The Sharks are up against the best team in the tournament this morning. I dub this day “Nowhere To Hide Friday”…. let’s see how good we really are.
Kick-off in New Plymouth (yes, that’s a place) is at 09h35 SA time.
Chiefs : 15. Damian McKenzie, 14. Toni Pulu, 13. Seta Tamanivalu, 12. Anton Lienert-Brown, 11. Sam McNicol, 10. Aaron Cruden, 9. Brad Weber, 8. Michael Leitch, 7. Sam Cane (Captain), 6. Taleni Seu, 5. Brodie Retallick, 4. Dominic Bird, 3. Hiroshi Yamashita, 2. Hikawera Elliott, 1. Mitchell Graham
Replacements: 16. Nathan Harris, 17. Siate Tokolahi, 18. Kane Hames, 19. James Tucker, 20. Lachlan Boshier, 21. Kane Hammington, 22. Andrew Horrell, 23. Shaun Stevenson
Sharks: 15. Willie Le Roux, 14. JP Pietersen, 13. Paul Jordaan, 12. Andre Esterhuizen, 11. Lwazi Mvovo, 10. Garth April, 9. Michael Claassens, 8. Daniel du Preez, 7. Jean-Luc du Preez, 6. Keegan Daniel (Captain), 5. Stephan Lewies, 4. Etienne Oosthuizen, 3. Lourens Adriaanse, 2. Kyle Cooper, 1. Dale Chadwick, 0. Stefan Ungerer
Replacements: 16. Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17. Thomas du Toit, 18. Coenie Oosthuizen, 19. Hyron Andrews, 20. Jean Deysel, 22. Joe Pietersen, 23. Odwa Ndungane

I reckon id be happy if we win the toss and take 1 point from this… 🙂
Like last week, I went against the Sharks on Superbru for the first time and we won, I hope lightning can strike twice.
Sick in bed, watching the game. This one is win-win for me; if the Sharks win, awesome, and if the Chiefs win, well, they are super-entertaining to watch. Bring it on!
I agree with @SheldonK. If we can at least get one point from this game we would have 6 points on tour. And considering the tour we have had, thats a decent achievement. Although a win here would be really special.
I don’t think we are going to win this one just because the way the Chiefs are playing at the moment, but there is always hope. As long as we don’t have to play catch up with 2 scores or more then it will be a contest. Good luck boys!
@Culling Song (Comment 3) : ja right you’re sick today! Maybe your boss believed you but we know better!
@Culling Song (Comment 3) : hahaha just joking hope you feel better soon!
To the guy who called our front row clowns, go and watch the bunch on SS1 claiming that Beast is not playing because of issues with the referees and captaincy 🙄 surely they know about the bok player resting policy and rotation? I for one can not believe these guys are being allowed to say the stuff they are on air, not even to mention their bias towards a certain other coastal team. Bar Butchie thoug, surpised he didn’t correct them on the Beast not playing
Time to enjoy our team, win or lose.
Hello all! I’m off to Northern KZN this afternoon with some 70 teenagers! Wish me luck!! Everything is packed and ready…so my last bit of preparation is to watch this game. Let’s go, men!
Here we go…
Big Dan with a big bump of and the Sharks clear from the 22 off the kick off…
Oh boy…
Chiefs score…
Too easy…lineout, two passes, centre clean through! Poor defense and the Chiefs score under the post…
WTF.
Not a good start, 7-0 Chiefs
Really 51 seconds they score sigh 🙄
7-0…after a minute and a half…
@pastorshark (Comment 15) : AE missed his man
The Sharks are immediately penalised off the kickoff…
The Chiefs don’t kick it out and the Sharks attack…until Esterhuizen knocks it on. Not a good start by AE…
Esterhuizen needs a rest.
@Quintin (Comment 20) : And there he loses the ball too. Not a good start for him
Andre is having a mare so far.
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 23) : Looks like it , 5min into the game 😯
Hugely quick hook by the Chiefs at the first scrum…of course the ball was thrown in under the lock’s feet…but there we are…that is pretty normal…
5 min = 3 errors
April kicks it out on the full. Not a good start by the Sharks!
Now the Chiefs kick it out on the full. Come on boys…use this lineout!
At least we managed one lineout steal.
