Coleman, 23. Nigel Ah Wong
Tweet
As the cliché goes: Kings fought valiantly, but ultimately succumb to the Saders 57 – 24
@FireTheLooser (Comment 1) : how did cloete do?
@50shadesofshark (Comment 2) : To be honest..I didn’t really notice (I only watched the first half). All I noticed was that the Kings scrum and lineout went pretty well.
Second draw of the weekend.
FULL TIME
REDS 25 – 25 BLUES
@50shadesofshark (Comment 2) : Up and down according to the commentators.
@Ben (Comment 5) : Seems it’s easier to make the equalising penalty kick.
@FireTheLooser (Comment 3) : @Ben (Comment 6) : ok.will try and catch the game later.cloete seems to always be very busy in a match.ss statisticians gave hime 5 “steals” against the chiefs last weekend.
Now the tsietas can really do us a favour today – will take a mammoth effort.
@FireTheLooser (Comment 9) : peg back the arrogance developing in the Lions fans too. Being starved of a decent rugby team for decades has gone to their heads now.
Stadium is surprisingly empty.
@Sharks_have_Character! (Comment 10) : I think most of those arrogant ones were Bulls fans a few years ago. 🙄
Lions 0 – 3 Cheetahs
10 minutes.
AJ Venter was one of my favourite players, but jeez, he is awful to listen to.
Massive scrum contest between these teams.
Elton Jantjies try.
Lions 7 – 3 Cheetahs
10 minutes.
Lions 10 – 3 Cheetahs
26 minutes.
Faf De Klerk try.
@Ben (Comment 14) : Ja there are some shocking commentators, AJ, Owen and Brosnihan are tough to listen to
Lions 17 – 3 Cheetahs
28 minutes.
Mnisi try. That was decent.
Lions 24 – 3 Cheetahs
39 minutes.
Half Time
Lions 24 – 3 Cheetahs
Rebels thumping of the Wolves showed us just where this Cheetahs team is…
Ruan Ackermann try.
Lions 31 – 3 Cheetahs
42 minutes.
Sergeal Petersen try.
Lions 31 – 8 Cheetahs
49 minutes.
@Sharks_have_Character! (Comment 10) : Not long before they join my streamers list….although I will be rooting for said streamers team tonight.
@Sharks_have_Character! (Comment 25) : Until they play the Sharks, then all of a sudden they look like the most competitive team in this competition. 🙄
Oh boy….UWC beat Impi, Wits on top 🙄
@FireTheLooser (Comment 31) : is that to do with the Cheetahs or the Sharks do you think?…
16 – 44
How on earth.
So Wits has top spot due to points difference….not too sure how much exactly.
@Sharks_have_Character! (Comment 33) : Sharks….a long history of performing according to the opposition they face, instead of for the team they represent.
Lions 34 – 15 Cheetahs
71 minutes.
Rugby teams in SA have no brains. Don’t the Lions want a bonus point? Why did they kick at goal?
@FireTheLooser (Comment 34) : completely forgot about the ukzn game .
@Ben (Comment 37) : doffies
Glad the tsietas killed the BP there…..good enough I guess.
Time for the Brumbies to dish out a pakslae to South Africa’s little darlings.
FULL TIME
LIONS 39 – 22 CHEETAHS
@50shadesofshark (Comment 38) : So did I….and not unlike our Sharks, they too went to sleep after their “season defining” win.
They’ll now have to not only win the rest of their games, but also chase massive winning margins.
Lions fail to get the bonus point because they are idiots.
Wow, at Emirates Park, am a die hard sharks supporter, but Stuart Berry was really incompetent today.
Go Brumbies!
@FireTheLooser (Comment 32) : @50shadesofshark (Comment 38) : at shit that’s bad news!!! Impi will now struggle to get the top spot back!!!
@FireTheLooser (Comment 40) : the Cheetahs really did us a favour by killing the bonus point.
@JD (Comment 48) : The Lions killed it by kicking at goal instead of going for a try.
Stormers 3 – 0 Brumbies
8 minutes.
@Ben (Comment 49) : still no bonus point for the Lions is good news for the Sharks on the log.
@JD (Comment 47) : Can’t believe they squandered their win against the Lions.
Stormers 6 – 0 Brumbies
16 minutes.
@FireTheLooser (Comment 52) : *Wits (not Lions)
Groom should have passed there.
More spills than a Checkers aisle
Speight try.
Stormers 6 – 5 Brumbies
30 minutes.
