Gutsy Sharks down Reds
17 Mar 2012
JON CARDINELLI watched the Sharks fight back from a 17-point deficit to beat the Reds 27-22 on Saturday.
The hosts trailed 17-0 after 28 minutes despite a gale force wind at their backs. It was during this period where they looked a frantic and disorganised unit, dropping passes and missing tackles to allow the Reds’ momentum and scoring opportunities. At that stage of the game, they were staring down the barrell of a big hiding.
But it was in that period right before half-time where they showed a belief that belied their inferior breakdown effort and lack of synergy. Replacement lock Jandre Marais rumbled over the line following an outstanding build up, and a Pat Lambie conversion further narrowed the deficit.
Reds winger Digby Ioane was also yellow-carded for a dangerous tackle right on the half-time buzzer, allowing Lambie to add an extra three points before the break.
Two different teams emerged from the Kings Park tunnel in the second half. The hosts drew confidence from the manner in which they had finished the first half, while the Reds’ grew more desperate as the game wore on.
The visitors’ effort was seriously hampered when they lost first-choice goal-kicker Mike Harris in the 23rd minute and flyhalf Ben Lucas early in the second stanza. This meant that the dangerous Will Genia was forced to stand in the first-receiver channel, thus eliminating the tremendous threat around the ruck which had caused the Sharks defence massive problems in the first half.
The Reds scrapped for survival, but while they only conceded six points during Ioane’s absence, they failed to get out of their own territory.
Keegan Daniel made a fantastic call as a captain, turning down the three-point option and keeping the heat on the Reds. It was fitting that he eventually breached the visitors’ defence, breaking from the back of the scrum to help the Sharks take a 20-17 lead.
While the Sharks never quite closed out the match, they had the momentum for the rest of the contest. Apart from Daniel, Willem Alberts and Marcell Coetzee were huge at the point of contact, and Bismarck du Plessis produced a magnificent performance at the breakdown. So often it was the Springbok hooker who effected a turnover that led to a telling counter-attack.
The Reds looked to have wrested back the initiative when reserve halfback Nick Frisby intercepted a Sharks pass and sparked a try. But the Sharks hit back immediately thanks to a Du Plessis turnover deep in Reds territory.
The heavies took the ball up before it was moved out wide, Riaan Viljoen not only crossing the line but dotting down closer to the uprights to ensure Lambie would enjoy an easier conversion attempt.
What followed was a frantic finish to the match, as both teams went all out to secure the clincher. Genia, the third-choice goal-kicker following the injuries to Harris and Lucas, had missed the conversion to Frisby’s try, and fluffed a simple penalty in the final 10 minutes.
It was thereafter where captain James Horwill was forced to turn down kickable penalties. Unfortunately for the Reds, they just couldn’t make an impression with ball in hand on an excellent and determined Sharks defence.
The hosts had the chance to score a bonus-point try close to full time, but were denied when the Reds turned the ball over at the breakdown. Considering the first-half deficit, coach John Plumtree will be ecstatic that the Sharks managed to get the four points let alone bank the maximum.
The result ensures the Sharks travel Down Under on the back of two good wins. For the Reds, it won’t get any easier as they will head up to Loftus Versfeld next week to tackle the Bulls.
240 Comments
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17 Mar 2012, 21:28 pm
@ashampoopaloo(joel1yahoo)-196: He’s afraid the Stormers are going to steal their “perceived” thunder again this year lol.
17 Mar 2012, 21:32 pm
if Kaplan hates the Sharks so much he certainly did a good job of concealing his hatred .. practically gave Sharks 80% possession in second half with how many consecutive penalties?
Reds folded after going down to 14 and losing all their play maker 10′s one after the next.. and what Horwill was thinking going for 3 point penalty when 5 mts from Sharks line trailing by 5 with 10 to go .. and to rub salt into the damning decision Genia goes and misses it… only heaven may likely know.. that dumb decision sealed Red’s fate there and then..
Reds coughed that game up.. once Genia started hospital passing to his strike runners whereas in first half they had Sharks on the rack…
McLeod and Whitehead make all the difference to Sharks attack.. they the ones that breathe some life into an otherwise dreary dead end dilemma .. they created 2 of the 3 tries..
Whats it with ex Natalians.. how come they hate their home land of privileged opportunity so much.. Skinstadt, Kaplan, Stransky, how many others.. what is it with the last bastion cast offs.. perhaps they recognize the snobbish pom pom traits that tried to straight jacket their thinking.. and since they belatedly bust loose and free from the pompous pious poefterheid now they don’t want anything more to do with the incestuous holier than thou inbreeding..