Sharks get a penalty at the lineout and Daniel takes it quickly, making a mazy run…
Sharks 5m out…spread it out…poor pass by April!
Keegs quick taps a penalty from the lineout, Sharks on attack and AE loses the ball again!
The ref was playing advantage and the Sharks have a penalty…
Jeez but our passing game is kak at crucial times!
@Quintin (Comment 34) : That was a super crap pass by April though…
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 36) : Absolutely…
April nails the kick and it is 7-3 after 8 minutes…
Dan du Preez drops a sitter from the kick off without any pressure on him…wow, that was bad!
No-one can hang onto the ball tonight
Jeepers okes…concentrate man…that was just poor…
Butterfingers du Preez strikes again.
Cruden is kicking today…nightmare for my fantasy league!
@pastorshark (Comment 40) : you don’t say
Anyway, Cruden nails it and it is 10-3 after 10 minutes…
Oh no…Too many handling errors, DDP knocks it from the kickoff. So far, not to be pointing fingers but its the usual suspects losing our possesion. We need to sort that out fast!
@Poisy (Comment 45) : Sigh…
Sharks penalised in the Chiefs 22 again…
Sharks get penalized heavily
Can someone check AE’s bank account…was there a deposit just before this game?
McKenzie kicks and JPP and le Roux tidy up nicely…
Of course this is the spot the Chiefs scored from just now…
This time the Sahrks defend much better and turn it over at the breakdown…McKenzie knocks on le Roux’s kick and the Sharks have gained 60m and have the put in…
One positive thus far is our lineouts, doesn’t look too bad from the few there has been. Nice steal from KD there!
Sharks get a penalty at the scrum…
April will take a shot…
Sharks gets a scrum penalty. April to kick for poles.
April misses it to the right…sigh…
Still 10-3
Afrikaans commentary really working on my nerves….every time the Sharks kick, it’s the worst tactic ever, but when the Chiefs kick then they ooze guile and variation. 🙄
Chadwick is at centre… 😯
Esterhuizen with a poor pass to Jordaan and the Sharks are miles behind the advantage line…
Well, we’ve established that our backs just can’t pass accurately…wow!
Great kick and the Chiefs have an attacking lineout a few metres our…
The Sharks will be penalised for collapsing the maul…
The Chiefs kick to the corner…
Chiefs smelling blood, opting for the lineout instead of the posts…
The Chiefs are blown up for accidental offsides…Sharks escape and get a defensive scrum…
Claassens must be the only scrummie in this competition that throws the ball straight into the scrum…
Dan carries the ball strongly…and then spills it! My word…
Our scrum is looking solid, du Preez losing the ball in contact… 😕
The Chiefs have an attacking scrum…
Sharks players just cannot hold onto a damn ball.
Please move Keegan to 8!!!
@Bokhoring (Comment 74) : So poor!
Sharks defend on their line…
Seems like ive read this book before- Sharks handling and penalty count allow opposition to dominate
The Chiefs finally score in the corner…
@pastorshark (Comment 71) : time for dani boy to get a rest this is getting annoying
@SheldonK (Comment 78) : We are particularly poor tonight…
Just 23 minutes in and we’re already holding on for dear life. Two teams in totally different classes I’m afraid.
We couldn’t score a try last week, if we concede another, theres no realistic way of us successfully chasing the margin.
@Poisy (Comment 80) : Yup…
The conversion is hooked and it is 15-3 after 25 minutes…
It would be interesting to see the % of tries scored against us this season due to knock-ons and missed clearance kicks. I imagine the figure will be at the 80% mark.
Huge gulf between these teams I am afraid.
My word…what did he penalise JPP for there?
Time for the seniors to also step up when the juniors make a mistake.
Kiwi teams protect their noobs, allows them to gain experience…..mistakes will happen.
Seems as if it might be a good thing that I’m at work and not watching the game!
I know it’s easy to be a wise ass after the fact…but I really thought we should have had Deysel in the loose trio instead of two du Preez’s…
Our handling is shocking! That cost us a try in he end. Esterhuizen and the du preez twins have such poor ball skills. That number 4 lock gives away at least 4 penalties a game too.
Now the Sharks maul well and attack…and get a penalty…
@JD (Comment 90) : no shit buddy
@pastorshark (Comment 88) : Don’t know, commentators asked the same question.
