Neutral view backs Sharks
27 Jul 2012
Lions interim coach Johan Ackermann believes the Sharks will achieve victory over the Stormers in the Super Rugby semi-final at Newlands.
There have been plenty of opinions heading into Saturday’s South African showdown in Cape Town.
Pundits have backed the Stormers because of their impeccable record at Newlands this season (they haven’t lost a home game in 2012), while it’s believed that the Cape franchise’s game plan is suitable for finals rugby. Several Stormers players have also pointed to their experience in these high-pressure games after appearing in the last two tournament semi-finals.
However, Ackermann said the Sharks should be considered favourites as they’re one of the few teams who have the arsenal to defeat home side.
‘The Stormers will be tough to beat at home,’ Ackermann told keo.co.za. ‘Home-ground advantage will be a factor, and their defence and accurate goal-kickers will be essential during the match. Those are the kind of things that have helped them achieve so much success during the league stage, especially in those tight contests.
‘But if there was ever a team who could pick up a win at Newlands on Saturday, it would be the Sharks. They have the game breakers needed to test the Stormers. Current form and momentum are also in their favour. There will be concerns whether the travel fatigue will affect them. But if they can overcome it and their players are managed very well, the Sharks will be a big threat.’
Ackermann has a point.
While the Stormers have an flawless 2012 record at home, they haven’t been convincing. Five of their eight victories at Newlands have been won by six points or less. They have only beaten the Hurricanes (39-26), Blues (27-17) and Lions (27-27) by more comfortable margins. The Sharks will also draw confidence from the last encounter between the two teams, which they won 25-20 in Durban.
Ackermann’s prediction sees the Sharks winning the second semi-final, but added that this will disadvantage South Africa’s challenge for silverware.
‘I think the Sharks will win. They have the momentum and form. But this will make their task even harder, as they’ll have to fly to New Zealand for the final. That would be too much travelling for any team.
‘If the Stormers win, they’ll host the title decider. That would be South Africa’s best bet for winning the Super Rugby trophy.’
By Gareth Duncan
104 Comments
Pages: [1] 2 3 » Show All
27 Jul 2012, 10:59 am
This Dragon will always be a Shark at heart
27 Jul 2012, 11:10 am
“Pundits have backed the Stormers because of their impeccable record at Newlands this season
I wish they would cite their ‘pundits? Cardinelli and Vrede hardly count because of their lack of neutrality.
The pundits on Reunion – 2/3 picked Sharks. Might have been wishful thinking because that means a NZ final
Its diificult to argue that the Stormers dont have a small advantage given their home ground and travel factor (they earned that priviledge before anyone points that out)
I usually find the flow of money tells a lot.
Ladbrokes has it as the Stormers by 3 points
Stormers 8/13. Sharks 11/10
Sounds about right although. ie. close.
Naturally I hope the Sharks win
May the Best Side Win and I hope that is the Sharks
27 Jul 2012, 11:44 am
@Biscuit-2: those were the same pundits who picked the Crusaders on Reunion. A lot of ‘ifs’ from Ackermann as well, so i doubt his pick is based on anything other than is preference for the Sharks. As today showed, it’s the side that takes their chances and executes the best on the day
27 Jul 2012, 11:45 am
why would anyone ask ackerman anything? has he even won a game as a coach?
27 Jul 2012, 11:46 am
Waiting to see who keo will pick, then chose the other team.
Sharks had a 95% probability of winning until Bosman was named at centre. Now, not so sure.
Things to watch:
1. Peyper failing to see Stormer forward passes.
2. Walsh to end his career ‘on a high’.
27 Jul 2012, 11:50 am
now what the f uk does Ackerman know? he can hardly string a few words together and his sides history ths year suggests he knows sweet fanny adams about coaching either……
27 Jul 2012, 11:57 am
@whatever-6:
To be fair neither can you.
27 Jul 2012, 12:06 pm
@OCO-5: Keo picked the Sharks.
27 Jul 2012, 12:15 pm
Guys.
Ackerman is hardly neutral.
Hes played how many Super Rugby matches for the Sharks???
In fact, hes played for pretty much every Super Rugby team except The Stormers.
Neutral indeed.
Sharpen up Gareth.
27 Jul 2012, 12:15 pm
@OCO-5: Not as high as you are right now.
27 Jul 2012, 12:19 pm
@stormersboy-9:
“neutral views” obviously refers to in which gear acker’s mind is in…
27 Jul 2012, 12:26 pm
I think it’s fair to say that the sharks are the favourites actually… Home ground advantage doesnt count for much at Newlands, the bye week often means lost momentum more than freshness and the Sharks are on much better form than the Stormers lately…
27 Jul 2012, 12:31 pm
I’m not as kleva as you okes who knows who is gonna win!
I’ll wait for tomorrow then.
Good luck Stormers and Sharks – may the best team win and the one with the best chance of winning the whole damn thing…
27 Jul 2012, 12:33 pm
i love the “sharks are favourites because everyone hates us sob story” line.
love it.
the sharks are my favourites, glad to see so many share my view.
