The Sharks piled on the points in the first half at Kings Park this evening, scoring six tries in forty minutes to set up a big 42-0 lead over the Southern Kings at half time. Accuracy in the second half was not as good and saw only ten further points added in a 53-0 final scoreline.
Pat Lambie and Paul Jordaan were the destroyers-in-chief in that first half, profiting from a solid forward platform to run riot behind their dominant pack. The captain scored the first try in the first ten minutes, taking an inside pass form Jordaan after Lwazi Mvovo had made metres down the left hand flank. The favour was repaid ten minutes later – the Kings had looked good on attack, but spilled a ball deep in the Sharks’ 22. Lambie scooped it up and broke free, running 80 metres before finding Jordaan for the score.
The visitors’ heads drooped and before you knew it, the Sharks had scored two further tries. The first went to Willie le Roux (taking a pass from Jordaan in doing so) and the second to Jordaan himself again, after JP Pietersen and Keegan Daniel had done the damage down the right hand side. Further tries in the half went to Andre Esterhuizen (powering over from 10 metres out after eschewing a pass to Stephan Lewies) and Pietersen. Lambie nailed five conversions and a penalty to set up the big half-time differential.
Lambie scored a second (which he could not convert) 10 minutes into the second half, but as Gary Gold emptied his bench, the Sharks lost their shape. A messy half hour followed, before big Thomas du Toit finally started the scoreboard again with a maiden try at this level from five metres out in the 78th minute. Lambie again missed the tricky conversion, but with the half-century already secured, it mattered little.
The Sharks now head into a 6-week break with a healthy extra 5 log points and knowing that they put a fair few smiles on the faces of their fans this evening. Well don boys!
Sharks (53): Tries Pat Lambie (2), Paul Jordaan (2), Willie le Roux, Andre Esterhuizen, JP Pietersen, Thomas du Toit. Conversions Lambie (6). Penalty Lambie.
Kings (0).
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Very well done, Sharks.
When will the Bok squad be announced?
Think it was a super first half. Was possibly the best play I saw from them Sharks in a couple of years!!!
@JD (Comment 3) : Been long overdue. Very long…
Totally of topic but the Stormers jerseys looks a lot like the Saders jerseys!!!
@Ben (Comment 4) : ja just a pity they’re hitting this type of form just before the international break.
Very nice to see SP on the field even if it’s for the Bulls.
Who was man of the match? Fox sports cut out straight after the game finished?
@JD (Comment 5) : Copy and paste. 🙄
Go Stormers!
@RuckingFun (Comment 8) : Pat Lambie
@Ben (Comment 10) : not sure I can get my finger to type that! 😉
@RuckingFun (Comment 8) : Could’ve been Paul or Keegan IMO.
@gregkaos (Comment 13) : Ja they both had great games too
Willie le Roux had his best game in a Sharks jersey and was my M.O.M
Kings are really a sub standard team and do not belong at this level,they try hard but there is very little honor in whipping them by 50 points.
Just feel that if that squad was integrated into the other five teams we’d have a better chance against the N.Z teams
Nice one Sharks! Keep Dan duP in your thoughts please. Groin injury could possibly be serious according to Rob.
@JD (Comment 5) : I guess Thelo Wakefields wife and kids designed them, his input was to demand that they are made of edible fabric so that he can eat them on the flight home.
@vanmartin (Comment 17) : Not good news.
Really,its the Kings,a team who should not even be near SR
@The hound (Comment 16) : I agree with your sentiment. Which Kings player would make the starting line-up of any other franchise?
I see the Bulls upset the Stormers and confounded The Money Man again. If he actually has put his money where his mouth is I’d hate to know how much he’s lost heh heh.
@vanmartin (Comment 17) : Oh no…all the best to him. Will van der Walt be back after the break?
Congrats! Great win.
It’s good to see the two SA sides with the tougher schedule being in play-off contention
As the log stands atm the play-offs are:
Chiefs host Sharks at Waikato Stadium, Hamilton
Lions host Hurricanes at Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Bulls host Highlanders at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Waratahs host Crusaders at Aussie Stadium, Sydney
@pastorshark (Comment 23) : I think so mate.
