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, 10:17 am
Come on Sharks. We should have 3 teams in the play-offs this year.
13 Apr 2012, 10:18 am
Do you notice how Tackler and Prick are never seen in the same place at the same time?
13 Apr 2012, 10:18 am
@PrickBoks going South(PrickBoks going South)-97: Amazing really
13 Apr 2012, 10:19 am
@PrickBoks going South(PrickBoks going South)-97: took you a while, do you not have spell checking?
13 Apr 2012, 10:19 am
They are cut from the same piece of Pep Store polyester it seems.
13 Apr 2012, 10:19 am
Blues comeback, sharks panicking
13 Apr 2012, 10:19 am
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-100: Plum is kak boet! Its time for him to go. Blues look like they’re going to take it. Pathetic after we had a 15 point lead!
13 Apr 2012, 10:20 am
blues doing all the playing.
sharks need the ball – can’t defend all night
13 Apr 2012, 10:20 am
Nothing like a little help from “unbiased” Kiwi refs…
How unusual…
But Stevie is truly Ozzie, innit
13 Apr 2012, 10:20 am
What is the penalty count like? Sharks/Blues??
13 Apr 2012, 10:20 am
@stormer in a teacup(stormer in a teacup)-102: Really?
13 Apr 2012, 10:21 am
sharks lucky to be in front, blues outplaying them at the moment
13 Apr 2012, 10:21 am
Sharks are stuffing this up now!
13 Apr 2012, 10:21 am
Woodcock is getting away with murder is the scrums!!
13 Apr 2012, 10:21 am
@Sydney Shark(JayDaFiveOh)-107: Its not over… Looks at the scoreboard… Sharks in the lead, no? Despite Walshies best efforts…
13 Apr 2012, 10:23 am
Forgot which nic you are using Tackles?
13 Apr 2012, 10:24 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-111: hey!!!! the village idiot is back! Welcome….
13 Apr 2012, 10:24 am
@ 77 “revenge of the ref”
ROTFL!
13 Apr 2012, 10:24 am
Is Rene Ranger a cult leader?
He seems to me like the Jesse Ryder of NZ rugby
What is the crowd attendance there tonight – 2,000?
13 Apr 2012, 10:25 am
first of all the sharks are playing k a k but woodcocks getting away with murder. Walsh truly is a k a k ref, no idea at scrum time.
13 Apr 2012, 10:25 am
@stormer in a teacup(stormer in a teacup)-116: you got him
13 Apr 2012, 10:28 am
Let’s see if its going to be 1/4 or 2/2
13 Apr 2012, 10:28 am
It’s like steve is waiting for the blues to hit before he says engage at every scrum.
13 Apr 2012, 10:28 am
H G is on a roll. Beats the text commentary on SS.,sometimes there are spelling errors there, that’s all
13 Apr 2012, 10:30 am
hoping the sharks actually play rugby in second half. not sure why they treating the game as tackle practice so far.
kak to watch
13 Apr 2012, 10:31 am
Steve Walsh is quite a touchy feely type of ref
13 Apr 2012, 10:32 am
Fuckenpowderpuff Daniel!!!!!! TACKLE, doos!!!!
13 Apr 2012, 10:33 am
Must say, Walsh is seeing the game two different ways….
13 Apr 2012, 10:34 am
@Dwis(Dwis)-123: Yeah Matinee Steve truly is waiting for the Blues to hit… or shunt… him straight up the runtcunt (Apologies Skop)
13 Apr 2012, 10:34 am
Close but no cigar Blues…
13 Apr 2012, 10:35 am
Sharkies are in trouble now!
13 Apr 2012, 10:35 am
jeez walsh is having a shocker. even kiwi commentators stumped!
13 Apr 2012, 10:35 am
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-128:
Sharks or Blues’ way?
13 Apr 2012, 10:36 am
UP THE BLUES
Down with the FishFood Gang
13 Apr 2012, 10:36 am
I thought the whining in 2011 was bad, nope you guys have taken it to another level, god help us if you get another wooden spoon this year, it will be unbearable around here.
13 Apr 2012, 10:36 am
sharks actually played some rugger there!
13 Apr 2012, 10:36 am
Try daniel
13 Apr 2012, 10:37 am
Shitabrick Keegan. WTF?
13 Apr 2012, 10:38 am
Sounds like a typical Sharks game….
Horrific defense and some individual brilliance to keep them in it. If they lose to the Blues…
13 Apr 2012, 10:40 am
LOL 126
13 Apr 2012, 10:40 am
What a try!
13 Apr 2012, 10:40 am
Keegan Daniel…
Ridiculous to sublime… You twat… Gonna give me a heart attack…
Go cappie
13 Apr 2012, 10:40 am
luck goes sharks way. that was a knock on…
2 wrongs make a right this time… that walshy.
13 Apr 2012, 10:41 am
Lambie!!!
13 Apr 2012, 10:42 am
@Atreides(Atreides)-127: bwahahahahahaha
@ “Fuckenpowderpuff Daniel!!!!!! TACKLE, doos!!!!”
classic Saffa!
13 Apr 2012, 10:42 am
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-100:
Semi-finals… ie play-off’s for finals… and Currie Cup counts for nowt… when they win the conference against the best 22′s in the land home and away come knocking… not some watered down Bok-less sentimental competition…
But keep defending him… you should join the happy-clappy Shark’s site…
13 Apr 2012, 10:42 am
Burden is definitely the 2nd best Hooker in SA…
Makes him the 2nd best Hooker in Super Rugby…
Whoosa Kevvy?
13 Apr 2012, 10:45 am
@bryce_in_oz(bryce_in_oz)-146: Hold on chappy, the semis and finals were contested by full Bok laden teams last year….
Oh, now its about winning a conference… I thought it was about winning the comp?
A conference “win” counts for fckall without the silverware chap… Better to win the CC actually…
I think you should join the farken save-the-abbos site….
13 Apr 2012, 10:46 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-145: lol that was a kak tackle!
13 Apr 2012, 10:46 am
Is the ref having a good game now the Sharks are in front??
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