@FireTheLooser (Comment 52) : all the hard work of beating Wits twice squandered by losing to UWC.
Stormers missed a try-scoring opportunity there with brumbies no14 laid down with injury.should have broken blinside.
Stormers 9 – 5 Brumbies
37 minutes.
Half Time
Stormers 9 – 5 Brumbies
Stormers 9 – 8 Brumbies
46 minutes.
PSdT almost scored a try for his dream-team. Kolisi scores instead.
Stormers 16 – 8 Brumbies
56 minutes.
Stormers 16 – 11 Brumbies
61 minutes.
Can anyone tell me what the Stormers do differently to the rest of SA to get half decent crowds?
Are their tickets much cheaper?
looks like a red coming for the Brumbies…
@Sharks_have_Character! (Comment 67) : Media hype….tons of media hype. 🙂
Surely red.
Just off the screen Eben Etzebeth was doing something to 16 gold which provoked the punch.
How the hell can that be yellow?
@Ben (Comment 70) : What happened?
Etzebeth slapped him/pushed him in the face
@FireTheLooser (Comment 73) : 3 punches thrown and connected by the Brumbies replacement hooker.
Luckily the cameras didn’t pick up the Etzebeth provocation…
@Ben (Comment 72) : Probably because the first half slap on Dylan Leyds somehow only constituted a penalty.
Josh Mann-Rea red carded. What a fucking retard.
I dont see why there was debate …. that was a straight red. Right desision in the end
Gifted the Stormers a win… well done Etzebeth! Man of the match performance there!
@Ben (Comment 75) : And an elbow thrown, just for good measure.
@Ben (Comment 75) : Sheesh….seems the Brumbies are suffering from a bit of roid rage.
Stormers 19 – 11 Brumbies
65 minutes.
Anyone else see the Etzebeth provocation? You can see him throwing an open hand with some force at the top right of the screen… just can’t see where it landed on 16 gold. Pity.
I wouldn’t mind the streamers winning here, if only for the media to focus all their attention back on them. 🙂
@Sharks_have_Character! (Comment 84) : Didn’t see it.
Still, 16 gold’s later reaction was really dof.
Home town call on the line out there 🙄
That’s a kak decision.
Leyds try.
oh god home town calls here all round. That was not a try. You can see clear separation with the ball and the hand – it was a knock on.
Is it Marius Jonker as TMO? Seems the media reaction from last week got to home. Ashfak Mohamed’s tactics worked.
Stormers 24 – 11 Brumbies
77 minutes.
Ball lost forward in the tackle,and player out when he does make contact with the ball.
@Sharks_have_Character! (Comment 91) : We need to get computers or something to referee the games. People are just too unreliable.
So the Sharks are the only unbeaten team left…at least we have that. 😉
This is funny to watch, literally a joke.
Vincent Koch try.
Where was that flair by schalk when he played flyhalf for the boks?
FULL TIME
STORMERS 31 – 11 BRUMBIES
The Stormers manned up.
@Seth101 (Comment 96) : Referees nowadays. So incompetent. 🙄
Jonker got it right last week, and there were howls of derision from the pro-Cape media. This weekend he got it wrong – I wonder if we will hear squealing about it all week?
Did Supersport sack Bobby Skindstadt’s ass?
@Sharks_have_Character! (Comment 102) : The Hippocracy shall be exposed….glad a dodgy call went their way, now we’ll see how they react this time around.
It’s all well and good saying the Sharks are the only unbeaten team now, but drawing a game you should have won, snatched from the jaws of victory, is just like a loss to me. Technically schmecnically unbeaten. We don’t feel like an unbeaten team.
Well done to the Stormers for humbling a team most people thought would trample them. They manned up and rose to the occasion. I only hope the Sharks can do the same against the Crusaders next weekend.
@Ben (Comment 103) : Would have loved to hear his reaction to the Leyds try….
@Ben (Comment 103) : I asked this yesterday. Both him and Cowley. At least temporarily sanctioned? Nobody knows.
@FireTheLooser (Comment 104) : keen to read what is written in the media.red card was the correct call.maybe that is what will be focused on?
@50shadesofshark (Comment 108) : I’d love to see another camera angle on where Etzebeth’s strike landed, if at all.
@Sharks_have_Character! (Comment 102) : Dead silence mate,but double edged sword cause how many SA teams are continually on the wrong end of hometown biased calls when in NZ or Aus
@Sharks_have_Character! (Comment 105) : Personally I care more about winning SuperRugby than a single game, leading the log is a good start.
