Chiefs edge Durban scrap
21 Apr 2012
RYAN VREDE reports on the Chiefs’ 18-12 victory over the Sharks at Kings Park.
The Sharks spoke this week about finding the synergy and cohesion that has been lacking for most of their campaign. It didn’t happen for them tonight for a plethora of reasons, most notably their inability to retain the ball through enough phases for them to build line-depleting pressure on their opponents.
When they weren’t knocking the ball on in contact or, at times, under no pressure whatsoever, or overcooking lineouts, their ill-discipline further undermined their cause. Unseasonable humidity complicated handling, and while both sides were guilty of fundamental errors in this regard, the Sharks could have aided their effort by holding the ball through their forwards more often than they were willing to do.
Indeed they bossed possession and territory and when they were direct they looked capable of unlocking the Chiefs’ stingy defence. Instead they often went wide without earning the right to do so first, and were met by organised, physical and intelligent defence.
The Chiefs absorbed early pressure well then struck against the run of play. A multi-phase move eroded the Sharks’ defensive line and they shifted the ball wide to Aaron Cruden who cut through amidst calls of obstruction from Sharks players. A review of that score suggested they may have had a solid argument for a penalty. Cruden converted and later kicked a penalty to give his side breathing room.
Much of the Sharks’ focus had been on nullifying the efficient strike runners in the Chiefs’ pack as a means of diluting Sonny Bill Williams’ potency. But the midfielder rendered himself a relative non-factor with his worst performance in Super Rugby. His offloads failed to find their mark and his hands seemed to have been dipped in industrial strength lubricant before kick-off. However, even with the Chiefs’ most dangerous attacking weapon blunted, the Sharks couldn’t get the precision into their attacking game to capitalise.
Pat Lambie kicked three penalties either side of half-time to draw his side within a point. The Chiefs reverted to a more forward-orientated in the second half while the Sharks retained faith in their sterile method. Their fans would have hoped their replacements would have injected some penetration into their play, exploiting the Chiefs’ travel-weary legs and minds.
And they gradually grew in stature, Lambie kicking a penalty to set up a tense finish. You sensed the Sharks would end stronger but they never had the patience and tactical purpose to steal the victory. They became increasingly frantic as full-time neared and in so doing became easier to repel. Chiefs scrumhalf Augustine Pulu scored an audacious try after the siren sounded, faking to kick for touch then breaking through a gap and dancing down the touchline.
The Sharks needed to win this one to keep their charge for the conference title on track. Dropping home points has often been terminal to teams’ ambitions and you have to think that this one will come back to haunt them.
584 Comments
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22 Apr 2012, 12:13 pm
@greatest13gerber(greatest13gerber)-235: Plumtree should be the 1st to be cleaned out after this season along with Bashford and Reece-Edward
22 Apr 2012, 12:21 pm
251@Shaksgirl…. Think you are right, some have been saying this for a while, I am only coming round to agreeing with it now.
22 Apr 2012, 12:23 pm
@Te Rangatira(Te Rangatira)-249: Have you been to Durban during this season? It was 30 degrees in Durban last night! But that shouldn’t excuse the poor handling from the Sharks! They live and train in those conditions!!!! only excuse isthat they had just come back from NZ
Really poor! I am so disapointed I don’t know what to say.
Plumtree and Co do the honorable thing and resign!
22 Apr 2012, 12:27 pm
@Treehugger(Treehugger)-252: I have always been a fan of Plums but this year is one season of mediocrity too much!!! Bashford should have stuck to cricket because our backline under him has gone no where! and as to what Hugh Reece edwards is there for other than to earn enough money to keep his child at Kearsney, I really don’t know!
The Sharks need a thorough clean out at managerial level! Mallet is available get him to come to the Sharks! The players look rudderless and disinterested they look like they know that their coach is out of ideas and are just going through the motions in a headless chicken kind of way!
