Sensational Sharks smash Reds
21 Jul 2012
JON CARDINELLI reports on the Sharks’ 30-17 hammering of the Reds in Saturday’s play-off in Brisbane.
After the Bulls’ dismal effort in Christchurch, the Sharks have turned in a rousing physical performance to not only keep their own title hopes alive, but those of a nation.
The resounding victory in Brisbane has set up a semi-final showdown against the Stormers. What this means is that one South African team will definitely progress to the grand final on 4 August.
The Stormers will be difficult to beat in Cape Town, but the Sharks will fancy their chances given the manner of victory at Suncorp Stadium.
It was a superior forward performance that set the platform for what will go down as one of the great Sharks Super Rugby victories. On the back of that forward dominance, the Sharks piled on the points in the first half, and defended like demons in the second.
Some might say that the Sharks had their fair share of luck in this encounter. Indeed, Reds coach Ewen McKenzie would have felt a strong sense of dejavu as starting flyhalf Ben Lucas was carried off in the 21st minute, an injury that forced star scrmhalf Will Genia to shift to No 10.
Lucas had been ineffective while he was on the park, and it didn’t help that his forwards were copping a hiding at the collisions and breakdowns. The Reds certainly missed Quade Cooper’s decision making in that key position, and after Lucas cried off with injury, the Reds also missed Genia’s impact at No 9.
But while this certainly worked in the Sharks’ favour, the visitors made a great deal of their own luck. Travelling across the world for this fixture was never going to be easy, and doing so without Frans Steyn and Pat Lambie was expected to detract from their performance.
They went into the game as underdogs, but from the first whistle they showed the mongrel, desire and precision to win the key battles and eventually the match.
Apart from the raw power at the collisions (the Sharks pack was superb and the decision to play Willem Alberts at No 4 was vindicated), the decision making by the heavies was a real highlight.
The Sharks forwards would place their counterparts under pressure at the rucks, force the turnover and then produce some dazzling offloads that kept the movement alive.
They converted every early opportunity, racing to a 10-0 lead inside 13 minutes. By the half-hour mark they were 20-3 up, Freddie Michalak nailing a drop goal to keep the scoreboard ticking.
Genia would leave his mark on this match with an important play moments later. Spotting Jannie du Plessis defending on the wing, Genia directed play left and linked up smartly with Scott Higginbotham. The Wallabies loosie delivered the final pass to Genia, and at 20-10 the Reds were still in with a chance.
The period before and after half-time belonged to the Reds, but they were undone by their high-error rate as well as some stunning Sharks defence.
In fact, it was a sharp piece of pressure defence that created the Sharks’ next try, Charl McLeod reading the play beautifully and picking off a Genia pass.
The scrumhalf raced 75m to score, and at 27-10, the whole complexion of the game changed again. Another Sharks score would win the game, and the Reds would resort to some desperate tactics in an attempt to close that massive gap.
They turned down numerous shots at goal in search of a seven-pointer that would bring them closer, but their inability to win the collisions cost them at every turn.
While the Sharks spent almost the entire third quarter defending in their own territory, their ferocity at the point of contact was as rabid as was at the start of the game. They turned the Reds over from five metres out on several occasions, and again it was sharp decision making that cut down the Reds’ attacking space.
The Sharks had a further chance to score when Lwazi Mvovo broke from deep to spark a great period of attacking rugby with the offload in contact again a prominent feature. The ball eventually flew to the hapless Meyer Bosman, who tripped over his own feet and fell agonisingly short of the tryline. Fortunately for the Sharks, it was a gaffe that didn’t cost them on the scoreboard.
The Reds finished strongly in the final five minutes, but by then the result was beyond doubt. Radike Samo crossed the tryline and Genia converted, but all this served to do was lend some respectability to the scoreline.
The Sharks were more dominant that the final scoreline suggested, and that final try will not detract from what was their best defensive performance in 2012.
Scorers:
Reds – Tries: Will Genia, Radike Samo. Conversions: Mike Harris, Genia. Penalty: Harris.
Sharks – Tries: JP Pietersen, Paul Jordaan, Charl McLeod. Conversions: Freddie Michalak (3). Penalties: Michalak (2). Drop goal: Michalak.
1,036 Comments
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21 Jul 2012, 20:47 pm
@CoachPete-540:
Lol, you forgot to put the (C) for Captain behind Keegan’s name.
Lambie can be Vice captain.
21 Jul 2012, 20:48 pm
@IAAS-546: No wind up possible… Not with this warm fuzzy feeling from the best Saaarks performance… no… best performance from a Saffa S rugby side in years.
21 Jul 2012, 20:48 pm
if the sharks had stayed at home and beaten the reds then anyone’s game.