27 Jul 2012, 12:34 pm
Stormers will win by a comfortable 10 points tomorrow.
27 Jul 2012, 12:35 pm
@rangerman-14: Nobody hates us. We’re adorable.
27 Jul 2012, 12:37 pm
My nerves are finished…
Still two weeks of this…
27 Jul 2012, 12:37 pm
@Transformation-4:
Yes against the Rebels. For what it’s worth.
27 Jul 2012, 12:38 pm
@willievz-15: Why do you say that?? Stormers aren’t known for their 10 point wins… especially in play-offs. I’m a stormers fan btw, so i’m not hating. Just looking for some genuine rugby banter, too often this site devolves into abuse and chest-beating.
27 Jul 2012, 12:39 pm
Stormers Sharks tomorrow is about the Tortoise and the Hare…
From the first game Stormers plodded out of the starting blocks and have been plodding away in unspectacular fashion doing what needs doing week in week out…
Sharks pranced around and champed at the bit and burst out of the starting blocks only to trip a couple times…
Stormers kept plodding…
Sharks went into overdrive got some great results…
Stormers kept plodding…
Sharks got a string of more great results… but got complacent too… tripped again a couple more times…
Stormers got flipped on their backs a couple of times feet treading sky… but rolled over and plodded away again…
Sharks raced ahead… churning up the road spattering everyone behind them with lumps of mud as they surged forward…
Stormers keep plodding…
Sharks can see the winning line… practicing their winning poses already… booked their tickets to NZ already…
Kicked up so much dirt in their burst for the line they can’t even see the Stormers under all that mud…
but the Stormers keep their noses down focused on plodding out one step at a time…
are the Sharks gonna rip the ribbon from the finishing post…?
are the Stormers going to fall exhausted before the finishing line…?
are the crowds cheering the Sharks to the finish drowning out the plod plod plod footsteps of the Stormers behind the Sharks…?
How does this race end…?
Tune in tomorrow at 17:00 to find out…!!
27 Jul 2012, 12:42 pm
@Tarlo-19: Five reasons mainly, and in no particular order:
They are fresh.
They are playing at home.
They are the more desperate / hungry team.
Their defense is test standard, if not better.
They are also the de facto underdog.
27 Jul 2012, 12:44 pm
@willievz-21:
good post…!
27 Jul 2012, 12:45 pm
@rangerman-14: i’m driving to the Transkei this weekend, i want to watch the game with my old man, he is stressing big time
27 Jul 2012, 12:45 pm
@Tarlo-19: “Stormers aren’t known for their 10 point wins… especially in play-offs.”
Did you watch the Waratahs-semi in 2010?
27 Jul 2012, 12:47 pm
@Tarlo-12: That’s not what swings it for me, it is the Bok forward pack vs fatties, teenagers, a hooker playing at 8 and a Lock with a dodgy back.
Sharks trying to pull underdog status because of travel is pffffffffffft.
Admit it Sharks, everyone from NZ to Australia, to Keo himself is calling you boys faves…..
My Stormers get Tank Lanning’s thumbs up and one or 2 other local sites.
Just the way I like it (evilgriniftheboksharksforwardsstruggleagainstthekidsfattiesandcrockedbackbekker)
27 Jul 2012, 12:47 pm
@willievz-21: OK… Ya I definitely agree with the defence, but to win by 10 points you also have to go on the offensive… Freshness… I’m still unsure about how these byes affect teams, I feel like you might lose momentum a bit too much. Home advantage isn’t huge at newlands, but the Sharks have travelled two weeks in a row which is pretty crucial. I think the Sharks are pretty hungry too though.
I can’t pinpoint a winner… But on form the sharks have looked so good. On the other hand, their backline is a bit hit and miss… Either way i dont think it will be by 10.
27 Jul 2012, 12:49 pm
@Transformation-23:
Must be a Stormers supporter then? hehehehe
27 Jul 2012, 12:49 pm
@Tarlo-26: How can you say home advantage is not huge at Newlands?
Have the Stormers lost a game at home in 2012?
27 Jul 2012, 12:49 pm
@willievz-24: the two ganes the stormers lost, they were trailing at half-time on both occasions and couldn’t catch up: coincidence?
if sharks put the jets on early in the game do you bank on the stormers attacking to cover the deficit successfully?
27 Jul 2012, 12:50 pm
@willievz-21:
Well the Chiefs won, and in my Superbru pool, there were 6 of us out of 58 who picked them 
Stormers don’t have massive support there either…there are about 15 of us hopefuls 
27 Jul 2012, 12:50 pm
@pokkel-27: ja, he is
27 Jul 2012, 12:51 pm
@willievz-24: Haha, yes I forgot about that. I was at that game to be honest, so I stand corrected. But I’m thinking for of the 2012 stormers than the 2010 ones. You have to admit that we don’t often get associated with big wins
Not that that matters in the semis.