22 Apr 2012, 12:47 pm
@Sharksgirl(Sharksgirl)-253:
No never been there nor SA for that matter. The Chiefs handling was poor also, so thought conditions may have played a part. I can understand your disappointment being a Blues supporter myself …..maybe Sharks should sack Plum like Blues will get rid of Lam. Not good for us Aucklanders when we have the biggest union in Nz
22 Apr 2012, 12:57 pm
@Treehugger(Treehugger)-252: @Sharksgirl(Sharksgirl)-254:
Hi Ladies! The Sharks did show some positive progress though. I thought Lambie played well and so did Whitehead. The tackling was better too. I still think they will get gradually better. I have to agree that Plum has had his chance and hasn’t taken it. Look what White has done to the Brumbies in such a short time.
22 Apr 2012, 13:00 pm
@Sharksgirl… Agree… Lol he must be earning a chitload to send his so to Kearsey
Don’t think Mallet would want to coach a local side. Think he would prefer an International side.
This is going to sound horrible for the Lions supporters but if they unfortunately do get relegated cos of the Kings coming in there coach might be available and he cant be worse than what we have now.
Ideally I wouldn’t mind Jake white
look how the Brumbies have improved in such a short time.
22 Apr 2012, 13:02 pm
@Billy … Snap about Jake white
22 Apr 2012, 13:08 pm
@Te Rangatira(Te Rangatira)-255: Oh you are a Blues supporters so we can honestly comisserate with each other
Te Rangatira the Chiefs certainly could use that excuse, Durban at this time is really hot and worst of all really humid! their handling was terrible but the conditions were certainly not conducive to great handling. However, this is the conditions the Sharks train in so what is their excuse?! Other than the fact that they were just returning from NZ? My son played in Durban just before the match and these boy’s handling was far better than our Sharks 
I am certainly hoping that our coaches will be sent packing after this dismal season (actually 3) but I think your Union is far more intelligent than ours so not so sure they see that there is a problem, after all you are dealing with a union that hired Straueli after Kamp Staaldraad
anyway all the best to you and your team for the remainder of this nightmare season!
22 Apr 2012, 13:14 pm
@Sharksgirl(Sharksgirl)-251:
Ah not Reece Edward. A long servant of Natal Rugby!
22 Apr 2012, 13:15 pm
@Bill Reyts(Gumboots)-256: Thank you Bill Reyts, I am trying to take the positive out of this match! However, howmany matches have we been so close to scoring so many times only to f it up! And the players seem rudderless, and the decisions on field are poor! No captain and no coaches doesn’t augur well for my team sadly
@Treehugger(Treehugger)-257: Yep you may be right, Mallet I don’t think would come to coach a local team. But a girl can dream
Of course my greates dream is now that Ewen McKenzie would come to the Sharks yeah but at this stage I would accept anyone with a novel idea.
22 Apr 2012, 13:16 pm
@greatest13gerber(greatest13gerber)-260: HIs time has come and has gone! Time he realised it! “Long servant” I wonder who is the servant here Reece Edwards or Natal Rugby
22 Apr 2012, 13:17 pm
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-240:
Poor deary me.. this bananaboy chucks up his banana plantation or sugar cane farm in Durbs and comes opens up a waffle house.. or is it a steak house.. can’t quite remember.. in one those leafy suburbs of Cape Town.. and starts crying about Stormers supporters.. then he says in very next breath that its cn’ts like me that made poor HG the way he is…
Ah ha oh deary deary me.. poor HG and that little runtcunt spoonful of spiteful spittle Woesie Spurt they been indoctrinated to hate WP ALL due to the anti Sharkievarkie agenda I brought to this here little gathering of genial gentle be nice to the sharkievarkie guppyuppie poefta mercenary trade coalition..
Sharkievarkies got what was coming to them after all the vainglorious overrated f’ng aggrandizement they been spurting out loud and clear here from day ONE.. go back to the beginning of the season and read it out LOUD how Sharkievarkie f’ng big bok brekers were the TRUE incumbent ONLY professional outfit in the country and the REAL contenders to be the top of the SA conference..
By NONE other than Her Highness Gomorrah and Woesie Weasel Spurt themselves..
22 Apr 2012, 13:20 pm
@Sharksgirl(Sharksgirl)-259:
Thankyou Sharksgirl. All the best to your team and your son’s too.Kia Kaha
22 Apr 2012, 13:27 pm
Sharkievarkies must just simply wipe the sleep from their overrated eyes and realize their team is playing KAK rugby.. its not THAT difficult to do.. Sharkievarkie poeftas were gonna have to face this reality either sooner or later sometime..