The travel to oz and back with a hard game in middle maybe just too much to ask
21 Jul 2012, 20:49 pm
@Robzim-551:
Ag sorrie
21 Jul 2012, 20:50 pm
@CoachPete-540:
1 Stormer amongst that lot. That’s the way it seems to be going.
But I reckon Bekker and Vermeulen will think differently come Saturday.
21 Jul 2012, 20:50 pm
@CoachPete-534: Huh? So if he had called the knock on, then Genia, who threw a massive forward pass which was not picked up either, would not have scored… this is true… an why do you then think he is a great referee? He is useless
21 Jul 2012, 20:51 pm
@fitz1ella-550: Glory glory hallelujah…
Sharks shall shunt the Stormers like a schooner…
The truth is marching on
21 Jul 2012, 20:51 pm
@fitz1ella-550:
Skoppie I just feel sharks were the better team
i said last week they should play Albert at 4
I think the deserved to win and regardless of ref the result was correct
21 Jul 2012, 20:52 pm
@goyougoodthing2-556:
He is not always great but he is a decent ref
Any ref and the result would have a sharks win
21 Jul 2012, 20:53 pm
@IAAS-555:
I was messing around (sort of )
21 Jul 2012, 20:54 pm
@Heavens Game-557:
You and Skoppie agreeing? wow
21 Jul 2012, 20:54 pm
@fitz1ella-550: Hilarious. The Reds tried to score for 30 mins and could not penetrate the Sharks’ defence. If the airbags from WP did that you would be singing their praises for mighty defence…
The wind will blow Saturday and the emperor will be exposed as having no clothes on the throne…
21 Jul 2012, 20:55 pm
@Heavens Game-557:
Glory glory hallelujah…
Sharks shall shag the Stormers like that doggy Boomer…
Their truth is marching on
21 Jul 2012, 20:55 pm
@Heavens Game-557:
21 Jul 2012, 20:56 pm
@CoachPete-560:
And none of the Sharks supporters currently present disageed with you. I noticed that too.
21 Jul 2012, 20:56 pm
@CoachPete-559: He was once a great referee and Sebastian Coe once ran sub 4 for the mile.
He can’t run like that today…
Kraplan has been poor all season, perhaps he should get glasses and a Segway for Xmas.
21 Jul 2012, 20:56 pm
@IAAS-565: too true
21 Jul 2012, 20:57 pm
@CoachPete-558:
The Sharks were the better team for sure. To win a play-off away from home takes some doing and they must get credit for that.
It is also true that things went very badly wrong for the reds on the day- they also lost their flyhalf and hooker within the first 25 minutes and ended with Genia at no 10.
We gonna take them on Saturday, you will see
21 Jul 2012, 20:57 pm
sing all your hallelujah’s tonight cos next week its beer bottle breaking time with mighty black white tears rolling down those fuzzy fuggy cheeks
21 Jul 2012, 20:57 pm
@goyougoodthing2-566:
Or color the silver spot on his head too
21 Jul 2012, 20:58 pm
@goyougoodthing2-562: And the key to what you say is “IF the airbags from WP did that”…. and not a fark can WP threaten the line like the Reds did today….
Mind you, how embarrassing was Bossie’s speedwobble in front of the line… 7 points gooied
21 Jul 2012, 20:59 pm
Hi Coach ! Ja you did, wasn’t nervous for this game. Buttttttttt now the nerves start, semis is a big deal, Butttttt……….the pressure is all on you guys, being conference winners and hardly losing any games this season. Am hoping Stormers are now chewing their finger nails worrying which Sharks team is going to pitch.
Very exciting weekend ahead of us, just have to make no one or anything interferes with me watching the game.
21 Jul 2012, 20:59 pm
@Robzim-568:
Yes Should have put Harris at 10 kept Genia at 9@fitz1ella-569:
Well yes we will be 100% our Stormers
21 Jul 2012, 21:00 pm
@Heavens Game-571: Bosman is so useless he really can’t score with an open line… wtf he is doing in that team – he is the Pierre Spies of the Sharks
21 Jul 2012, 21:01 pm
@fitz1ella-569: Tears of happiness I tell ya…
21 Jul 2012, 21:01 pm
@goyougoodthing2-574:
21 Jul 2012, 21:01 pm
@goyougoodthing2-574: @Heavens Game-571: Watch again HG he didnt knowck the ball, Bresler scored a try that should have been
21 Jul 2012, 21:02 pm
@Treehugger-572:
I hate to say it not because i am a Stormer fan but it is going to be hard for Sharks with that travel and hard game
I see a close game but Sharks to run out of gas 2nd half
21 Jul 2012, 21:03 pm
Ok cheers got to go
21 Jul 2012, 21:04 pm
@CoachPete-579:
cheers mate.