@Seth101 (Comment 111) : And doing so with 3/4 away games.
@Sharks_have_Character! (Comment 109) : Was the face, watch it in slow mo.
@Seth101 (Comment 111) : true… but I’d rather be on 17 points than 15 too! We all know how important two points can be at the end of the season… and those two points were freebies.
@Seth101 (Comment 113) : I don’t have a replay. Do you see it?
@Sharks_have_Character! (Comment 114) : Mate I’d love to have picked up a winning bonus point in every game so far. But fact is we are doing better than literally anyone here would have predicted.
@Seth101 (Comment 113) : wow if true! I wonder if this will make the news…..
@Sharks_have_Character! (Comment 115) : Yup, clearly in the face.
@Seth101 (Comment 116) : true. Very true.
@Sharks_have_Character! (Comment 117) : Etzebeth makes it a habit of open handing people’s faces, never even gets a mention.
The Stormers result is very likely irrelevant to the Sharks. At this stage we are really only competing against the Lions and Jags to top our conference for a home QF.
@Sharks_have_Character! (Comment 114) : Can’t fix it now…time to focus on that red-and-black mountain waiting for us on Saturday.
I want to see an angry Sharks team, hungry for retribution after last year’s humiliation.
@Bokhoring (Comment 121) : not unless the Stormers and Sharks both finish 2nd in their respective conferences….
Anyone else think we should field 13 players next weekend? It did workforce us last time…. 😀
@FireTheLooser (Comment 122) : me too. I want the Sharks to be hungry because of that shocker last season and also because of yesterday.
@Seth101 (Comment 124) : Work for*
I wonder if Etzebeth will be cited?
@Sharks_have_Character! (Comment 125) : Honestly I think we will only know if this weekends result was good or bad, after next weekends.
@Sharks_have_Character! (Comment 125) : Big thing for Joe will be to get that penalty kick out of his head.
Big thing for the team, learn to win both halves of the game.
@Sharks_have_Character! (Comment 123) : Can’t see the Stormers not topping their conference. I think if we don’t top our conference, we compete with the Bulls and Jags for the wildcard spot.
@Seth101 (Comment 124) : For some reason, it always takes something very special for the Sharks to beat the Saders.
In ’07 it was a dead-of-match Odwa try and Pienaar conversion, and then the 2013 red-card-Sharks.
Our record against the Saders is pitiful.
@Bokhoring (Comment 130) : We should actually be rooting for the Chiefs tonight.
Jags in Arg will be another mountain for our boys.
@FireTheLooser (Comment 132) : just can’t bring myself to root for any NZ team
@Sharks_have_Character! (Comment 133) : That is true.
@Sharks_have_Character! (Comment 133) : I root for whomever and whatever benefits the Sharks the most.
@Seth101 (Comment 135) : I just don’t root when a NZ team is involved. I’d love the Jaguars to win tonight though. But I have picked the Chiefs on the bru.
In retrospect,I am glad we faced a fresh Bulls team straight off a break ,than a Lions team straight off the plane from New Zealand.
Those Lions are going to be a handful,best S.A. team in the competition.
Once again why do we have a New Zealand ref against the Bulls,and the Stormers get an S.A ref against an Aussie team.
Logic and fairness would have had the n.z ref in Cape Town and Pyper in Pretoria.
@FireTheLooser (Comment 132) : Agreed. We have to support anybody that is playing the Lions, Jags, Bulls and to be safe Tjietas and Streamers.
@The hound (Comment 137) : and it was obvious Jonker would curry favour with the Stormers, even unknowingly. And he did as soon as he got an opportunity.
@Sharks_have_Character! (Comment 139) : Why do captains have to be such choir boys? I’d love the opportunity to sacrifice my match fee (or what ever the penalty is) to have a go at a ref on live TV.
Last week you’d swear the TMO call ushered in the start of the apocolypse. They wouldn’t even let it go after an in-depth explanation from Paul Dobson.
This week? Swings and roundabouts… justice for last week’s penalty…
@Seth101 (Comment 140) : and coaches too. Drives me mad. Rugby interviews after a game are pointless. The half time interviews are ridiculous.
Nothing is ever said.
@Bokhoring (Comment 138) : But when the Streamers play the Bulls, Lions or Jags could I get myself to root for the Streamers?
After this result the Sharks still the only unbeaten side. All in all don’t think our our results are as bad as some so called supporters wish to portraiy.