@Baylion (Comment 24) : sharks have played one game more .log points 35 sharks(12games) 32 bulls(11games) 32 stormers(11games).
@50shadesofshark (Comment 26) : Why allow facts to interfere? 🙂
@Baylion (Comment 27) : big game next weekend at loftus.
@50shadesofshark (Comment 28) : True.
A Lions win will keep the Sharks in a wild card spot, a Bulls win will keep the Sharks within 3 points of the Lions and make the Lions vs Sharks game more important for both.
Which team will the Sharks fans support on Saturday? 🙂
@vanmartin (Comment 17) : @pastorshark (Comment 23) : @robdylan (Comment 25) : I must say, it doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom; for someone who has been out of the game for so long, I thought Tera showed some nice touches at 8.
@Baylion (Comment 29) : think it will come down to bulls vs sharks for the play-off spot.but let the team that deserves it win next weekend.
@50shadesofshark (Comment 31) : Diplomatically non-committal comment 😆
@Culling Song (Comment 30) :
Agree. He and Daniel bring something different to our pack, although the twins also have good speed and hands for monsters.
Keegan Daniel makes things happen.
What a player.
@Baylion (Comment 32) : 😀
@Big Fish (Comment 33) : If we do play Keegan and Tera we will have to opt for a big number 7. Having said that Jean Luc and Deysel both fulfil that requirement.
Keegan Daniel and Daniel dup have a great connection. We should exploit that. Saw Dan have less handling errors his nerves looked settled.
@Big Fish (Comment 33) : that loose trio put a massive smile on my face. Most balanced trio we have had since 2012 with Keegan-Marcell-Kanko.
I know it was only against the Kings but that was the most satisfying half of rugby I have seen from the Sharks in a loooong time. And that is just purely based on intent.
@Culling Song (Comment 30) : Agreed. Tera held his own in a very impressive loose trio on Saturday. Also reckon Keegan gets to play with more freedom because guys like Tera put in the hard yards.
Springbok 7’s squad are the choke artists of the world 4th final lost in the last 15 seconds this season
8 van der walt(27) 7 jl dup (21) 6 keegan (31) 8 d dup (21) 7 deysel(31) 6 mthembu?(26)
@MikeSebMatt (Comment 21) : well SP could not make the Kings squad and he’s now a starter at the Bulls?!
@pastorshark (Comment 23) : @robdylan (Comment 25) : think Dan and the Ginger Ninja will be back after the break.
@Baylion (Comment 27) : shameless!!! Never let facts interfere with a good comment! 😉
@jdolivier (Comment 40) : wow that was bad. Think they started celebrating the victory in their heads with 1min to go!!!
@Culling Song (Comment 30) : Excellent! Didn’t see the game here now in Germany…but that is very good to hear!
@50shadesofshark (Comment 31) : Without wanting to offend any stormers fans on here…but given some of the utterance from their management, the press and others, I would derive more pleasure if the Stormers were to be the ones to miss out…
@MerckZ (Comment 34) : I am so chuffed at his comeback…loving it!
@pastorshark (Comment 47) : ja add to that some media “experts” then I must agree with you!!!
@jdolivier (Comment 40) : Thats for sure, mind you I really didnt losing this one, the series was already lost and Scotland finally get a tournament win – good for them.
I know this is totally off topic, but I picked up this little snipped from the post match interview of last week’s Crusaders v Highlanders game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb4zaDpRU3g
Interviewer: ….did you chat at half-time to….adjust, change your game….
Read: We try to keep the same game-plan through out. It worked for us…..
Directly from the horse’s mouth: This Kiwi team believe you don’t need a plan B 🙂
It was wonderful to see the Sharks running rampant and scoring some really cool tries, but our best game of the season and the best we have played in a long time is still the win against the Hurricanes. It was good to have a bit of fun before the break, but let’s keep our focus on what we’re really up against.
@fyndraai (Comment 51) : When you’re a complete team, you don’t need to shift from plan-A to plan-B. You merely shift between forward dominance, kicking and running.
I don’t think teams have the time to work on a plan-B. Just work on ticking all the boxes.
