A big ask for the Sharks, dealing with a number of injuries and facing the resurgent Lions at a rainy Kings Park.
With less to play for than their visitors, can the Sharks pick up a dream 10th-straight victory today and sew up top spot on the logs with a game still to go?
Kick-off is at 19h15.
Sharks: 15 Garth April, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Tristan Blewett, 12 Marius Louw, 11 Sibusiso Nkosi, 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Michael Claassens, 8 Daniel du Preez, 7 Jacques Vermeulen, 6 Keegan Daniel, 5 Ruan Botha (captain), 4 Tyler Paul, 3 Ross Geldenhuys, 2 Franco Marais, 1 Thomas du Toit.
Replacements: 16 Armand van der Merwe, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 Jean Droste, 19 Tera Mtembu, 20 Cameron Wright, 21 Inny Radebe, 22 Rhyno Smith.
Golden Lions: 15 Jaco van der Walt, 14 Sylvian Mahuza, 13 Harold Vorster, 12 Rohan Janse van Rensburg, 11 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 10 Ashlon Davids, 9 Marco Janse van Vuren, 8 Fabian Booysen, 7 Cyle Brink, 6 Kwagga Smith, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Rhyno Herbst, 3 Jacobie Adriaanse, 2 Robbie Coetzee, 1 Jacques van Rooyen (captain).
Replacements: 16 Sti Sithole, 17 Pieter Jansen, 18 Johannes Jonker, 19 Robert Kruger, 20 Len Massyn, 21 Bradley Thain, 22 Anthony Volmink/Nicolaas Hanekom.
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Is it too much of the fans to expect a win at home? Apologies to lions fans but they had their SR shot and won games they shouldn’t have against the Sharks and others. You had your shot. This is Kings Park, not some little school boy rugby ground. Sharks need to make a statement that if you dare venture to Kings park you stand a good chance of getting messed up.
@SeanJeff (Comment 1) : I think we are all holding out for a perfect season. It’s within reach I think.
Quite psyched to see these guys under better weather conditions.
Rain is pouring down in Durbs
Even the famous Henry “Sharky” Rutherford looks forlorn in the rain…horrible weather
@SeanJeff (Comment 5) : Ag no man. Bad weather again?
Handsome looking team. Even if I say so myself.
Good offensive defense from the Sharks
Thomas scores after clever kick from Claasens and good chase
Try Thomas, 8-0
Good cover by curwin great support/follow by tank. Nice. Tommy is a real shark.
11-0
Ag come on April. Head in the game game.
@coolfusion (Comment 13) : Don’t let this be cold game for April.
How is it legal to go from a scrum into a maul
That looks like obstruction to me
Right call
@Bokhoring (Comment 17) : Yup dropped and seven was not bound therefore obstructing.
Match suspended due to lightning
First time I’ve seen this at such a big stadium 😯
@Bokhoring (Comment 19) : Pity.Sharks had some fire. What no
So what happens if the game cannot be completed – Duckworth-Lewis? 😛
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 20) : Couple of football players got injured at Ellis a few years back by lightning
Hope this doesn’t break our momentum. Hopefully April now has time to knock his head against a wall.
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 24) : Good comment. Agree.
Such a pity but correct call, safety first.
As for the game Sharks very unlucky here as they were dominating the game.
@Bokhoring (Comment 23) : I remember that but soccer doesn’t count. They probably all collapsed from the thunderclap anyway
What are the rules if they can’t continue?
@coolfusion (Comment 28) : Will they wait and continue?
At least we can listen to “Have you ever seen the rain” about 10 times while wait
Good decision to have player safety as first priority!
What does the book say? How long does it get suspended?
@JD (Comment 31) : Absolutely!
Just love the Sharks aggression and physicality on defence!!! Geez could almost feel some of those hits through the tv!!!
@JD (Comment 34) : Me too. Love that hunger.
How good has Tristan and Curwin been so far?! Wow! BMT
BTW, have they changed the lineout rules lately? It seems as though “not straight” has meandered to “seems legit”.
@DuToit04 (Comment 36) : That kid gets his defense up he will be the total package.
@coolfusion (Comment 38) : He stopped RJvR!
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 39) : Very excited about him. Have been since we got him.
Keep up the intensity sharks.
Make this one of those games where durbanites kick their own arse for not attending.
Play back on.
Not the best start. My lineout question answered.
Too wet for 50 50 pop passing. Keep kicks closer.
@coolfusion (Comment 45) : Meant say to use pop passing no hard passes.
Good head by Odwa. Remember to commit rose tackles slipper nipples out there.
April makes so many errors,
April just doesn’t look comfy
@sharks_lover (Comment 48) : Still say rhyno has a better temperament.
Not the first Daniel brainfart
Geez lots of niggle now
Our defense is epic! 😎
Chew my head off if you want bit this is way better than last week under same shitty conditions.
@coolfusion (Comment 54) : Agree.
@coolfusion (Comment 54) : For sure but i do think less humid tonight due too cold front, so more about rain, last week very humid snotty conditions plus rain makes it very difficult, but yeah much better.
@sharks_lover (Comment 56) : Swys said before the game that it was typical Durban warm wet weather but what do the Vaalies know hey?
Whatever happens on the rest of this game this first half has made me a happy camper. This is what I expected from a team of this caliber last weekend. Is that too much? So clean so hard. My boys!
@coolfusion (Comment 58) : Exactly! That’s what sometimes pisses me off most about the Sharks – the perceived lack of dedication – plenty of that all over the park tonight.