@Bayshark (Comment 144) : what makes a supporter in your eyes?
@Bayshark (Comment 144) : do you think those “so called supporters” care any less than you do about their team?
@Sharks_have_Character! (Comment 146) : The better question here is, do any of those ‘so called’ supporters care what he thinks of them? 🙄
@Bayshark (Comment 144) : I could spend 2 minutes trying to convince you that I’m a die-hard Sharks fan, but you’re not worth the 2 minutes.
@Ben (Comment 148) : Why so angry these days Ben? 🙂
Wow, what a surprise. A supporter follows their team through thick and thin. Some of us have been through the trauma of B section rugby. We’ve stuck through thick and thin. Taking where we were last year and where we are now, is light years apart. After all the results The Sharks are still unbeaten! Did we play well last night…… . No, and did we lose…. No. Last week most supporters castigated the Sharks because we didn’t win pretty. How many placed the Brumbies as an example of a successful team. The Stormers bliksems them 31-13 and we beat the stormers. A little perspective is required. All I’m asking is for supporters to be be objective and IMHO some are very subjective. In all honesty we are not the finished article, we have a long way to go, and he’ll, yes would I prefer to be around Emirates Park and watch the style of lions rugby……. Probably yes, but we are still unbeaten and believe we are building to something special.
@Bayshark (Comment 150) : well done you! Thumbs up!
So far nothing in the reports on pro-WP Sport24 and IOL about the dodgy TMO call by Jonker and Etzebeth’s smack to Mann-Rea’s face which led to his retaliation. Mohamed just says “Jonker was happy with the grounding” but keeps his usual opinionated self to himself by not expressing any further view on this occasion. Typical 😆
Good ol’ Rugby 365 seem to infer it was a dodgy call though.
Can someone please tell the kiwi commentator it’s ok to say ‘Jaguars’ and not ‘Hagu-arez’. You’re commentating in English, mate.
Creevy try.
Wow these Argie Bargies are looking good. Very skilled, fast and creative play and strong forward dominance.
8 – 3
Commentators said sell out 24,000 crowd (although there’s plenty of open seats behind each poles). Strong support from a very noisy crowd. What a wonderful new addition to Super Rugby.
Try Chiefs
TMO confirms the try in the corner, to dead silence from the crowd.
Looks like we might be in for a high scoring game here.
8 – 8
16 mins
Try Chiefs
To the shortest man on the park, MacKenzie.
Jaguars punished from a mistake from possibly playing to play too adventurously. They’ll need to tighten up a bit.
8 – 13
21 mins
Jaguars have had 64% possession so far, 25th min.
Chiefs scrum being monstered by the cats.
Penalty from the scrum
11 – 13
26 mins
Jeez the Jaguars are pacy. Odwa might struggle in Buenos Aires.
Jaguars choose the lineout over a shot at goal in the 22m.
Yellow card to Kerr-Barlow
38 mins
Jaguars lining up the penalty
14 – 13
Half time
14 – 13 Jaguars
Jaguars pretty much running from everywhere (and because of that keeping the Chiefs in the game).
At this rate the Hug-u-ahrez will win many fans over to them with their exciting, fast style of play.
Anyone else watching this game????
One thing is for sure, if the Sharks play like they do every first half here in Buenos Aires, the gap will be far too large tomake up with our “character” in the 2nd half.
Penalty Chiefs
14 – 16
46 mins
Jaguars are a little too loose. Playing in to the Chiefs hands here. Running from their own try line even, but Bofelli’s hands have been shocking tonight. Chiefs came close to scoring there.
This approach is looking unsustainable from the Jaguars…
Try to the Chiefs
14 – 23
54 mins
Jaguars are running from everywhere. Chiefs are masters at turning defence into attack though, it’s like they’re just waiting to spring the trap on the Jaguars.
Handling errors starting to dominate from the Jaguars now as they try to chase the game too hard.
If the Chiefs score next the contest will be over. Complete swing in momentum here. All Chiefs. The Jaguars make a host of subs.
Penalty missed by the Chiefs.
63 mins
Looks like a serious neck injury to a Jaguars player
Oh gosh Sam Cane came in to clean out with a shoulder to Jaguar’s tighthead’s head. Knocked him out cold.
Sam Cane can expect a citing. It was missed by the ref on the park. The TMO tried to intervene but it was too late.
Cordero is quick. A break from him nearly sees a try. 5m scrum to the Jaguars.