17 Mar 2012, 21:41 pm
@Pee Wee(Pee Wee)-201:
yeah before this years competition kicked off can you remember all the sharkievarkie f’ng snob nosed premonitions
Like ‘ Sharks will easy be the top SA conference finishers’
or
‘ Stormers gonna end up bottom of SA log’
or
‘only 2 teams worthy to contest the SA conference are Bulls and Sharks .. only two who are worthy competitors’
Yeah right .. so who’s looking at who up their elevated arses?
where all the bully brekers that were so cockahoop only 3 weeks ago after they dismantled Cheetahs.. and which Sharkievarkie still reckons the only SA team gonna contest the finals is from Dirtbin..
17 Mar 2012, 22:40 pm
What vitriol against Sharks and Natalians, actually the majority of us were not punting the Sharks to do to well just like we didn’t think we would do to well last year.
17 Mar 2012, 22:40 pm
Blow it out your arse ashampaloo!!! Strompies hve not played an away game!!! WAit you big mouth!!
17 Mar 2012, 22:42 pm
And if you thonk the ref helped the sgtks then the ref game the gAme to the stormers!!! Wise ***!!
17 Mar 2012, 22:42 pm
Thonk=think
17 Mar 2012, 22:43 pm
Twat!!
17 Mar 2012, 22:47 pm
Well done Sharks. So far a great weekend for SA sports teams. Go the Cheetahs.
17 Mar 2012, 22:47 pm
@Treehugger(Treehugger)-204: Take it from whence it comes Hugsy.
17 Mar 2012, 22:47 pm
And whatever i typed meant sharks!! Lol
17 Mar 2012, 22:50 pm
Time for fuckadilly to take his medication.
17 Mar 2012, 22:53 pm
I’m very happy the Sharks won. I’m also very happy they didn’t get a bonuspoint. Great result all round. The Reds basically have 8 guaranteed wins in their conference, so every loss they notch up is great for SA teams.
17 Mar 2012, 23:12 pm
Magtag what a sacharrin movie that was just on mnet
Blergh
17 Mar 2012, 23:24 pm
Saw the yellow.what a laugh wayworse than hougie .
17 Mar 2012, 23:27 pm
@Mad Eye. Congrats on such a well chosen nic.
17 Mar 2012, 23:32 pm
Some very unavailing predictions from the KEO team. If the Cheetahs win as well, it will be a very average 50% success at picking a winning team. Hmmmmmm
17 Mar 2012, 23:42 pm
Lol! You can just read the disappointment in Skop’s posts that the Sharks won!
Boofuckenhoo Skop, a big boofuckenhoo to you.
SHARKS!
17 Mar 2012, 23:43 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-213:
You talk out of your a.ss!
The bulls guaranteed a five point against cheetahs and….and in their own conference!
17 Mar 2012, 23:44 pm
Check ‘ol Skop getting ahead of himself… how many away games have the Stormers played?
17 Mar 2012, 23:46 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-213: Tac I said the same thing about the Stormers/Blues game. Very happy the SA team won. But happier that they didn’t get the bonus.
In less than 2 blinks of the eye I had the Stormer crew going all stir crazy. The milk soured rather quickly.
17 Mar 2012, 23:47 pm
Sharks won at home. We expect this. Great to see the Reds pegged back though, their conference is by far the easiest.
17 Mar 2012, 23:52 pm
The SA commentators are *****. Owen “play the percentages, kick the ball when you are 17 points down” must be the worst of the terrible lot.
17 Mar 2012, 23:53 pm
I’m out.
One last thing:
SHARKS!
18 Mar 2012, 01:23 am
lol
This is another classic thread from my SA mates.
From saying the sharks are useless wont win another game to they are great once again.
18 Mar 2012, 01:25 am
@stormer in a teacup(stormer in a teacup)-209:
Correct.
And i have noticed the lack of killing the ref threats etc.
Hang on, do i see a pattern here?
18 Mar 2012, 04:33 am
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-213:
I will also tell you why you are talking out of your pooooop. Reds lost three times last year. two of those defeats to aus sides. waratahs and brumbies…Brumbies being a very weak side last year. Like your conference sides getting up for the derby games so do the aus sizes against each other.
18 Mar 2012, 04:36 am
Classic case of the REDS lost this game and sharks had to be helped.
Saffa sides benefitting from home refs…in more ways that one! super 15 is going to kill itself with this refing system…saffa refs for some reasonn cannot be unbiased!
18 Mar 2012, 05:16 am
wallabie @ 228
“Saffa sides benefitting from home refs…in more ways that one!”
Once again your dishonesty is revealed by your stupid bigoted generalisations…
Glen Jackson a home ref… Yeah tight…!
Hurricane @ 226
“And i have noticed the lack of killing the ref threats etc.