@JD (Comment 90) : Yeh snap
The Sharks kick it into the corner…
@pastorshark (Comment 91) : Amen.
@pastorshark (Comment 88) : Pollock has penalized us about every time the Chiefs had the ball in their 22 under pressure. Nice exit plan they have there.
Cooper has scored off the maul…well done, men!
Cooper scores from the lineout drive
And we score from a good maul.
Dan really needs to work on his hands and Andre probably just needs some down time. If they are as terrible as the comments above suggest we need to substitute now and not wait to see if it gets worse. Both are fine players but if they are not able to fix their handling issues they need to be taken off.
On the positive side, Cooper’s lineout work has been good tonight!
Let’s see the negative nancies celebrate a Sharks try please.
Nice try Cooper!!! I think we need to keep it with the forwards (minus Dan) for the next 50 minutes.
April nails the conversion and it is 15-10 after 28 minutes…
Cooper’s lineout throws have been much better so far.
hey the ‘clown’ scored 😉 haha
@Culling Song (Comment 104) : don’t jinx him!
I am so glad for April, despite the difficult kick from far out that he missed, he looks composed when kicking for the posts.
@SheldonK (Comment 109) : Long live the clown 🙂
Guess who gained the benefit from that kicking duel?!
I suppose given that we have been so crap for the first half hour 15-10 is a reasonable start on the scoreboard…
I can’t believe the Chiefs are just kicking everything back.
Sharks have the ball…and that is SUCH a rubbish pass by April…COME ON!!!
Chiefs kicking a lot tonight – fortunately they don’t have the most accurate kickers.
@pastorshark (Comment 116) : He will learn…..still better than having Joe kick everything away.
But we fail to capitalize on good field position due to a poor Chiefs kick.
@FireTheLooser (Comment 105) : Unfortunately we really have been so crap in so many of the basics that you don’t even have to be a negative nancy to call it…
Nice play by the Sharks there…jeepers that Chiefs boy dived onto our ruck from the wrong side…ai! Not blown…but the ref pings them at the next ruck…
Much better ball in hand play!!!
Chiefs keep flopping all over Sharks rucks, and eventually Pollock has to penalize.
The Sharks kick to touch into the Chiefs 22…
Sharks have an advantage again…
Fuck yes!!! April!!!
April scores a beauty!!!!
Wow, April scores a beauty…
April you beaut!!!!
April takes a gap and straight through.
@pastorshark (Comment 120) : I choose to see the things we’re doing well, plenty of positives on attack….still a lot to work on, but I see lot’s to be positive about – like that try.
@FireTheLooser (Comment 105) : YES YES YES YAHOOOOOOO SHARKS RULE!!!!
April clean through, nice step and in he goes…the scores are level!
Score please?!?!?!
April hooks it just to the left…damn…the scores stay level…15-15 after 38 minutes…
Misses the conversion – so 15 all
A much better last 10 minutes from the Sharks!
Geez and I was happy about April kicking good for posts, what a try! Im so happy for the young man!
@JD (Comment 134) : 15 square
Good stuff April…dont pass it to Andre or a DuPreez…only give it to the clown or urself 🙂
Dan catches the ball from the kick off…WOOHOO!!
The Sharks steal a Chiefs lineout but then kick it away pretty pointlessly…
The Chiefs counter but lose it forward…
That boy April though…..
15-15
The hooter has gone, but the scrum will still take place…
Why are we so shit-scared to run from turnover ball??? Great lineout steal and JPP just hoofs it down McKenzie’s throat.
Claassens prods it into touch and it is 15-15 at half time…how did that happen?
15 all at half time. Who would have thought?
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 147) : AAARRRGGGHHHHH!!!
Lambie,april,inny,curwin and teddy! Something will have to give
For 28 minutes we were really poor…and 15-3 down…but the last 12 minutes of the half belonged to us and the Chiefs looked a bit more rattled. The key looks like making sure we get our set pieces right and dominate the Chiefs there and then play the sort of ball in hand stuff that led to our second try…that was much, much better. Let’s see more of that!
@Poisy (Comment 151) : With our injury record not necessarily…
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 147) : Because kiwi teams are renowned for killing you on turnover….lose that ball in your own half, and they’ll punnish you.
Sharks aren’t confident enough yet to play in their own half, but at least they’re finding their way into the opposition half, and then they are willing to have a go.
