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, 21:53 pm
Steyn is kak. The only reason why people want him in the Bok team is because they don’t like JDV at 12 as he’s from the Stormers.
13 Apr 2012, 21:56 pm
@Pee Wee(Pee Wee)-551: Now really? Have you seen Steyns stats at 12 for the Boks vs JdV?
13 Apr 2012, 22:01 pm
IAAS that was in 2004. Blues were defending champs. That defeat damaged their campaign & they’ve never been in a final in 8 years. It was a good team too with rococoko, howlett, rush, mealamu, devine.
The story goes coach peter sloane had initiated a culture of self-responsibillity within the squad & it backfired horribly.
Neil de kock was unlucky to not play tons more for the boks. An honest busy & consistent 9
13 Apr 2012, 22:05 pm
Quite right spooner. Steyn will make a difference.
13 Apr 2012, 22:07 pm
Problem with Bulls are that both Olivier and Sadie are 13′s. Big problem.
13 Apr 2012, 22:09 pm
Sadie will struggle next to Olivier. Not there fault, just that Olivier simply won’t bring out the best in Sadie
13 Apr 2012, 22:13 pm
In fact, SA have a problem at 12. Apart from JdV and Frans Steyn we have no one else. Great 13′s though; Fourie, Olivier, Sadie, de Jongh, Ebersohn ….
Perhaps, and I’ve been saying it all along, Lambie should play 12 .
13 Apr 2012, 22:14 pm
We have Morne, Goosen, Elton all to play 10
13 Apr 2012, 22:16 pm
Lambie should play 12
13 Apr 2012, 22:24 pm
Current Bok team on form (only S15):
Joe
Aplon
JP
De Villiers
Habana
Steyn
Hougaard
Spies
Alberts
Brussow
Bekker
Etzebeth
Coenie
Strauss
Greyling
Busmark
WP
Kruger
Vermeulen
Duvenhage
Goosen
Olivier/Ebersohn
13 Apr 2012, 22:25 pm
Good to see someone else agrees on Lambie
13 Apr 2012, 22:26 pm
Sorry.
Congratulation Sharkies. Whatever one says about that knock on by Whitehead, the try still stands and you won the match.
I see that some Sharksaders have already said their piece. How different are they from the Kaapse okies who support the Saders throughout the competition, really? At least those okes support only one team.
13 Apr 2012, 22:30 pm
@JL1(JL1)-552:
Have you seen who the opposition were that Steyn played against at 12 for the boks?
Namibia! Fiji! Samoa! Tonga?
One game against England as a top tier rugby nation at 12!
The jury is still out on that boy at 12.
@JL1(JL1)-559:
You don’t think that Nonu and people like Mike Phillips will run over Lambie at 12? I mean, he is smaller than Adi, not so? That was one of your big concerns when Adi was at 12 for the Boks.
13 Apr 2012, 22:31 pm
Stormers hate Sharks, Sharks hate Stormers, Stormers and Sharks hate Bulls.
Bulls love everyone.
13 Apr 2012, 22:34 pm
Meyer will pick Steyn at 12. I agree. A player making his debut for Boks have NO test record.
13 Apr 2012, 22:36 pm
Well, the Sharks come back home with 11 points, just like the Cheetahs. How great is that?
It is now up to the Stormers and the Bulls to do the same on tour.
**Was Whitehead’s try not scored after a knock on by him?
13 Apr 2012, 22:40 pm
He did knock and scored. Cancelled out Blues try 2 minutes earlier
13 Apr 2012, 22:41 pm
@charo(charo)-275:
Not much different from what Skop is doing to you Sharkie boys.
At least we know what he is up to and is only trying to humour him. The man is lonely, you know?
13 Apr 2012, 22:43 pm
@Kleuter(Kleuter)-564:
Tac?
13 Apr 2012, 22:45 pm
He just doesn’t support them, but still loves them
13 Apr 2012, 22:46 pm
@Kleuter(Kleuter)-567:
OK. Didn’t see the game. Just saw the highlightes. Was surprised that the ref let play go on.
Making up for an earlier mistake, you say.
What was wrong with the Blues try?
13 Apr 2012, 22:47 pm
@JL1(JL1)-541:this is the post of tge WEEK! you can be funny JL1
13 Apr 2012, 22:50 pm
The scrum just before was a penalty to Sharks, but ref allowed it to continue. Pass went behind Lambie’s back and JP couldn’t collect. The 12 picked up and scored. Commentators(Marshall) said it was a Shark penalty.
13 Apr 2012, 22:57 pm
@nama1(nama1)-563: why are you bringing up adi? jamie roberts all 6ft 4 of him will never run over lambighini!