Its been coming to the realization stakes for awhile already..
you can’t simply chuck money at the problem any time you like and buy in old has been mercenaries from all over the country or the globe and reckon you gonna become the Chelsea of SA rugby
The head honcho’s at the great professional club called the Black/White dysfunctional dyslexic delinquent delegation have got to the point where professional mercenary trading has eventually caught up to them
It comes with the breeding you see.. To grow your own bananas are far more productive toward a healthy and flourishing crop than to go over the border and buy truck loads of the stuff when they are already over ripe and rotting.. or else they still way too green. That’s the easiest way to get diarrhoea or running bowels by gorging yourself on over ripe or too green bananas out of season.
22 Apr 2012, 13:38 pm
@ashampoopaloo(joel1yahoo)-265: please point me toward those fans that think the Sharks are playing good rugby? Please all I see is most of us crying because we see the type of rugby they are playing. But you see, I don’t think that our majour problem lies with our players, except ofcourse for Marius Joubert and Bosman. Alberts has been amazing, Viljoen is in his first season with Sharks and doing well can only get better and Whitehead is really impressing so I don’t think they are either over/under ripe bananas! Our problem lies with our DOR and Coaching staff!!!!! Please if you have a solution please send a memo to Van Zyl, and if you solve that problem for us, I would be gladly kiss your hipheluted *** for the remainder of the season
22 Apr 2012, 13:39 pm
@Sharksgirl(Sharksgirl)-266: oh and I forgot to add Captain as well to that problem
22 Apr 2012, 13:47 pm
@Te Rangatira(Te Rangatira)-249: for the most yes mate , durban and surroundings is known for its humidity etc,
Players have always found this worse to play in then actual rain, it makes for slippery conditions,
My problem with the Sharks yesterday however was not only the knocking on etc , their general play was gutless and option taking on many occasions was poor
22 Apr 2012, 13:50 pm
@Sharksgirl(Sharksgirl)-267: Hiyas M , you well? how is hubby and the kids doing?? we aint spoken in like forever , will give you a call sometime
Agree with you, i never trash my team and have not started to do so now, but that the Sharks need to take a serious look at them selves in every dept is no doubt
22 Apr 2012, 13:51 pm
@ashampoopaloo(joel1yahoo)-265: Hey spineless jellyfish oxygen thief?? go find a life somewhere , ur a waste of human skin
22 Apr 2012, 13:52 pm
@Sharksgirl(Sharksgirl)-267: 100%, now one sees what Smitty meant to the team as a leader
22 Apr 2012, 13:56 pm
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-271:
very true…
smit was a true mature and effective leader… a rugby legend…
22 Apr 2012, 13:59 pm
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-269: Hi thee SL we are well thank you and how are you and your lovely wife? SL I have never trashed the Sharks and I feel really strongly for them! and as you know I have always put my money where my mouth is, up until this season I had only missed two Sharks home games, and that was because I was overseas, however, to be honest this season I am starting to lose the faith a bit! Yesterday wasthe first time that I actually didn’t go to the stadium with no valid reason! Our head coach was good but has not only run out of ideas but has lost the plot, and the other two have always been mediocre to less than poor! We have the players (exclude MJ and Bosman), lets invest in proper back line/attacking coach, defence coach and head coach (as Sports Psychologist) and a head coach that can actually come up with a new and varied game plan!
22 Apr 2012, 13:59 pm
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-271: yep and I am embarrassed to admit one of those was me
22 Apr 2012, 14:02 pm
@Sharksgirl(Sharksgirl)-266:
well that is so much nicer of a beautiful complimentary comment from a sweet banana girl than all your highfalutin sour banana boytjies put together. So when it comes from a real lady then the pleasantries become true and honest and not insincere like those that wish the worst
Sharks have been riding on the wrong premise for some time.. they think they can buy success.. they think money can fix anything and everything.. well it can’t..