@pastorshark (Comment 148) : That happened, because the Chiefs are playing our type of game and mostly just kicking everything back to us. I reckon we’ll see them play a totally different game in the second half.
@markschrade (Comment 144) : Great try!
@Poisy (Comment 151) : I reckon Curwin will move to 15 in time- seems thats where the National guys like him. Also dont know how many more years Lambie will be around
@FireTheLooser (Comment 154) : Agree, but we’re only actually getting in their half because of their kicking errors and the odd penalty.
That’s going to change when they start running it back.
@pastorshark (Comment 153) : you and your common sense maybe lend some to fikile
GARTH APRIL!!!!!!!
I really hope we have seen the last of our handling errors and losing the ball in contact, we will get so much better by just removing those 2 things from our game.
Some really sensible chat from Butch in studio…
@SheldonK (Comment 157) : I see. Oh well tedder/y is coming along nicely inny has some competition whch is always nice
@pastorshark (Comment 162) : He was saying that the Sharks musn’t play to the critics in the second half…keep it tight, make the most of the forward dominance and then use the right ball to strike…
The Guys look very very tired, nice game thus far…
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 155) : I think you are spot on with that, they got sucked into a kicking game the last few minutes, don’t think they will do it again in the second half, but lets hope they do.
@Poisy (Comment 159) : Hahaha… 😆
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 158) : As long as our defensive line puts pressure on the Chiefs from our kicks, then the Chiefs running game could well work in our favour.
The kick chase in the 2nd half will be extremely important.
One thing’s showing though, Chiefs kicking game is not very effective.
@DuToit04 (Comment 160) : did you pause your pvr or something
@FireTheLooser (Comment 154) : Geez now my tummy is sore think I must quickly go home for an hour!!!!
@pastorshark (Comment 162) : What did he basically say?
Score? And Time?
Thanks
that feeling when you realize….. 😆
😆
my streaming is almost 10mins behind Sharksworld….hahaha
@JD (Comment 170) : You won’t be disappointed…. as long as the Sharks build on where they left off.
@JD (Comment 170) :if that don’t work than toilet and tablet,that’s where I am apparantly ate some bad fish last night
@FireTheLooser (Comment 168) : All the kicks direct into touch and our lineout operating well tonight (again kudos to Crusty, Lewies and KD) has negated their kicking game.
Chiefs assistant coach confirming that they’ll be kicking less.
@Quintin (Comment 166) : @Spirit of Rugby (Comment 155) : Yeah look, can’t see them doing the kicking thing in the second half. Let’s see whether we can keep it up…
@Poisy (Comment 169) : hahaha no streaming from work…lol i only realized the diff in time now hahaha
Pity we missed those two kicks…a 5 point buffer would be nice…
@Quintin (Comment 166) : @FireTheLooser (Comment 168) : The Chiefs just confirmed that they’re going to play more rugby in the second half. Our defense better be up for this.
Well, two touches to the Chiefs and two kicks in the first minute of halftime…
Now they are running it…and Mvovo intercept…unfortunately no space…
Good work by the Sharks forces the Chiefs to kick again…
You can already see the Chiefs aren’t that keen on kicking it away anymore
Willie’s kick skews off his boot but he does get it up to our 10m line after a fourth Chiefs kick of the half…
JPP puts McKenzie on his butt…and the Sharks turn it over…well done!
We take too long to capitalize on the Chiefs turnovers.
So 5 kicks by the Chiefs in four minutes…good pressure by the Sharks…
That was an untidy ball in the lineout…tapped back and the Chiefs pounce on it!
The Sharks defence holds and they get a defensive scrum…
Ooooh close!!!! Get out of there!!!!
@FireTheLooser (Comment 174) : @Poisy (Comment 175) : hahaha ja better not joke about a sore tummy. My mom always said “met spot gaan mens na bed” translated it means if you joke about it it will (might just) happen so I better stop joking about it before I get gastric problems for the whole long weekend! ;-P
A key for us is cutting down on mistakes…mistake at lineout = huge pressure there!
A bit of a pie chuck from Kyle results in a messy lineout, Chiefs grab the ball and after some phases gets stopped on our tryline.