21 Jul 2012, 21:04 pm
@CoachPete-578: Might just not work out that way Pete, although of course travel might well just derail the Sharks, but remember we as Saffas have always maintained that traveling from Kiwi to here is much easier then us travelling there, also a little help for the Sharks after the travel is playing at seas level. I think had the Sharks for example have had to play at Loftus?? would have been totally impossible
21 Jul 2012, 21:05 pm
@CoachPete-558: Sharks got out the blocks quicker and Reds coughed 2 very easy tries in first 30
After half time Reds were all over Sharks and only desperate defense and some dodgy TMO decision kept them scoreless. Also Genia made a poor call going for a 3 pointer.. that was precisely where he took the foot off the pedal because till that point was only a matter of time before reds went over… instead Sharks cleared from the 22 drop and next movement McLeod got the intercept..
2nd half was all Reds but Sharks kept them out.. big tackling right on the try line for about 30 minutes solid…
Reds were down to their reserve hooker, reserve scrum half and without a fly half yet they would have pulled it through if Genia had gone for a line out instead of the iffy penalty in the first 10 of 2nd half.
Sharks deserved the win by virtue of their defensive efforts.. but 2nd half was 80% Reds and 20% Sharks with at least 3 tries held up or disallowed.
21 Jul 2012, 21:07 pm
@sharks_lover-577: I know he didnt knock the ball – Kaplan factor – but fark me all he had to do was run over… yet he fell down, without even tripping…
Now, I got a soft spot for Bosman and have been one of his biggest defenders here, but hellsteeth bru, that was comical
21 Jul 2012, 21:07 pm
@goyougoodthing2-574:
I am still trying to figure out who is the worst player in the blue Bulls pack- toss up between Spies and the dark haired potgieter.
Mind you, Potgieter is the worst- fark only knows what heynecke sees in him.
21 Jul 2012, 21:08 pm
@Robzim-524:
bressler…
pulled a helluva mock punch on higginbotham
threw him right off his game
21 Jul 2012, 21:08 pm
Well done Sharks, I actually had you to lose by 5 on superBru……!!
My superBru is seriously screwed up anyway this season…..Just could not get in the swing!
How are you all this fine Saturday evening?
21 Jul 2012, 21:09 pm
@Heavens Game-575:
Come this time next weekend, you are going to sobbing into your Windhoek and regret having left your dark glasses at home.
21 Jul 2012, 21:09 pm
@Heavens Game-583: this is true
Boet our match vs Stormers gonna be a tough one, travel must surely take a lot out of us??
And just hoping we dont have serious injury problems
21 Jul 2012, 21:09 pm
Ja yessus spies en plesier was uiters jak today I saw freuen bounce him off a tackle like the usn spiere weren’t even there – WTF they keep picking him for boks is beyond belief – this bok side could klap ABs this year if they pick right
Daniel and Coetzee are ok selections, potgieter apes and Kanko poor (tho the latter in good form but not test loosie) – and they missing kolisi elstadt and vermeulen
21 Jul 2012, 21:10 pm
@wait for it, wait for it…-585:
21 Jul 2012, 21:10 pm
@carol-586: “had you to lose by 5 on superBru”…. You hurt me so bad…
That’ll teach you
21 Jul 2012, 21:11 pm
@Robzim-584:
Besides Spies being ‘hefty’ I am not sure I have ever heard many positive thoughts about him on the blogs!!
Hope the poor lamb does not visit here!
21 Jul 2012, 21:12 pm
@Heavens Game-591:
That’ll ‘learn’ me!
21 Jul 2012, 21:12 pm
@Heavens Game-591:
21 Jul 2012, 21:13 pm
@IAAS-587: Windhoek….???? You mad, man. Only Amstel for this humble Dynamite supporter. And the sobs gonna be happy, contented ones… with Sharks off to their revenge match against the Saders on home turf… Farken Title “holders” sevoet, bru
21 Jul 2012, 21:14 pm
@wait for it, wait for it…-585:
Mock punch? I think that was his best shot… it just looked like a mock punch ….flippin sissy boy, lol.
21 Jul 2012, 21:14 pm
@CoachPete-570: That spot is silvo, his mother uses it on Fridays to polish their Menorah
21 Jul 2012, 21:14 pm
@Coach…..I agree it will be really tough for us but not impossible, if we could do a ”beam me up Scottie” back to Durban it would be a 100% sure thing
21 Jul 2012, 21:15 pm
@carol-593: may that be a lesson to you young lady
21 Jul 2012, 21:16 pm
Sharks deserved the win .. overall they were the better team and Reds blew their chances with too many turnovers in the Red zone or on the try line…Reds were also not composed enough on attack.. and Sharks pulled out huge guts to stave off wave after wave of Reds attack.. something they’ve learned well from Stormers
The Alberts / Bressler 2nd row combo is actually a very good 2nd row option and I reckon might be the way to go for Boks with Alberts going to 4 and allowing for other options at 7 and 8.. but that Tarzan Potgieter clown at Bulls is definitely not Bok material.. not by a long shot.
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