Van Zyl and Streauli got to realize if you wanna build a real strong winning culture then it has to come from within.. Meyer did it at Bulls for awhile with his family style business model.. and now Coetsee is deriving a certain amount of success at Stormers since he got the divisive influence of Rassie out the way and building with a cohesive program of molding a strong knit system with the youngsters together with his couple of stalwart cornerstones
Of course when we get our cappy back then it could all go balls to the wall back to the drawing board again.. a strong and clear sighted leader is pretty much a necessity and seems that for the moment Sharks are flailing without one.
Streauli is bad for business he’s been bad for a very long time.. only Sharks managed to circumvent that problem in spite of it in the past.. now its staring them in the face and they gonna have to do something about it.. Get him out because between Streauli and Plumtree and your assistants I dunno where the cancer is creeping in there but it usually ain’t too far from the top where the root cause of all the consternation emanates from.
22 Apr 2012, 14:02 pm
@ufo(ufo)-272: @sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-271:
And that is what people do not understand. They think it is okay to pick in-form youngsters who perform well in established S15 teams and that will be carried forward to the test arena.
That is what HM is thinking when he is considering a guy like Matfield.
Test rugby is a step up from S15. You need a few very experienced guys on the field and then bring the younger players in phase by phase; 2 now, 2 for 4Nations, 2 for EOYT, and another 2 beginning next year, and so on.
After 15 tests or so you have the team you want, you have players settled in and confident.
22 Apr 2012, 14:04 pm
When the Sharks lose Joel Skopshyte is in his element.
He is far happier banging on and on like a loquacious parrot after a Sharks loss than you see him after a Stormers win.
Says a great deal about the man. In other words, a twat of the highest order.
Thankfully we have Heaven’s Game to put him firmly back in his box each week.
22 Apr 2012, 14:04 pm
@Sharksgirl(Sharksgirl)-273: good to hear you are all well, and al is great with K thanks for asking,
Yeah i think there is a lot of stubborn management issues at the momment that wont go away unless adressed
For me the season is about ruined anyhows , and i would say clean the room of the problem children and start afresh, yes we wont be great next season because of it but thats the healing process thats needed
22 Apr 2012, 14:08 pm
@ashampoopaloo(joel1yahoo)-275: what the fook are you talking about? Chadwick, Burden, Cooper, Hadebe, Bresler, Hargreaves, Coetzee, Lambie – these youngsters are ALL from Natal. Stop spouting your kak.
22 Apr 2012, 14:08 pm
Smit did not play for Sharks through the almost the entire 2011 campaign..Terblanche was captain and Terblanche did far better without Smit in the team than with him in it…
Right now Sharks have a problem in that Bismark and brother Jannie are actually not dyed in the wool Sharkievarkie brother bonding agents.. they are ex Free State rogue mercenaries who came over the mountain for MONEY.. same as Ruan and Frans, and Viljoen and Alberts and quite a few others did… so you SEE where money is the founding format for creating a strong faction it becomes the root of all evil.. it won’t EVER replace true deep seated honest integral home grown commitment and desire.. EVER.!!
22 Apr 2012, 14:11 pm
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-277: you are the kind of spittle spewing punk that needs your sharkievarkie fck’d up prejudice stuffed straight through your piffle arsed snooty nosed cry baby last bastion colonialist sharkievarkie fck’d up mercenary arse licking face…
22 Apr 2012, 14:11 pm
@ufo(ufo)-272: agreed mate, by the way just know my rant re stormers supporters are not aimed at the likes of you, stormersboy(mygoodfriend) pissant and a FEW OTHERS TO NAME A FEW
what was sad to see yesterday where i sat and watched the game was the amount of chiefs supporters, all of whom were white and stormer supporters, some even proudly wearing chiefs jerseys, ( so not only the coloured folk in the cape do this as they are sometimes accused of)
Not they i truelly care as one can support whom they wish to, but these same people will cry foul when other south africans support over seas teams instead of them
Thus my choice to from now on never support the WP or Stormers, i lived in PTA for many years and lemme tell you, you will have to search hard to find a local there support against their own countrymen,
Anyhows just my view,
22 Apr 2012, 14:12 pm
Ag here we go with this “mercenary” hoary old chestnut.