If I heard correctly, the ref just warned the Chiefs about holding the Sharks players back after the tackle
@Quintin (Comment 185) : Our defence still forced them into 5 kicks in the first 5 minutes of the half…so that’s a tick to the Sharks…
The ref telling his assistants to watch the Chiefs taking up space in front of the rucks.
Claassens feeds the scrum soooooo straight!
The Sharks scrum earns a penalty…but April doesn’t kick it out…those mistakes again!
We manage the scrum penalty – Chiefs scrum is really poor.
Cooper penalised…damn!
@pastorshark (Comment 197) : A big one at that, one way to beat them is to make them unable to play at their strenghts. But you can see their intent is running the ball much more than it was in the 1st 40
Some big hits but also gaping holes so the Chiefs make meters until Cooper thinks the ball is out and we get penalised for offsides at the ruck.
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 198) : Despite him doing that the Chiefs twice took out a man beyond the ruck in that previous move…not blown…
Sharks now losing concentration again. Perhaps time to bring on Chillie.
@Quintin (Comment 203) : Sure…
Cruden nails the kick and it is 18-15 after 49 minutes…
@Bokhoring (Comment 206) : Ai, these mistakes are killing us…cut those out and our whole game changes…
The Sharks lose another lineout…Chili time…
Told you to invest in April. Come boys…push.
Not a great kick by le Roux and the Chiefs have a chance to run it back…come on!
@pastorshark (Comment 210) : why are Sharks struggling in lineouts Cooper or locks?
Chiefs steal a lineout on halfway mark. McKenzie starting to rip our defence to shreds.
Discipline boys come on!
Keegan is penalised and the Chiefs have another chance to take 3 points…
@Bokhoring (Comment 214) : Just one mistake after another! Come on, men!
@JD (Comment 213) : Cooper’s last two throws have been poor after doing well so far.
Cruden pulls it to the left and the score stays 18-15 after 52 minutes…
@pastorshark (Comment 210) : I second that, Cooper wasn’t too bad up until now but it looks like we need to make the change now.
Coenie on.
Coenie on for Adriaanse…
@pastorshark (Comment 205) : Yes, but no surprise there! 😀
NOOOOOOO man…great opportunity for the Sharks and Claassens kicks it out on the full. STOP THE BLOODY MISTAKES MAN!!!
Chiefs still kicking a lot. We get the up and under eventually, but Claasens kick out on the full.
Great rip by AE as he steals it off the Chief…but it is untidy and it goes off Mvovo’s boot into touch…
The Chiefs knock it in the tackle and the Sharks will have a bit of ball. Let’s go, men…
@pastorshark (Comment 224) : Exasperating!
18-15 after 55 minutes…
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 228) : sigh…
The Sharks drive the Chiefs back into their 22…pressure now…
Much better kick by Claasens!
That was a very good first scrum by Coenie by the way!
And indiscipline gives the Chiefs a reprieve. 🙄
Another unforced error by the Sharks and the Chiefs get a free kick at the lineout and the pressure is relieved…AIAIAI!
And we give away a free kick at the lineout. Just unable to capitalize on anything.
@pastorshark (Comment 235) : SO MANY MISTAKES…le Roux can’t take the up and under…
Please can we just concentrate? Defensive lineout now…
Chiefs kicking starting to work. We end up with a lineout 5m from our tryline.
This time we get a free kick at the lineout…
Now exactly the same thing on the other side! 😆
Last 20 minutes coming up…still in it. Come on, men. Cut out the mistakes and let’s go…
The Chiefs throw it straight to the Sharks in the lineout but Retallick rips it from us and makes huge metres…finally the Chiefs knock it on…
Great defence by JPP there!
How did he get that ball… We can’t give away possesion like that.
Great lineout steal and once again giving possession straight back! Come on!!!!
We steal the lineout but somehow Retallick rips the ball from our maul, and makes metres before being tackled.
Chiliboy on…
Chilli is on the field!
Nooo…the Sharks penalised in dominant scrum…come on, men…CUT OUT THE FREAKING ERRORS!!!
Now we give away the scrum penalty in front of the posts. This Coenie experiment is not working for me.
Not a good scrum though
Hit back now!!!!
21-15.
If the Sharks made just half the errors they do they would be a seriously tough side to beat
Chiefs starting to win the kicking game too.
McKenzie wins the kicking duel by a mile.
The passing is sometimes so kak it’s criminal!