Good performance by the Sharks. We really looked good in the first half and executed well although it wasnt under much pressure. Must commend the Kings on playing much better in the 2nd half though, especially their defense. All the subs did make things a bit disjointed for the Sharks and you could see that they were trying to figure things out in the 2nd half. Nice to see our front row replacements not need much time to adjust and were very solid, also nice to see props like Thomas and Schoeman doing a lot of pick and goes from the rucks.
@fyndraai (Comment 51) : @FireTheLooser (Comment 53) : Spot on. You guys might enjoy this: http://www.the42.ie/analysis-crusaders-2-4-2-shape-skills-2771908-May2016/
@SheldonK (Comment 54) : I don’t think the Kings improved as much in the second half,as the Sharks took their foot off the pedal ,which is totally understandable when you are 48 points up in the last game of a trip to hell and back.
Serious compliments to the conditioning staff on being able to produce a team that could be playing that quality rugby that late into this insanely brutal tour.
The Stormers with the most benign draw in the history of the competition were out on their feet against the Bulls.
@The hound (Comment 56) : Noticed that too. The Stormers intensity really started to wane in the second half.
@The hound (Comment 56) : Yeh look the game and bonus point was secured in the first half so understandable the intensity wasnt there in the 2nd half but the Kings did get their act together a bit too as they were truly shocking in the 1st half with some f their defensive decisions. Our subs did disrupt things especially the backline which is both understandable but concerning as it shows that if we do have to play someone else at 12 we not sure how to play and Odwa at 15 offers something very different to Willie. Interesting to note that the Bulls are the only side unbeaten at home to date…
@vanmartin (Comment 57) : The Stormers are always up for it when their forwards dominate and they have front foot ball…but when they have to fight and not have it all their own way they seem to lose interest. Not much fight in that team.
@SheldonK (Comment 59) : Ethebeth was dominated and left the field with his tail between his legs,Kebble is a big bag wind but PSDT is the genuine article played like champion.Schalk Burger should retire now before he gets seriously punch drunk,the guys living on borrowed time.Ntubeni can’t hook in the scrum I loved it when he caught cheating in that last scrum
@The hound (Comment 61) : and that young pack will only grow with the addition of players like potgieter and bothma .
The 2nd try from the sharks was a big turning point in the match.was a 14 point turn-around.then the kick-off went into touch and from the resulting scrum re-start ,the sharks scored.suddenly a potentail 8-7 became 22-0.
@The hound (Comment 60) : Yeh PSDT is playing very good rugby. That young JD Shickerling they have needs to play more. Still unconvinced by their loose trio…they solid players but not much more than that, not sure how Carr and Kolisi are Boks. Fleck should have brought young Brandon Thompson on…Jean Luc Duplessis looked panicked. And i fear for the Boks chances if DeAllende is at 12…and one stage Joel even remarked that he still hasnt even looked to pass the ball.
I hope that Paul Jordaan looks at this weekend’s video, and see how devasting of a combo he can be when using his speed to hit the gap and then put the player on his outside away.
@KingRiaan (Comment 64) : Jordaan is seriously quick and the more he passes the more space he will get as defenders will need to be wary of those around him. Same applies to our loose trio…the more passes they make the more defenders will hold off and then we will see them break those lines etc. Effective passing of the ball is a very under rated skill…well in SA
@SheldonK (Comment 65) : Yeah, you can see that when Keegan has the ball, the defenders around him hesitate for a moment to see what he will do, hopefully he can teach the twins that skill. Hell, even Adriaanse can pass before the tackle, so it can’t be that difficult to teach them
@KingRiaan (Comment 66) : haha that was amazing…Adriaanse out the back of the hand and then gets smashed late…priceless. He can turn around to the coach and say “See, look what happens when i pass” haha But yes you correct about Daniel and i do think he is having a good influence on the twins.
@SheldonK (Comment 67) : It might be my eyes deceiving me, but it is as if their handling has improved since playing with Keegan. It’s probably just a coincidence
@KingRiaan (Comment 68) : It has. But that comment Gold made about him stressing to the players that they need to make the decision to do the simple things well and they will get the most reward had also played a role as they have been doing the simple things really well. And if im not mistaken their penalty count has been very low of late too.
@KingRiaan (Comment 68) : Coincidence!? You’re talking about Keegan Daniel, the man who adorns Chuck Norris’ pajamas. There can be no coincidence.