Hang on, do i see a pattern here?”
ufo @ 267 stormers/blues thread…
“have to say i was disappointed with glenn jackson… obviously couldn’t hear his calls but watching with the far-lookers few of us in the stands could understand many of his calls… not sour grapes… we won… but glenn has lots to learn…
not a pretty win… but i’ll take it…”
I guess you see the patterns you want to see hey…? rather like a rorschach test…
but pretty patterns in your head that please you are not necessarily fact…
as compelling as they may seem once you let them in…
.
.
how’s the new project coming along…? Looking forward to hearing it…!
18 Mar 2012, 06:30 am
Ashampa@ashampoopaloo(joel1yahoo)-202: that’s rich coming from the finest example of inbreeding this fair country has to offer
And while I do realise that you never alow truth or fact to spoil your rants most of us Sharks fans did not believe we would win the conference! We leave that to youyou stormer braggarts to do it every season.
18 Mar 2012, 07:22 am
No cheetah’s thread? This is one hellofagame, 11 minutes and 2 tries already!!
18 Mar 2012, 08:19 am
Congrats to the Sharks supporters. I predicted the win and think your team pulled together nicely. The Reds are a good team and I rate this win highly. The Bulls are going to have a tough time against this attacking team next week. I still believe they could also win if their forwards bully the Reds upfront.
A proud weekend for SA rugby. Let’s hope the Cheetahs can pull this one through too.
18 Mar 2012, 09:22 am
awesome – well done sharkies.
18 Mar 2012, 09:33 am
@ufo(ufo)-229:
lol
UFO, you didnt threaten the ref, your post dont count
18 Mar 2012, 09:48 am
Firstly the idiots like Skopclown and Wallabe trying to say the Sharks were helped by the Refs?? hell kids do you eat with a mouth like that? that spews so much C*rap?????
Sharks denied a try that was a try as replay shows no foul play as pointed out by a delussional linesman after the sharks had scored,
Reds awarded a try from a 3 meter forward pass that happened right in front of the EYE SPECIALIST ML who has done his damndest to cheat the Sharks in the 2 matches they played where he was the ref???
hell one can point out many more instances…. fact is this SHARKS STARTED VERY BADLY AND THEN WOKE UP AND SHOWED HUGE HEART TO FIGHT BACK AND WIN.
I mean Skopsnot even tried to blame the win on the Reds having had 2 players leave the field injured???
before the match started the Sharks lost JPP to injury, and during it they lost Sykes,Jannie Dup, Herbst, Mcleod thats 5 injuries?????and old Skop trying to call Sharks snot koppe?? hell the 2 year old ( in mentallity that is ) although he is like 70 is worse then any snotkop,
18 Mar 2012, 11:06 am
@President_of_the_Sharks_rugby_experts(sharks_lover)-235: Lol. You can really see the disappointment in Skop’s posts that the Sharks won, can’t you? What a sour tjop.
I’m not saying that the Sharks are now suddenly contenders again, there were a few issues – lineouts, discipline in the first half was atrocious with penalties goin against them let, right and centre, their defence was shocking, etc.
But.
To come back from 17-0 down against the defending champions and win, must be one of the greatest turn arounds in Super rugby history. Very Crusader-esque.
The youngsters put up their hands.
To balance this though, I do not feel that some of them are Super rugby material – yet i.e. Chadwick, Bresler. It would also be great if Coetzee could learn of the option of offloading in the tackle.
But all round, not too shabby Nige.
P.S. when are you going to go back to your original SL nick?
18 Mar 2012, 11:33 am
@ashampoopaloo(joel1yahoo)-203:
Hey c o ck eater, what’s with your supporters booing the Stormers? Newlands has to be the weirdest stadium to watch rugby at.
Why boo your own team while while they attempt to kick for posts? Brain damaged verraaiers.
Your supporters are uneducated cretins with no self respect and a full blown embarrassment and liability to South Africans everywhere.
18 Mar 2012, 20:47 pm
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-236: from today lol
19 Mar 2012, 14:45 pm
As usual, no correct that, as always, the Sharks are camped in the red zone and try to drive it over the line. As virtually always, they do not succeed. In fact they turn it over.
Remember that thing about the definition of insanity? Well it’s 20 years now and still the same.
None so blind as them that won’t see………
Marcel Coetzee man of the match? I can see why this Keo crowd loves him, he’s as big a liability as that caveman penalty machine B 2+3!
Give me pace over weight any day, once Keegan Daniel could not make the side, but now they see that his pace is much better than Deysel’s weight.
Maybe more pennies will drop.
One day the Sharks will run again. Smit gone, now to get rid of 2+3!
19 Mar 2012, 14:57 pm
The SHARKS are rising…
A good win against the Super rugby champs…
Luckily for the Stormers they dont face these Reds or else there would be an early wake up call from the supporters annual blind stupour…
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