Sharks turn over the ball again and the chip by Webber forces le Roux to carry it over…5m scrum Chiefs…
Weber is having a good 2nd half so far
He didn’t carry that over!!!!!! Should be a 22…call for the TMO…
OOOhhh…ok, juuuust carried over…
Very marginal taken back call there. Ball is over the tryline when Willie touches it.
Sharks need a big scrum now.
There really are several things that are good and that the Sharks have going for them…but they just make soooooo many mistakes. What is that? Lack of concentration? Just no basic skills? Fatigue? Come on…they had such a chance here today…
Sharks don’t get the big scrum…
Sharks turn it over and run it from their line…finally the Sharks clear it…
Chiefs take it quickly and Sharks defend well…
Sharks getting away with crazy play on their tryline.
@pastorshark (Comment 267) : Just sat at my computer refreshing hoping we keep them out.
Sharks are penalised again and the Chiefs will be out of sight now…
Another penalty in a kickable position.
Well I just don’t see how he could roll away in that instance.
Just too easy this! For a team, which supposedly prides itself on defense, our defensive discipline is pretty crap.
All the Chiefs points in the second half has come from defensive penalties.
Cruden nails it and with 11 minutes to play we are 9 down…
24-15. Sharks bonus point out the window now.
Deysel and Thomas the Tank on.
We need a final 10 minutes like the last 10 minutes of the first half…
Chiefs offside not blown…
Deysel only on now…
Sharks get a penalty…what to do?
The Sharks kick it for the corner…big moment!
@pastorshark (Comment 278) : From your mouth to their ears!
Sharks look a bit more energetic on attack, and get the eventual penalty. Kicks for the corner.
Sharks score off a great maul! Chili is in!! Come on, must convert this!!
@pastorshark (Comment 265) : I have to say it could be fitness. Lack of fitness means all the players effort is going into just making it around the park etc and thus concentration goes and so too does the handling and basics of the game when players are sucking air. The big problem is the lack of concentration…and i think that is from a lack in fitness
And scores from the maul. Chillie gets his first Shark try.
Fuck yes! Come on boys! We are so close!
Much better play…why only now?!
my nerves are shot!!!!!!!!
And April nails a difficult kick. 24-22.
Man, April has been impressive today!
Great kick April…24-22!
April is really cool in front of posts! Great to see him step up and own his responsibility!
Odwa with a break…
Concentrate now boys.
Damn it…huge chance there…ref got in the way!
The Chiefs win a penalty…
Sharks drop the ball after making a couple of good breaks. Damn
Another stupid defensive penalty!!!
Chiefs take the lineout.
Big call by the ref…great play by the Sharks…ref got in the way and broke the momentum of the move…turnover and the Chiefs attack and get a penalty…
Poor discipline there by the Sharks and the Chiefs have an attacking lineout…
Come on, men!
Damn…game over…Chiefs have a penalty advantage…
We’ll have to score a try to win it in the last minute…
Another penalty and game over.
Chiefs get another penalty.
The Chiefs are not kicking for posts…
Discipline letting us down.
Chiefs holding onto the ball and we are not going to get a chance here!
Great defence by the Sharks but it won’t matter now…penalty after the hooter…
What a game of rugby!!!! 😎 😎 😎
Well, somehow you have to say…soooooo close!
Incredible defense from the Sharks. Sharks loose the game, but wins on the try score count 3-2.
If the Sharks can just cut out half the errors and penalties.
@Bokhoring (Comment 315) : Discipline made the difference in the end.
Not too disappointed, by next year this time, all the errors that cost us in thses games will be sorted…..our attack and defense looked mostly good, we’re moving closer to finding the perfect balance, and we are improving.
Sharks lose 24-22 to the best attacking team in the comp. As i said earlier if we only made half the errors we do we could be a seriously tough side to beat
@SheldonK (Comment 319) : And outscored them 3 tries to 2.
Look…6 points in New Zealand…I would have taken that at the start of the tour…just disappointing because in the end, with a few less errors, we could have won 3 out of 3!! 😯
Am happy with that, but damn am so disappointing we couldn’t find an extra 3 points. Well done boys.
@FireTheLooser (Comment 318) : What I really liked was that little blind side break by Odwa, which got us close to their 22 and still in possession. But for Pollock getting in the way and a panicky pass that could have turned the game.