Chiefs now have the more powerful scrum after all the subs
4th reset now… scrum penalty coming to someone next…
TMO called for a try to Landajo…
Haha Tony Johnstone says we have seen some fascinating TMO calls this weekend. Thanks Jonker?
Try Jaguars!
A bit against the run of play.
21 – 23
72 mins
Try Jaguars!!! Length of the field try
Wow what a try!
Crowd are going beserk!
26 – 23
75 mins
Crowd in full song now, it sounds like a football match!
Chiefs try!
What a try! The crowd are silent.
26 – 30
80 mins
Full time
Chiefs 30 – 26 Jaguars
What a contest. The home crowd were fantastic. The Jaguars were dangerous, the Chiefs played their usual counter-attacking game and in the end just scraped through. The Sharks better prepare hard for this fixture because these Jaguars have the potential to blow one-dimensional teams away.
I don’t ever want to hear the travel excuse from South Africans again after seeing the Chiefs fly NZ – SA – Brazil – Arg and fight their way to this win.
Landajo – we learn from New Zealand teams, New Zealand teams are dynamic, New Zealand teams are great.
Good luck to the Stormers next weekend. You will need it.
Over and out.
@Sharks_have_Character! (Comment 192) : Thanks for the score update.
@vanmartin (Comment 149) : Not angry, just annoyed with people coming on here thinking they can judge people that they’ve never even met. 🙄
@Sharks_have_Character! (Comment 153) : because they aren’t the Jaguars, but the JaguarEs.
Pronunciation from Tony Johnson was correct.
Jaguars played in the 80’s against the Boks.
@nortie (Comment 197) : ah thank you for the lesson nortie but tell me, do you call Paris ‘Paree’ and pronounce Vienna ‘Wien’? Thought not.
As I’m sure you know, nortie, Jaguares is Spanish for Jaguars… if you want to pronounce it like a Spaniard mid English sentence, that’s your prerogative. Feel free to go around calling them the Hug-u-ah-rez by all means.
In fact during the commentary Tony Johnstone stated “the Jaguars or as they want us here to call them, the Hug-u-ah-rez”. When in Rome perhaps? But can you imagine Owen and Brosni trying to master this Spanish version? Hell no 😆
The South American Jaguars team from the 80s would have been pronounced the exact same way in Spanish by the way. Fortunately the Pumas in Spanish is los Pumas – so much easier for our anglicised tongues, no?
I see Ashfak has written his usual fan boy piece for IOL this morning about how smart the Stormies are. Their fans probably can’t help but be sucked in by all the hype.
Chiefs did the Sharks a favour, but we could still come to regret the 3 lost log points (+1 Bulls, -2 Sharks) from the draw.
@Sharks_have_Character! (Comment 200) : Yes SR champions already again
@benji (Comment 202) : then you pop over to Sport24. There’s just the one report about the Sharks/Bulls game “Pietersen’s miss gives Bulls draw”.
In addition to the match report on the Stormers game old Houwie has his usual separate fan boy piece about how clever Fleck is (“Fleck passes huge exam”) and Lloyd Burnard gives us “Fleck 1 – 0 Larkham”. As if we didn’t get the message yet by any chance.
The Stormers sure do have a lot written about them.
I’m still waiting for something other than the usual match report about the log leaders.
Over at IOL someone by the name of ANA Sports Writer has come up with this pearler:
“At Loftus Versfeld, a missed penalty goal by Joe Pietersen on the stroke of full-time denied theSharks their seventh successive Super Rugby victory and forced them to settle for a draw against the Bulls.
The victory for the hosts, however, marked their fourth back-to-back victory against the Sharks, and it maintained their dominance against the Durban side at Loftus Versfeld dating back to the 2012 season. To the Bulls delight, the result also marked back-to-back wins for the first time since the 10th round of the competition last season.”
Nice win by the Bulls. Sums up how most of us are taking the draw 😆
@Sharks_have_Character! (Comment 200) : @benji (Comment 202) : yes we all know they are Super rugby champions according to some people!!!
@Sharks_have_Character! (Comment 203) : ja just remember Fleck is on a different path than us!!!
@Sharks_have_Character! (Comment 204) : so the Sharks drew with the Bulls but the Bulls brat the Sharks?!?!?! I also want some of the stuff that ANA is drinking!!!!!