Professional era boet, players come and go. Like Habana, Liebenburg, Vermeulen, Grant etc at the Stormers.
Once again, you are talking complete twaddle.
22 Apr 2012, 14:12 pm
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-279: Woody, that clown old man trapped with a kids brain has no idea to spout anything but rubbish
22 Apr 2012, 14:13 pm
Strange how HG isnt around.
Talks a big game, yet delivers piss all.
I have to let you all in on a little secret here. HG went missing for about a week after the Hurricanes wiping of the sharks.
Is it a pattern or coincidence?
22 Apr 2012, 14:13 pm
@Kleuter(Kleuter)-276: very true mate very true
22 Apr 2012, 14:14 pm
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-284: like the time he supposedly visited your restaurant to give you a piece of his mind yet didn’t have the courage to speak up in the end?…
22 Apr 2012, 14:17 pm
Hell if Joel Skopshyte is including Kolisi as a Stormer product then we can claim Mvovo, JP Pietersen, Kankowski, Ndungane etc.
Moral: notice the hypocrisy of skopshyte.
22 Apr 2012, 14:18 pm
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-279: its these kind of cn’ts that are the worst specimen of human being anywhere on the planet.. the toff nosed anglicized piece of snooty nosed silver spoon fed punks of the world are the pitiful worst breed of human you can find.. and funny enough you find a shitload of these piece of trash colony hopping pom pom punks in banana country.. I wonder why.?? They come with the f’ng territory.. the true snot nosed pompous pommie arsecreep is the worst sniveling little snake you could ever hope to encounter anywhere you wanna go.
22 Apr 2012, 14:18 pm
Oh ja don’t forget the Shadow ‘mercenary’ down in the Cape. More hypocrisy…
22 Apr 2012, 14:19 pm
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-287: Let him deny it AGAIN.. then you see who the duplicitous little snotty nosed colony hopping two faced liars are around here…
22 Apr 2012, 14:20 pm
@ashampoopaloo(joel1yahoo)-289: crawl back into that afterbirth bucket moron,
22 Apr 2012, 14:20 pm
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-287: @wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-287: Actually i did correct that afterwards Woody as he had rocked up there one day , it just didnt sink in by me it was him , it was during a very busy sunday lunch thus i also didnt have much time for chit chat,
22 Apr 2012, 14:21 pm
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-282: more f’ng two faced ‘peace loving’ coalitions between the arse licking warring factions
You couldn’t find bigger f’ng two faced liars if you had to trip over a rattle snake in the street.
22 Apr 2012, 14:22 pm
@ashampoopaloo(joel1yahoo)-289: you have called me all those names a thousand times before. Don’t you have anything fresh for today? Your repetitive posts are sooooo extremely boring.
First it was Jake White, then John Smit, then Schalk Burger that drew your ire, now it is the Sharks team. After reading your posts on this forum for a few years, it is plain you are just a bitter old suurgat man who just needs something to complain about. A sad sack case if I ever saw one.
22 Apr 2012, 14:22 pm
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-290: i have also since that time asked him to come tell me this **** to my face as he knows what i look like and where i work
He musnt come with a little hey hello, he wont however , he is made from slime, he gets his thrills from insulting people from behind a monitor online
prolly still lives in a basement somewhere
22 Apr 2012, 14:23 pm
@ashampoopaloo(joel1yahoo)-294: hey trailor trash go sober up ffs
22 Apr 2012, 14:24 pm
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-295: actually boet we shouldnt give this inbred fetus any more attention
22 Apr 2012, 14:26 pm
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-295: As for the Sharks?? i am of the opinion they should have maintained Smitties services and brought him in as forwards coach
Also bring in a defence coach as well as a sports psycologist, get the players minds right, we all know they are good players , but they are not playing as a unit etc
22 Apr 2012, 14:28 pm
Anyway I’m out for a bite. I will leave skopshyte to froth and rage and swear like a sailor and insult as is his usual way.
The Sharks have earned his ire, he will flog that dead horse until the cows come home, just like he flogged Jake White, John Smit, Schalk Burger and FDP to death and then some.
The resident delinquent child. Hey ho.
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