@Bokhoring (Comment 320) : That cant be right….we only kick everything and dont score tries remember. you must be wrong 😉
Had the Sharks backed April in more games some of the results might have gone our way.
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 317) : That was it…discpline…and ALL THOSE ERRORS! But, boy, did we hang in there…and outscored the Chiefs 3 tries to 2…
So I’m on my way…looking forward to this wing…adios amigos!
@Rvw (Comment 325) : Now Gold knows….but I understand his reluctance to have too many juniors on the field at any one time.
@SheldonK (Comment 324) : To be fair, that’s how we HAVE been playing! This is exactly the rugby we have been calling for, which has been absent all season. This actually proves the point of those critical of our previous way of playing.
@SheldonK (Comment 324) : That awful game against the Crusaders was probably the low point in that regard. Since then the Sharks have tried to play a bit more with ball in hand.
@pastorshark (Comment 326) : Way too many errors. Esterhuizen really looks like he needs a rest. As Sheldon suggested in another thread, Jordaan at 12 would be a good move for our next few games.
@FireTheLooser (Comment 328) : I don’t believe that. Gold won’t back youngsters unless their surnames start with a Du.. April showed enough class during the french tour. If you want to see how good a flyhalf is just check the speed of his pass or calmness under pressure. April meets all the requirements.
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 329) : @Bokhoring (Comment 330) : The Sharks kicked a lot against the Crusaders- there is no doubting that and it was a clear tactic they tried and say what you will about the game it almost got them the win. But since then they have definitely adopted a more ball in hand approach…however that approach has also come with a vast array of handling and other errors. That is what has cost us the games since then. Today we still appeared to make many many errors but also seemed to manage to string something together for just a little bit to enable us to score. My worry is that our defense does seem to creak a bit more with this ball in hand approach. Perhaps as i said earlier its a lack of fitness thing as the ball in hand game does require you to be very fit.
@Bokhoring (Comment 330) : We still have a poor passing game. For some reason the crucial passes seem to go wayward.
@GreatSharksays (Comment 332) : April looks the real deal. He has a great little step to go with what you mentioned.
@SheldonK (Comment 333) : To get better at ball in hand you have to play ball in hand. It is easy to operate fancy back line moves in a practice session with no real defensive pressure, but quite another to do the moves with an aggressive defense in your face.
I think some of the criticism here is a bit over the top today. that was the best I have seen of the Sharks in a very long time. Huge heart and work rate shown by all the players. To me, things look to be coming right. Remember, this is the Chiefs away from home. Sharks can take a lot from this performance.
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 335) : His passing game can improve a lot, but he actually looks very good.
@SheldonK (Comment 333) : Well, the only way to improve attack is to actually do it and the best way to improve your defense when you play that way is to watch the videos and then work on how to improve it. Where we lost the game was giving away stupid penalties while defending, not leaking tries, so that is a lot easier to work on and a huge positive!
@Bokhoring (Comment 336) : No i fully agree with you. People just need to understand that because you cant simulate a match at practise there will be teething errors with a new approach on match days.
@SheldonK (Comment 340) : One has to ask the question why it’s a new approach and not the standard from the outset.
@SheldonK (Comment 340) : The errors frustrate me no end, but at least there are some signs of progress. The challenge will now be for the skills coaches to find ways to improve some of the consistent unforced errors the guys keep making.
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 339) : I still believe the vast majority of the handling errors and silly penalties are because of a drop in concentration due to a lack of fitness. When you tired you make mistakes. Dont get me wrong i think this has been a pretty successful tour and lots to build on from especially this game
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 341) : Barring the Crusaders game and perhaps Stormers to an extent the Sharks have tried to keep the ball in hand more this year. The quality of the opposition also determines how easy/successful you are at it though. So with a new approach this year and new combinations im not surprised by the errors. Remember the Sharks were banking on cool, calm and collected Lambie to run the show…he makes a big difference to the teams temperament.
@SheldonK (Comment 343) : Lack of fitness at this level should never be an excuse. Also, half the penalties, which cost us the game in the second half, were given away by guys fresh on the park.
Overall, I’m a happy chappy. I hope this game has now sparked something in the guys and that we’ll build on balancing our game.
I think our backline stalls at 12. It feels like there’s a bottleneck between April and Jordaan, which will be sorted with Jordaan at 12 (as you suggested).
