Steely Sharks compound Blues’ woes
13 Apr 2012
RYAN VREDE reports on a 29-23 victory for the Sharks over the Blues that plunges the Auckland franchise into crisis.
There was a shared sense before this fixture that technical and tactical superiority would be less important to the Blues than sheer guts and grit. They have endured a battering in the press and public for their mediocrity and their rebuttal had to be good. It wasn’t. Far from it. There was only a small measure of the guts and grit their situation demanded. Their attacking play was sterile and their defence continues to be generous. Coach Pat Lam is surely now on the brink of losing his job.
Coming back from 15-0 down to trail 15-13 at the break suggested that they still had a little character. They were undoubtedly the better team in the first half, the Sharks’ two tries in that period coming thanks to two intercepts. Outside of that the Durban side failed to trouble their hosts. Certainly they were physical and organised on defence, but they profited from the Blues’ wastefulness in excellent positions. The Blues would finish with 17 handling errors and this was ultimately terminal to their cause.
The best of their spurned opportunities fell to Ma’a Nonu, who knocked on 7m short of the tryline. The Blues had reigned themselves in after a tactically cavalier start to the match and by the 30 minute mark were troubling the Sharks with their ability to play through multiple phases as well as their lineout and breakdown contest, the latter being the source of numerous broken field opportunities they failed to exploit.
But they would have been satisfied with the two-point deficit going down the tunnel and then elated at scoring a converted try just after the restart to take the lead for the first time. However, in typical Blues fashion, they fell into a deep defensive slumber and conceded two converted tries in five minutes, the first from Keegan Daniel and the second a controversial Tim Whitehead score. The midfielder clearly knocked the ball forward into a Blues player but recollected en route to the tryline.
The Sharks’ bench gave them fresh attacking and defensive impetus but they couldn’t manage the try that would surely have sealed the result. With 13 minutes to play Gareth Anscombe kicked his side to within a converted try of taking the lead. But the Blues looked every bit a team who lacked the belief to grab a win from that position. They made fundamental errors, while the Sharks were tactically masterful in closing down the game.
They return to Durban with five points from this match and two tour wins from four matches – an acceptable return that aids their push to top the SA conference. The Blues are left to pick up the pieces of a season that one senses is yet to reach its nadir.
630 Comments
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13 Apr 2012, 20:52 pm
@ashampoopaloo(joel1yahoo)-496: “Gonorrhea Gonads”. Hahahahahaha. Love it.
13 Apr 2012, 20:53 pm
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-500: It’d be nice for two Kiwi teams to be beaten over the weekend, even better if the Cheetahs come to the party.
13 Apr 2012, 20:54 pm
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-497:
You mean you’re backing the Stormers.
Good man!!
Even though it’ll stick in your throat saying so.
13 Apr 2012, 20:54 pm
Blues only but gifted the Saarkievarkies a full 5 points this morning.. I mean they hand them TWO piss easy intercept tries on a f’ng plate and then go about conniving to disintegrate in front their own home fans after pulling back from a 15-0 start to a 29 – 23 loss with a whopping 17 useless handling errors on display..
and all of a dangling saardientjie its make all the black and white piesangtjies bokkies all over gain
13 Apr 2012, 20:54 pm
@IAAS(I am a stormer)-499: I don’t believe the Stormers have beaten the Crusaders in NZ (open to be corrected though). Closest they have come is a 16-16 all draw in 1996.
13 Apr 2012, 20:56 pm
@IAAS(I am a stormer)-503: I don’t know where you get that. I always support the SA teams.
I do like to catch a few Stormer vissies from time to time though
13 Apr 2012, 20:56 pm
13 Apr 2012, 20:57 pm
@ashampoopaloo(joel1yahoo)-504: well skopshyte, the Sharks do have more points than the top Aussie team… why shouldn’t they be counted as “back in the hunt”?… or would it grate you too much to admit it?…
13 Apr 2012, 21:01 pm
For info, the only SA team to win in Christchurch is the Bulls, all the way back in 1996.
The only other SA team to beat the Crusaders in NZ, albeit in Nelson, was the Lions in 2001.
The Stormers came very close in Christchurch in 1996 (16-16) as did the Sharks in 1997 (26-26).
13 Apr 2012, 21:03 pm
Blues are at an all time disillusioned brow beaten low .. they are wallowing in self made pity like nobodies f’ng business.. and it still takes 3 cough up gifted tries against run of play for Saarkievarkies to make a fluke dream into a reality… Sharkies should thank Blues profusely for gifting them that lucky packet 5 points on a gilt edged plate in Auckland this morning…
13 Apr 2012, 21:06 pm
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-505:
There have been 2 wins and a draw by SA teams in C’church.
