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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22 Jul 2012, 18:54 pm
Crowd going crazy for Ernie he will prolly finish 2nd
22 Jul 2012, 18:57 pm
Just saw some of the game again in a more sober state…
Freddie’s French Kiss to the crowd after his penalty… Beyooty…
Cheeky little farken Frenchie….
But he’s our Frenchy
And he is rapidly becoming one of the Sharks Foreign Legion Legends… Echoes of La Croix….
22 Jul 2012, 18:58 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree stole my password-940:
Chillax Tiger.
22 Jul 2012, 19:01 pm
@Heavens Game-952:
Do all your re-watching before next Sat. as you will not want to watch anything that happens at Newlands thereafter.
22 Jul 2012, 19:02 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree stole my password-940:
Why the aggro, reference to cheap wine and name calling?
So, I made a mistake.
Did not watch the telly when he was dropped because I was watching the news. Only saw the replay in the same over when he was bowled and thought it happened in that over as well..
22 Jul 2012, 19:03 pm
@Jeraldjay-953:
We cannot stand ineptitude here in C.T.
22 Jul 2012, 19:05 pm
Scott to maybe drop another shot, 20 feet away for par
22 Jul 2012, 19:05 pm
Interviewer: “Tolousain ou Le Sharks”
Freddy: “Le Sharks fo’rev’er!”
Once a Shark, always a Shark…
22 Jul 2012, 19:06 pm
@nama1-955: Apologies. I am a nic stealer and one hit wonder. It makes me feel good about myself.
@The Sharks rugby pedigree stole my password-956: 2 Can play this game, even 3 and 4 if you like
22 Jul 2012, 19:06 pm
@nama1-955:
Then watch the farken game then or be silent. No one is interested in lies especially when we are stressed by a semi-final next Saturday.
22 Jul 2012, 19:08 pm
Scott 1 ahead 1 to play
will the nerves hold??? A Drop and its play off time
22 Jul 2012, 19:08 pm
BOOM.
Oops that was a wet one. Be back in a bit.
22 Jul 2012, 19:09 pm
@Heavens Game-958: AAAAAAA flucking Men
22 Jul 2012, 19:10 pm
@wooden spoon-959: woah my nic is being stolen!
22 Jul 2012, 19:10 pm
Strauss gone to Tahir!
22 Jul 2012, 19:11 pm
I get the feeling this coming week in KeoWorld is going to be EPIC.
Just hope race, wives, girlfriends and family are kept out of the banter.
22 Jul 2012, 19:11 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree stole my password-954: Nope. of course I dont want to watch all the snot en trane, ashes and sack clothe burning of the home fans… you know, the ones with first love for Saders then WePee close second…
But am tempted to get down to Zilles refugeeless City to watch the game…. So will be able watch all the tears, live and in person… after 3 tries minimum from the Black and White and a Freddy Le Droppie
22 Jul 2012, 19:12 pm
Scott in trouble off the tee on the last
deep bunker near the lip, maybe only out sideways
22 Jul 2012, 19:12 pm
@Heavens Game-967: HG??
22 Jul 2012, 19:13 pm
Cricket has a team of 11 not 2, 3 or 4.
What game are you playing?
22 Jul 2012, 19:14 pm
@Jeraldjay-966: Agreed, this weekend its been great to be a South African, lets keep it that way. Respect my Stormer friends but we want to whip your asses
22 Jul 2012, 19:14 pm
@Heavens Game-962: This is certifiably not HG…. Yes, Pedigreed Plantain Channel Tunnel, it is you…. Now farkoff, scum.
22 Jul 2012, 19:15 pm
Scott drops another shot and level with Ernie with 1 hole to play and Ernie back in the clubhouse.
22 Jul 2012, 19:16 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree stole my password-960: Nic stealing? Rather pathetic. You performed far better last night in the role of ‘moi’. Tonight you aren’t doing very well.
1) I would never insult anyone who supports the Stormers
2) If I insulted anyone, I wouldn’t use the word ‘dumbo’.
Up your game if you want to be me….
22 Jul 2012, 19:17 pm
@Heavens Game-972: yep, I could tell it wasn’t you. My nic has been been appropriated too. The Stormers will stoop to any depths….