Lyk my Jean luc het daai kwagga se be still gemaak? Hou so aan!
@coolfusion (Comment 60) : Sorry Daniel…
Keegan back on.
@coolfusion (Comment 60) : I still rate Kwagga
@coolfusion (Comment 61) : Du preez. .
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 63) : Yup but deprive him a little with some intensive play then what?
Geez ref … early shove
@coolfusion (Comment 65) : He would still break the game wide open given half a sniff.
Curwin speed and decisions on attack is just awesome.
How is that a penalty?
@coolfusion (Comment 69) : Touched him on the shoulders released and the player stayed on his feet continental play.
@coolfusion (Comment 70) : Continued
This just doesn’t feel like an 11-0 game
What went wrong in the scrums? We dominated in the first half!
This ref does not understand what a scrum is
14-3 so yeah cannot be an 11-0 game 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆
Tit for tat scrum reffing
@sharks_lover (Comment 75) : My Rugbypass stream must be slightly delayed 😆
Sharks suddenly stepped up the tempo…try
Yes Odwa stepping like a tapdancer. I take back most of what I said.
Odd One!!!!!!
@coolfusion (Comment 79) : in slow motion
@coolfusion (Comment 79) : its called deceptively slow
@byron (Comment 81) : 😆
@byron (Comment 82) : Like a drunken master kung-fu?
With the exception of one kak box kick, Claasens has been great
@coolfusion (Comment 84) : Or salsa 45 kicking in?
Bahaha … claasens jinxd
@byron (Comment 87) : Ja fokkit
Defence been rock solid … is mouneimme back?
@coolfusion (Comment 89) : Or did Brendan remember how to email?
What was that crap by the Lions parading as a backline set move? 😯
Curwin like boss…..
Tickled it like a piano….
@coolfusion (Comment 92) : Forwards made it a formality
Thomas pillar defence is a brick wall
Scoreboard don’t shoe it but the is has been pure pleasure.
Curwin showing Allister what he’s been missing.
@coolfusion (Comment 96) : Feels like a BP victory
Lovely. Sharks you make me proud.
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 98) : Just as good. This performance gives me the same feeling.
@coolfusion (Comment 100) : Precisely
Sharks are convinced
Close. It would have been moment of the series.
Fuck I wish I was in Durban now.
Geez that’s massive defence
I would have given that. Clear try to Nkosi
April has done well tonight.
No kwagga to nite. Sharks rule the park. Wat soek jy in die sharks tank?
Bugger
RJvR’s confidence has gone for a ball of shit
Happy as a pig in shit. These boys have done us proud!
If you can’t be proud of this then you have no place being a shark.
Slow board but beautiful play.
Gotta love the respect shown by both sides after the game 😎
Black n white baby….all the way!
Like I said some durbanites kicking their own arses for not being there….
that’s top spot all sewn up
If play this way there no team that can touch us.
@coolfusion (Comment 118) : Am I being an asshole or that realistic?
If that wasn’t the best and most complete performance all CC I don’t know. Defense rock solid oppertunities taken. Am I wrong?
Keeping your opponent to be points till the end? Tell me it wasn’t awesome!
Sharks back line really starting to look good,
Full Back: Mvovo, Smith, Zas
Wings: Nkosi, Mapimpi, Van Wyk, Odwa, Tythan
Center: Am, Esterhuizen, Louw, Ward, Deysel, Tristan
Flyhalf: Bosch, Dupreez, Ben10, April, Radebe,
Scrumhalf: Schreuder, Wright, Claassens, Faf de Villiers, Grant Williams.
Forwards:
Props: Beast, Tank, Ross, Juan, Coenie, Hubert Meyer.
Hooker: Marais, Chilli, Akkers, Coetzee
Lock: Lewies, Ruan, Koegelenberg, Paul, Andrews, Droste, JJ van der Mescht
Loose Forwards: Dan, Jluc, Phillip, Mtembu, Vermeulen, Keegan, Vosloo
Great victory and top spot done with one game left!!! Awesome guys!!!
But tonight something a bit of topic impressed me again. How awesome is the drainage of the field!!!! For a second week in a row heavy rain fell but the field remained in “perfect” playing condition!!! No water or mud puddles and also no churning up of grass when the big boys scrummed!!! Geez the white jerseys and shorts remained (mostly) white for the whole game!!! So from me a huge congrats to the ground staff and who ever designed the drainage systems!!! Well done lads and may it stay like this for a long time!!!
@sharks_lover (Comment 122) : yes things looking good for the new season!!!
Good win Sharks. Home semi-final assured. Job done. Pity the Cheetahs spoiled the season undefeated scenario.
@KingCheetah (Comment 125) : More like SARU spoilt it by having competitions overlap – there was never a chance that the Cheetahs could or would lose that game.
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 126) : That much is true. Same holds true for the Cheetahs having to compete in two tournaments simultaneously
@KingCheetah (Comment 127) : Yep, its crazy but hopefully in the long run it will bear fruit.
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 128) : I think it is already. Younger players that would ysually be playing in the u21 tournament have had to step up and play CC. Also fringe players that usually play in the lower tier competitions, like the Supersport Challenge are playing CC, and getting a chance to strutt their stuff.
All to the benefit of Cheetahs rugby in the long run.
@KingCheetah (Comment 127) : @Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 128) : must complement the Cheetahs on their performance! After a very difficult start to the Pro14 they’re now up there with the best and competing for 1-2 on the log!!! Currie cup team also not to bad!!!