@SheldonK (Comment 69) : I think the combination with Gold as the friend and Rob as the disciplinarian has been very good so far. It’s what we missed last year and even with Jake White, you need balance, last time we had that balance was with the Muir/Plumtree team.
@Culling Song (Comment 70) : Keegan never sleeps…why would he need pjs? 🙂
@KingRiaan (Comment 71) : I really think a good foundation is being laid…but in order to reap rewards the Sharks need to retain their core group and keep them fit and playing. Thats why the Lions have been successful.
@SheldonK (Comment 73) : Yes, Beast/Thomas/Lourens/Lewies/Oosthuizen/Keegan/The Twins/Lambie/Esterhuizen/Jordaan and Mvovo, they have to be kept together for the next 3-4 years at least. Add to that guys like S’bura, April, Deysel, Ginger Ninja, Inny Radebe, Bosch just to name a few, and I think we can be world beaters. I would love for Willie to stay, but he he wants to leave, then let him. Squad happiness and harmony is the key to this team sticking together.
@SheldonK (Comment 72) : Keegan doesn’t need pajamas (nor did I say he did); when he closes his eyes the world ceases to exist. So why bother with pj’s?
@KingRiaan (Comment 74) : Yes indeed. I think a team needs a good core of 4 props, 2 hookers, 3-4 locks, 3-4 loosies, a good 9 and 10, 2 centres and a good 15. If a team has that as a good core then players can filter in and out effectively. So thats about 19 players give or take
@Culling Song (Comment 75) : Now we on the same page 🙂
@SheldonK (Comment 76) : Yeah, I remember back in the day they use to say you need an established spine in your team of 2,5,8,9,10 and 15. It makes sense. But we have a good squad now, just keep Coenie as far away from the starting team as possible.
@KingRiaan (Comment 78) : I have a different take on Coenie to be honest. He can be a good player both in the loose and in the scrum, even at TH. However, in order to do that he needs to have a hard look at both his physique and concentration levels. He needs to lose about 5-10kg…this will help with his fitness and hopefully concentration. Then if he actually concentrates at scrum time he can be very good and tough to move. A lot of the time he gets himself into trouble as you can see he isnt concentrating during the scrum setup and engage and then ends up in some horrible positions. So i really believe a fairly small tweak can get us a lot of value from a guy that can be a really good player.
@SheldonK (Comment 79) : I hope you are right, as he can be valuable, but you can’t back him at the moment in a playoff game where every penalty or weak scrum can be the difference between winning and losing.
@KingRiaan (Comment 80) : On the performances of Adriaanse and then DuToit it is a bit unfair to put him in at the moment. Something i noticed on Saturday is the Chilliboy uses his knee not his foot to hook the ball. Now not sure if thats because the scrum was too low or what but im not sure i think that is the most effective technique.
@SheldonK (Comment 81) : I didn’t even notice that. Would be interesting to know why though.
@KingRiaan (Comment 82) : At first i thought it was because the scrum was low. then the next scrum was higher and he still did it but didnt hook it effectively. Luckily our scrum was so dominant that we actually just walked over the ball.
@SheldonK (Comment 83) : One guy that has impressed me so far is Franco. He has come on in leap and bounds this year. It’s also sad to see the decline of Cooper. Let’s also hope that Chillyboy will imrove with more game time.
@KingRiaan (Comment 84) : Yeh i would liken Coopers drop in form to his dedication and concentration much like Coenie. Chadwick was in that same space but something turned the corner in the 2015 off season
@SheldonK (Comment 85) : Haha Chadwick has been playing very well, but now he distracts us from his socks with that hairdo 😆
@KingRiaan (Comment 86) : Hairdo with the accessory of a bandage that slides all over the place.
@KingRiaan (Comment 86) : @Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 87) : The socks are a result of the amount of perspiration emanating from his calves that destroys the elasticity of the socks and thus they fall to his ankles…its science 😉 The head band is in honour of his chidlhood hero Rambo 🙂
@SheldonK (Comment 88) : Hahaha
@vanmartin (Comment 55) :
Thanks.
That was a good read. When one watch on television, following the ball and not being able to see all the players, you tend to miss the important details happening off the ball.