22 Jul 2012, 19:17 pm
@sharks_lover-969: 967 and the rest mine… 962 that blaady agent otherwise know as Dog Ped… Farken nic stealing, multinic scum
22 Jul 2012, 19:18 pm
@Heavens Game-976: lol ok
22 Jul 2012, 19:19 pm
@wooden spoon-975:
how do you know it is a Stormer? How do I know whether I am now even talking to a Shark. This place has gone all insane and there is still a week to go before the big match.
22 Jul 2012, 19:20 pm
@sharks_lover-938: you make it too easy
22 Jul 2012, 19:21 pm
@Robzim-978: call it an educated guess given that HG and my nics (both Sharks) have been hijacked, but it may not be. Could be anyone.
22 Jul 2012, 19:21 pm
poor little sharkievarkies making sure everyone is QUITE AWARE of the strenuousness of the travel schedule they have to undergo to take on Stormers at Newlands.. which suggests if they win they will be hailed as superstars from some other galaxy.. and if they happen to lose.. well then the travel thing did them in.. no big deal.. the ‘better team’ was overcome by the huge disadvantage travel infliction, it was always going to be too much of a daunting task to flip over to Brisbane and back within 2 weeks and beat both Reds and Stormers at home… so Plum will be given at least one more french kiss and another turned cheek for one more last hurrah.. before the CC.. before all those sheathed daggers coming out gleaming thick and fast again…
22 Jul 2012, 19:22 pm
@wooden spoon-975: The farken fakes and frauds about now… Posters “leave” and, voila, a new one gets made… Now, its nic stealing because the poor farkers just aint farken sharp enough in their multinic alphabet soup, no matter how hard they try.
22 Jul 2012, 19:22 pm
@wooden spoon-975: @Heavens Game-976: So I stole your nics, by your own logic. Great. Then by my logic it was one of you who stole mine. All square then.
22 Jul 2012, 19:23 pm
Ernie Els has won!
22 Jul 2012, 19:23 pm
Ernie wins Open!
22 Jul 2012, 19:24 pm
Yeahhhh. Errrrnieee. Jou fokkken DORING.
22 Jul 2012, 19:24 pm
@Robzim-978: Definitely a Stormer supporter… definitely too damn unoriginal on their own merits…. gotta appropriate a Shark supporting nic to try get some blog street cred…. Farken mofgat multinic basterdos
22 Jul 2012, 19:25 pm
Ernie takes the Open!
22 Jul 2012, 19:26 pm
I said a few hours ago if Ernie can finsih -7 he could be champ
yes Ernieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
22 Jul 2012, 19:26 pm
Ernie…farkit, i cannot believe it.
22 Jul 2012, 19:27 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree stole my password-983: I dont steal nics, fckface… I also don’t use another nic, fckface, unlike you multinic schizo frauds running around chasing your own unoriginal tails… Why dont these Keo halfwits switch on both names, like before, and then we see who the nic stealingcunts are…
22 Jul 2012, 19:28 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree stole my password-974:
Am I trying to eradicate my stress and embarrassment by sowing extreme confusion here as I play the double , triple(possibly more) agent as WS, HG and myself X 2?
Has it not all gone wrong since I changed my nic to ” …. pedigree stole my password ” to implicate the Sharks?
I am sorry. Forgive me.
22 Jul 2012, 19:28 pm
Ernie Els… Legend.
22 Jul 2012, 19:29 pm
@Heavens Game-987: that little WS fucknut been stealing nics let right and center since yesterday.. he (or one your sharkshits put a post up with my name on the other page about 2 back) you better watch you back or it’ll be E Tu Brute to one of your own before you know.. now you know how your coach Plum must feel when his own Sharkshit brethren wanna knife him in the back… they were hoping against hope that he’d been accepted for the Blues job in Auckland just the other day.
22 Jul 2012, 19:29 pm
Ernie ever the gentleman first giving words of comfort for Adam Scott, Adam So Sorry mate, hopefully your time will come soon
22 Jul 2012, 19:30 pm
Feel for Scottie, hes a great golfer but what was Stevie thinking letting him hit a 3wood off the tea.
22 Jul 2012, 19:30 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree stole my password-992: Woody, you need to up your game – seriously.
22 Jul 2012, 19:31 pm
@fitz1ella-994: Don’t be a twat.
22 Jul 2012, 19:32 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree stole my password-997: don’t be a twat.
22 Jul 2012, 19:34 pm
EEeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrnnnnniiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeee!
Hashim, Ernie. and next weekend Siya.
Legends all.
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