13 Apr 2012, 22:57 pm
@Kleuter(Kleuter)-570:
Tac loving any team other than his beloved Pink Bulls?
What is this world coming to?
13 Apr 2012, 22:59 pm
@Kleuter(Kleuter)-560: Agree except why have you put the best hooker in the world on the bench?
13 Apr 2012, 22:59 pm
13 Apr 2012, 23:01 pm
576
Just on current form. Bismark will be first choice
13 Apr 2012, 23:04 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-574:
..of cause he won’t man.
The hipocricy is killing me sometimes whilst it also makes me laugh at some people.
13 Apr 2012, 23:09 pm
@Kleuter(Kleuter)-570: tac only loves the bulls & nothing else, not even the boks.
pink bulletjies one way for our Frankie Two-Fingers
13 Apr 2012, 23:22 pm
Trans…….
Why 2 finger?
13 Apr 2012, 23:30 pm
@Kleuter(Kleuter)-581: it’s actually four, Franke Four Fingers!
13 Apr 2012, 23:31 pm
@Kleuter(Kleuter)-581: it’s actually four, Frankie Four Fingers!
13 Apr 2012, 23:33 pm
Trans…
Oh, I see
13 Apr 2012, 23:34 pm
Just saw Henry being referred to as Sir?
Please tell me that is a joke!
13 Apr 2012, 23:37 pm
So Sir. Jake White is in order then?
13 Apr 2012, 23:40 pm
@nama1(nama1)-568:
nope… completely different.
skoppie hates the sharks and the supporters.. that’s ok with me.
but most of us ignore the vitriol.
HG on the other hand, is firmly tongue in cheek when he winds up the stormers blokes and takes great delight in how they react.
huuuuuge difference
13 Apr 2012, 23:45 pm
Well done the guppies………. lucky win over a p sss poor Blues outfit. Must feel proud?
13 Apr 2012, 23:50 pm
ah well….
all the sharks haters are here….
time to hit the sack
cheers girls
8)
13 Apr 2012, 23:57 pm
@charo(charo)-587:
We’ll have to agree to disagree on that.
I don’t think Skop takes anything that is said or anybody on this site serious at all. I also believe that he has his tongue superglued to his cheek when he posts. MOSTLY.
Especially when it comes to the Sharkies. When it comes to the Pink Bulls, he’s probably more serious.
On the udder hand, HG “likes the Stormers like a bullet in his head.” You only have to look at the difference between their posts when the “other” team win. Skop will come on and congratulate the Sharks but HG will come on and tell the Stormers how “lucky” they were and how the ref blew in their favour and all such kak.
So no, HG is not ALWAYS tongue in cheek when it comes to Stormers and their supporters.
As I said, we’ll have to disagree.
14 Apr 2012, 00:05 am
@charo(charo)-589:
Just tounge in cheek like HG
14 Apr 2012, 00:17 am
@whatever(whatever)-591:
Sharkies have the monopoly on that.
You’re p.issing on their turf.
14 Apr 2012, 00:44 am
@nama1(nama1)-592: ja, only guppys are supposedly sophisticated enough to tell when it’s real & when it’s “tongue in cheek”. they can even interprete your own post better than you, the author.
14 Apr 2012, 01:22 am
Please man. How many times has skopshyte been banned from this site for popping a poepie valve of rage and taking things far too personally? Many times, we’re on the “ashampoopaloo” alias now. How long till the next one? On the other hand, HG never loses his cool – he has the Stormer crew eating out of the palm of his hand, all stir crazy like, every day.
SHARKS!
14 Apr 2012, 01:32 am
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-594: it is no coincidence that it is only you guppys punting HG’s apparently shithot satirical virtues
i expect rangerman to wade in with similar praise.
it’s Natal “dynamic”
14 Apr 2012, 01:40 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-595: you call yourself a “true neutral”. You should be able to wade through the bullshit and hit the “truth” with ease, no?
How many more fuckadillys and poepie valve poppings do do you need to hear from Skopshyte to know the man takes things pretty seriously…? How many more bannings to know the man’s hate for the Sharks is as real for as the propsect of the sun rising in the east tomorrow? Hell man, he even threatened to visit Sharks Lover at his restaurant in Cape Town in all seriousness to show him a thing or two
HG, what a joker, the funniest thing is the MASSIVE reaction he gets from the Stompie crew! Man, they go crazy for the guy! Just go back and read this thread
As a neutral (although I doubt that knowing that you possess the Shark hate too Megatron…) even you should see that. If not you’re as biased as Skopshyte….
14 Apr 2012, 01:42 am
597
14 Apr 2012, 01:42 am
598
14 Apr 2012, 01:42 am
599
14 Apr 2012, 01:42 am
600!!!
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