Think this game showed that if the Sharks decided to run more (and can cut down on their errors) they could be very dangerous!!!
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 345) : Fitness shouldnt be an excuse but we cant just ignore it if it is a problem. If its not fitness then its just purely a lack of concentration and the players probably need a swift kick in the ass then. As for the bottleneck- well yeh thats what happens when you dont have a distributor at 12
@SheldonK (Comment 344) : Sure, any team would miss Lambie, but there’s no point in trying to play a style of game suited to a player you won’t have available for the season.
We need to back April now and build an attacking game around him and Willie.
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 348) : I think you misunderstood. The gameplan was not only because of Lambie but they did bank on his composure to orchestrate this gameplan. So yes we must fully back April now until Lambie is fit but we cant expect the same calmness from April as we do get from Lambie
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 345) : @SheldonK (Comment 347) : no need to pick Jordaan at 12 just pick Heimar. A back line of April/Pat Heimar and Jordaan will be very dangerous!
Jpp had a good game.did a lot of work on defence.carried strong.
@JD (Comment 350) : Yeh something ive wanted from the start….not holding my breath though
@SheldonK (Comment 349) : Of course not, but we have a few calm, experienced heads around April and that should balance things out. To give April credit, he doesn’t let errors rattle him. Signs of a good temperament a la Lambie!
@JD (Comment 350) : Is he available?
@JD (Comment 350) : I agree. Jordaan is playing some of his best rugby, so why move him to another position where he never really looked comfortable (imo anyway) when you have another good player in Heimar that at least deserves a shot when you want to rest Andre?
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 353) : Im not too sure of your reference to calm heads around April? At most if he is lucky he gets to keep Claasens at 9…but other than him not to many calm heads…a lot of youth
Losing marcell was a big blow .2 close games against chiefs and blues.
@SheldonK (Comment 356) : Odwa, Willie, JPP?
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 358) : And Claasen
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 358) : Odwa benches a lot and the other 2 are quite some distance away from him during play. the guys surrounding him are young. Not saying there arent experienced players at all…just claasens only one near him really
@Henkb (Comment 359) : Sheldon already mentioned him, so I just added the rest.
@SheldonK (Comment 352) : Hi bud, last week calling for Jpp to quit. This week he silenced all his critics especially myself
@SheldonK (Comment 360) : They’re all close enough to have a quick word. One often sees an “ou man” run over to a noob in rugby (or cricket for that matter), irrespective of their positions.
@jdolivier (Comment 362) : look he isnt the player he was in 2007…think everyone can appreciate that. But the guy is still a quality player…he isnt too fun to play against either, ask anyone who has played against him
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 363) : Its more than just the quick word though…its about what they do around him and the lines they run etc. Its not easy to explain but having a composed player either side of a youngster makes him look a lot better and if he is already a quality player that will shine through even more. At the moment he has loosies dropping the ball and scrappy rucks in front of him and a 12 that also tends to drop the ball or bash it up. Not saying its all doom and gloom but there is that added pressure on him to make something happen because of it
@SheldonK (Comment 365) : Yes and it hasn’t really affected him. My point earlier was that April seems to have a cool head a la Lambie. It would obviously help if Frans Steyn was his inside center, but he seems to be coping admirably with a very average Esterhuizen next to him.
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 366) : No he has definitely done well. A few wayward passes but overall he has done well. If he had a playmaker 12 next to him he would probably be more effective
@SheldonK (Comment 367) : With lambie returning, maybe we should consider playing him where he started shining for the sharks. Inside centre, with him April and willie on the field guys like jordaan, sithole and mvovo will break try scoring records without breaking a sweat. Random thought
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 354) : Who Heimar? To my knowledge yes he just did not tour with the team but he’s playing CC for the Sharks.
@SheldonK (Comment 352) : @HeinF (Comment 355) : ja sorry to say but I do think it will only remain a dream as I can’t see Gold changing much.
@jdolivier (Comment 362) : That’s the problem with JP though he only pitches up for some games. I miss that legend we used to have who gave his guts every match. Everyone was afraid of playing opposite him.
@coolfusion (Comment 371) : If we could somehow buy him back to be a permanent feature things would change. Same for Steyn. Still a lot of good rugby left in both of them. I would not mind being a young backline player maturing next to them.