@Sharks_have_Character! (Comment 204) : 😆
@JD (Comment 206) : yes the path of the chosen one of the rugby press
Even Rugby 365 has just put up an additional piece from Warren Fortune entitled “Fleck Hails Stormers Composure”.
I’m still waiting for some comment and opinion about the tournament’s table topping and only unbeaten team.
Dammit! Even Planet Rugby has an extra piece entitled “No egos for improving Stormers”.
Nothing extra about the Sharks game.
How is it that ALL of Sport24, IOL, Rugby365 and Planet Rugby are running multiple articles about the Stormers and NOTHING about the Sharks (or any other SA team for that matter except one measly article on Sport24 by Jacques Van der Westhuysen about the Lions being the real deal?).
Curiouser and curiouser!
So lets see. What’s the running score? Other than the usual post match reports (every team gets one of those), these are the extra articles on the main South African English online media outlets about the Sharks and Stormers respectively:
Sport 24 –
Sharks:
Nil
Stormers:
‘Fleck 1 – 0 Larkham’
‘Stormers: Fleck passes huge exam’
IOL –
Sharks:
Nil
Stormers: ‘Stormers outsmarted Brumbies’
Rugby365 –
Sharks:
Nil
Stormers:
‘Fleck Hails Stormers Composure’
Planet Rugby –
Sharks:
Nil
Stormers:
‘No egos for improving Stormers’
A nice little 5 to nothing there. How is it that one team can get all the attention? Why aren’t fans of other teams speaking up about this? Am I missing something???
@benji (Comment 209) : the path only taken by legends!!!!
@Sharks_have_Character! (Comment 210) : don’t hold your breath as you might have to wait a while!!!!
@Sharks_have_Character! (Comment 212) : they can get all the press I’ll take the log points!!!! For me the less said about the Sharks in the media the better. Fly under the radar into the playoffs!!!
I hope the Lions put the Stormers to the sword.
The hypocrisy from the rugby press to spend a whole week dissecting a Sharks try only to follow that with singing the Stormers praises and ignoring the most recent controversial TMO decision because this one went the Stormers way.
Ship the whole lot off to Oz and let’s find rugby journos with a bit more integrity.
@vanmartin (Comment 216) : it’s disgusting.
@JD (Comment 215) : 2007, 2009 & 2010 – bulls started those seasons flying way under the radar….I’m with you, I prefer the Sharks having zero smoke blown their ends.
@FireTheLooser (Comment 218) : I even lean further that way, give me lots of articles about how the Sharks have no shot…..that kind of stuff motivates even the most lethargic of teams.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not looking for ego inflating journalism about how wonderful the Sharks. Rather just something about them… there must be something to write, it’s not like the game didn’t have any controversy.
It suggests to me that there is a reason – I’m just trying to determine what it is. They wouldn’t be paid to write so much garbage about the Stormers unless the links were getting hits. Does that also mean that seeing as there’s virtually nothing about the other teams, that writing about them garners too few hits to warrant the effort?
Are the Stormers that much more popular or is there a skewed representation of fan boy writers for the Stormers? Are all the press writers based in Cape Town perhaps?
@Sharks_have_Character! (Comment 220) : I do see your point, and I really, sincerely appreciate your passion for the Sharks. The Stormers have lost only one close and in their mind controversial, game, and have won the other 3 convincingly. I say let them revel in their facade style journalism and let the Sharks continue to bag log points. I am with JD on this.
@Dancing Bear (Comment 219) : There’s no better motivator indeed.
Need to get a journo in our pocket and have him do some “motivational” articles on the Sharks.
I’m assuming I miss all the stuff about the Bulls and Cheetahs because it’s written in the Afrikaans media.
There just seems to be a dearth of Sharks guys with a pen these days. Ken Borland at The Witness used to be great but I see he’s now freelance and doesn’t seem to write much these days. The same goes for Mike Greenaway.
Just curious for any Natal residents out there – who writes the rugby stuff for The Witness, Mercury and Tribune these days?
@vanmartin (Comment 216) : that might take a while!!!
@FireTheLooser (Comment 218) : exactly!!
@Sharks_have_Character! (Comment 224) : Volskblad only runs rugby articles if the Cheetahs win if they lose it’s like as if rugby does not exist!!!
@Dancing Bear (Comment 222) : exactly all the newspaper articles in the world does not add 1 log point!!!!
@Sharks_have_Character! (Comment 199) : Arhoswch nes i ni ymuno â’r rhannau gogleddol a rhaid i siarad Cymraeg ar gyfer Nortie .