The thing is the Saders have an 82% win rate at home in NZ – at varying venues – since Super rugby began. They are the standard bearers and the team everyone wants to beat. Besides the Sharks, of course.
The Stormers are fully aware of the enormity of the task. Just hope they do it. The form is there and they can still improve.
13 Apr 2012, 21:06 pm
@ashampoopaloo(joel1yahoo)-510: for info, the Sharks have beaten the Blues 75% of the times they have played (I have seen a stat that the team that next comes closest to beating the Blues is the Crusaders with an overall 55% record).
Sharks have now beaten the Blues the last 8 consecutive games. So I really doubt this win was the big old fluke you are so desperately trying to make it out to be.
Blues are the Sharks’ bunnies. Suck it up
13 Apr 2012, 21:07 pm
Blues gotta get rid of Lam and Weepu else there is no hope in Hades of getting out of their self made spiral of dismal degenerative loss of esteem… somebody gotta do the dirty deed and get Weepu and Lam outa there fast… else the Auckland Blues are hitting rock bottom and gonna find it almost impossible getting back up again..
13 Apr 2012, 21:07 pm
@IAAS(I am a stormer)-511: two draws in NZ vs Crusaders – see #509.
13 Apr 2012, 21:08 pm
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-514:
yeah. saw it.
13 Apr 2012, 21:09 pm
Why, even the mighty Stormers have only managed to beat the Blues 46.7% of the time… think before you post **** skopshyte!
13 Apr 2012, 21:11 pm
Blues play absolute dom fok rugby.. if ever there was a NZ team to imitate dom fok saffa style no brains stampkar rugby the Auckland Blues are it…
Rene Ranger is the only bright spark in that entire bunch of dismal down beaten derelicts.. and he almost beat the Sharks all on his own-some lonesome without any help from any his downtrodden blue suede shoes friends…
13 Apr 2012, 21:12 pm
The really amazing stat is that in this the 17th year of Super rugby the Crusaders have only ever lost 16 home games.
10 against other NZ teams, 4 against Aus teams and the 2 against SA teams.
Incredible.
13 Apr 2012, 21:13 pm
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-516:
And I still remember the time the Stormers put 50+ past them and Carlos Spencer was walking around in circles for a week and talking to his shadow after being monstered by Hendrik Gerber. In Auckland.
13 Apr 2012, 21:14 pm
@IAAS(I am a stormer)-519: great game that.
13 Apr 2012, 21:15 pm
well Crusaders might be entertaining one more home loss tomorrow morning our time… won’t that be a blessing in disguise for Herr Gonorrhea Gonads and his batman in the wings Woody woodpecker spunky spoonful
13 Apr 2012, 21:17 pm
Well done Sharks. Not. A great performance, but a win in NZ is always fantastic.
Blues lost the game more than Sharks won it.
Ranger is as useless as they come. All brawn and no brains.
13 Apr 2012, 21:19 pm
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-512: nice to see a SA team win
They will need a bit more though, this is like beating the Lions, it almost as having a bye
Sharks need a new coach and get rid of Straueli. Now that man cannot spot talent even if they bribe him to
Also too much is made of this Crusaders team, Bulls had them in sixes and sevens in the second half until they sent their whole bench on
13 Apr 2012, 21:21 pm
Ranger far better than Nonu.. ranger breaks 3 Sharks tackles every time he broaches the advantage line.. Nonu fcks it up and gets turned over every time
Ranger was only Blues player in Sharks faces all game long, in the loose out on the wing., everywhere was Ranger climbing into Sharkievarkies and making them honest… the rest of the Blues were nowhere.. especially Nonu.. and Weepu.
13 Apr 2012, 21:22 pm
@IAAS(I am a stormer)-519: Jislaaik He tackled old Carlos stukkend, eksê
13 Apr 2012, 21:22 pm
@JL1(JL1)-523: Hi JL1
Plumtree must go. And his anonymous support coaching staff (who are they? Bashford and Reece-Edwards? What coaching credentials and success have they had?) And Streauli must fokkof too. The whole lot. We need a big clear out.
13 Apr 2012, 21:23 pm
@ashampoopaloo(joel1yahoo)-524: ….and Henry reckons Nonu is the best centre in the world
13 Apr 2012, 21:24 pm
Nonu was marked big time. Mini is world class, Ranger is a tjop.