27 Jul 2012, 12:51 pm
@Transformation-23: lol, is he a stormer?
i must say, i am feeling a little nervous too.
i hope the sharks win but if they dont i will back the stormers (i kotsed a little in my mouth right there)
27 Jul 2012, 12:54 pm
@willievz-28: That doesn’t necessarily mean anything. They only lost 2 games the whole season and they were against 2 of the semi finalist, home advantage has to be viewed in context of away game success rate.
From what I’ve read, Newlands is considered one of the least hostile rugby venues in the world and Cape Town one of the better cities to tour to. Also, crowds often include away team supporters.
Don’t you think?
27 Jul 2012, 12:55 pm
@Transformation-29: Yes, I do back the Stormers to have an effective offensive game tomorrow.
The Sharks score a few but they also concede a few.
This is the third / fourth different midfield the Sharks are fielding in as many games, so their defensive structures will not be optimally defined.
The players have just flown around the world twice. And will have to do that again if they win. The latter will stick in the mind of some of the players, and this will inevitably affect individual performances throughout the game.
It is a bridge too far for the Sharks.
27 Jul 2012, 12:55 pm
the stormers, in all seriousness, must be the favourites and the bookies confirm it.
they topped the log, they have had a week off and havent had to travel.
now if some stormers fans need the sharks to be favourites so they can feel even better about a win (should the stormers do it) then i say okay!
whatever floats your boat.
the sharks on the other hand have momentum and are playing awesome rugby so its understandable that they are viewed as a genuine threat and i take all this false modesty by some stormers supporters as a massive compliment to my team, the SHAARKS!
SHARKS FOREVER BABY YEAH, LOVE EM OR FEAR THEM!
27 Jul 2012, 12:57 pm
and the golden BryceBarnes goes to Craig Joubert for his riveting performance in “how to almost screw the Chiefs!!!” seriously when does the farce end and when do these guys start being held accountable for their performances.
27 Jul 2012, 12:57 pm
@rangerman-36: calm down andy mac
27 Jul 2012, 12:58 pm
@willievz-35: i see you are sticking with the realistic line which is basically the line most pundits have taken.
barring keo and some hopefull kiwis,no one is calling a sharks win.
and rightly so given the travel and record of the two team though suddenly some stormers supporters re denying travel as a factor more vociferously than any kiwi or aussie
its quite amusing.
27 Jul 2012, 12:59 pm
@Transformation-38: calm down?
me?
i am chilled chuma
27 Jul 2012, 12:59 pm
Sharks vs Stormers
Momentum vs Consistency
27 Jul 2012, 13:00 pm
@Transformation-38: i wanted to ask you about that, do you ever get called chewbacca?
27 Jul 2012, 13:00 pm
@rangerman-39: Hi Ranger,
I have to say…
If the Sharks DO manage to win the tournament (and I honestly think they are still in it, be it a kitten’s whisker margin), it would be the tale of all cinderella tales.
I am mighty proud of your boys, they have already served SA well this season
27 Jul 2012, 13:04 pm
@willievz-43: thanks bud for the compliment.
both the stormers and sharks have done well imo, i am just bleak the sharks didnt get it right a bit earlier in the season. That blerrie loss to the lions killed us.
it would be sensational if the sharks managed a win at newlands and a win in nz and nothing is impossible but we have the chiefs bulls final as an example of what travel can do to a side.
i could care less, i will be in my number ones tomorrow partying like a mofo.
27 Jul 2012, 13:04 pm
@rangerman-36: I think there’s more to it than that.. The sharks have built up a lot of momentum and are playing their best rugby of the season. Stormers were very unconvincing against the cheetahs and rebels.
I’m not trying to make the sharks seem like favourites as some kind of strategy, its not like any of the players read my comments… It’s just my opinion, and i think it’s a well-founded one. It isn’t false modesty, and I find it a bit strange that sharks supporters, after being disparaging about the stormers rugby the whole season now are cynical of stormers fans that agree with them.
27 Jul 2012, 13:14 pm
@Tarlo-45: “It isn’t false modesty, and I find it a bit strange that sharks supporters, after being disparaging about the stormers rugby the whole season now are cynical of stormers fans that agree with them.”
And you get it in one
27 Jul 2012, 13:32 pm
In an attempt to summarise the views above…
Neither Sharks or Stormers fans consider their teams to be favourites, but expect that their teams will win because they are better (but not favourites)?
I’ll smoke some more, read it again and then see if I come to a different conclusion.
27 Jul 2012, 13:35 pm
@Mongril-47: Haha.. It does seem that way, but speaking only for myself: I think the sharks are favourites, barely and I think that they will win (on Superbru I said Sharks by 2) despite being a Stormers fan. It’s not what I want to happen, but its what i suspect will happen.
27 Jul 2012, 13:37 pm
@Mongril-47:
The bookies have the Stormers as the favourites. The Stormers are the de jure favourites.
But many of the so-called “experts”, including journos and neutral coaches, feel the Sharks are the favourites. This means the Stormers are the de facto underdogs.
This de facto underdog tag fits the Stormers like a glove.
27 Jul 2012, 13:37 pm
@rangerman-42: not @ all, you’re anglicizing it.
Pages: [1] 2 3 » Show All
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.