13 Apr 2012, 21:28 pm
Nonu is strong and explosive when it works but at Blues he’s useless.. he has to have play makers like he had at Hurricanes in Smith and co. around him… Blues attack style is so one dimensional its worse than the worst SA stampkar rugby ever envisaged.. Ranger at least takes 3 players with him every time he hits the advantage line.. Ranger is quite a phenomenal strike force but he’s playing all on his ace without much real support… and Weepu is the crux of Blues woes.. if Blues wanna get out their downward spiral first to go should be Weepu he’s simply one overrated lump of uselessness .. and dumb coach Lam can’t see it.
13 Apr 2012, 21:29 pm
Ranger has a stink attitude .
13 Apr 2012, 21:32 pm
Nonu lost the ball and knocked on and got turned over and caught in possession giving penalties for holding.. Ranger always had 3 or 4 Sharks players trying to bring him down.. and he would bust them apart often enough.. JPP got flattened couple times by Rangers bursting runs through high density traffic…
13 Apr 2012, 21:32 pm
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-526: No way, is that Reece Edwards still there.
That guy has no idea, remember when he was coach?
13 Apr 2012, 21:38 pm
@JL1(JL1)-532: I’m pretty sure he is involved. Who can forget? He was skittled out pretty fast as head coach though.
Great servant to the union as a player, lest we forget.
13 Apr 2012, 21:38 pm
Ranger got away with his Dom play today because Sharks paid attention to treatening players around him. Will never select a guy with his attitude
13 Apr 2012, 21:40 pm
Sharks need locks and centers.
13 Apr 2012, 21:40 pm
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-533: Never got excited about his play
Are you sure he is an assistant, I think you may be wrong. Plum has some Kiwi blokes and not Edwards
13 Apr 2012, 21:41 pm
Muir, Reece Edwards, Thompson .. the great avalanche of dumb fck Sharkievarkie ball skill wizardry
its no wonder they need WP cast offs like Whitehead to breath some life into their dour dismal lack of any back line efficiency when they got schmucks like those banana boys trying to run the wizard show..
13 Apr 2012, 21:42 pm
@Kleuter(Kleuter)-535: Frans Steyn may be on his way.
Steyn at 12 and Whitehead at 13 would be a terrific combo.
Bosman as the versatile bench man.
JP can cover 13 if needs be.
Sharp.
13 Apr 2012, 21:43 pm
13 Apr 2012, 21:43 pm
Muir and Thompson were a great centre pairing. Many trophies won in that era…
13 Apr 2012, 21:43 pm
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-533: Just been on your website, wish my man, I feel for you. What a sorry site that management team looks like, so bleak I had turn my screens resolution down as it shone all over the room. The look more like death warmed up than coaches
13 Apr 2012, 21:44 pm
@ashampoopaloo(joel1yahoo)-537: Thompson and Muir were a fantastic centre pairing. Reece-Edwards was a solid but unspectacular fullback; Joubert and Theo van Rensburg were ten times better.
@JL1(JL1)-536: Yes, Reece-Edwards is there as an assistant coach. Plum, Bashford, Hugh, etc.
13 Apr 2012, 21:44 pm
@JL1(JL1)-536: I may be wrong. I think I read somewhere that he was involved. He may have been involved on a temporary basis though. Who is the other kiwi?
13 Apr 2012, 21:46 pm
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-538: hehehehehehe, Mark Steele, strength and conditioning coach, hahahahahahahaha
sorry I am laughing so much after seeing that photo, strength and conditioning coach
13 Apr 2012, 21:47 pm
@JL1(JL1)-541: Ja I see Bashford and Reece-Edwards are the 2 assistant coaches.
13 Apr 2012, 21:47 pm
@JL1(JL1)-541: The site is hideous. Then again, none of our teams have a particularly attractive site.
13 Apr 2012, 21:48 pm
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-543: No you are right, they are a sorry bunch, check out your website
It now all makes sense why your bought team are so rubbish
13 Apr 2012, 21:48 pm
OK, got to go. Later. Enjoy the rugby tomorrow!
13 Apr 2012, 21:49 pm
@Michael(mikeybrass)-546: Looks like an identification parade, not that I would know what one looks like the upstanding citizen that I am, you know
They must have all been mug shots taken for the site, terrible and very poor
13 Apr 2012, 21:50 pm
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-545: for the sake of sanity, can we refer to them as assistants rather than assistant coaches?
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