Sharks set for slaughter
3 Aug 2012
MARK KEOHANE writes the Chiefs will win in Hamilton on Saturday and win easily.
If they don’t it will be the biggest final’s implosion in the history of the competition.
I haven’t read a South African who isn’t backing the Sharks to take the title. It is written in the stars say some. It is meant to be say others. Forget the travel, it isn’t a factor. The Sharks are operating on adrenalin, momentum and a belief they can’t be beaten.
I don’t buy the emotion of it all. I reckon the Chiefs will win by at least 15, which is what the New Zealand bookies have as a handicap on the final.
How different my thinking would be if the Sharks actually had a week to settle, prepared with more conviction than hope and did not have to negotiate the fatigue that comes with travelling overseas three times in three weeks.
The Sharks were brilliant against the Reds. I picked that win. Historically they play well in Brisbane and the Reds were poor this season. I also picked them to beat the Stormers, because I felt they had the physicality to match the Stormers and the Stormers were never going to be a try-scoring threat. But the way the Sharks hit the wall with seven minutes to play was an indicator that they won’t get through 80 minutes in Hamilton on emotion, passion and belief. They will be huffing and puffing by half time and on the hour the reality of the travel will have set in.
The Sharks are as good a side as the Chiefs, but they are not significantly better. To win this competition, playing the final in another country, requires a squad with few weaknesses and for all the heroics of the last three weeks the Sharks are not the complete package. The Chiefs aren’t either but they had the advantage of playing their semi-final last Friday, they have been at home all week and the only thing that can beat them is a spectacular implosion.
I can’t see it happening because under Dave Rennnie and Wayne Smith they play pragmatic, percentages rugby and they are a team whose focus on defence is never at the expense of attack.
Sonny Bill Williams will be influential. He always is against the Sharks and I can’t see French flyhalf Fred Michalak taking too much contact in Hamilton. Michalak has enjoyed his best month of Super Rugby but he has never been one to mix it with the Kiwis and I don’t see that changing on Saturday.
The first 30 minutes will be intense as both teams have individuals who thrive on physicality, but the Chiefs at 9, 10 and 12 will ask more questions in attack from structured play and they will target Michalak defensively.
There will be individual heroics from the Sharks and world class players like Bismarck du Plessis will front the challenge, but science says the Sharks will be running on empty on the hour.
John Plumtree and Grant Bashford are the best South African coaching combination in the tournament and they are up against the most balanced coaching duo in New Zealand. The Sharks, despite finishing out of the top four, have played the best rugby among South African teams and the Chiefs have been the stand out team in the competition.
Why could there not be a fortnight between semi-final and final? Not just for the Sharks but every year.
South African players who have made the trek to New Zealand previously for semi-finals and the odd final have admitted afterwards that they were just making up the numbers. The same applies to those Kiwi or Aussie teams going to the Republic. The exception has always been the Crusaders, but even they took a beating whenever a semi-final meant travelling to Pretoria.
The Sharks, as I keep on getting reminded, have travelled to Australia and beaten the Aussie Conference Champs. They then travelled to Cape Town and beat the South African Conference Champs. It apparently is written somewhere up above that they will travel to New Zealand and beat the New Zealand Conference Champs. Well I haven’t seen the writing and if the Sharks do succeed it will be the greatest play-offs success in the history of the competition.
Home teams win finals in Super Rugby. History shows that and as is often quoted the only thing man can learn from history is that he never learns from history.
It is fantastic how emphatic the support is for the Sharks but I’ve seen it all before. The blind loyalty in the build-up and then the absolute disbelief when they get pumped.
In 2011 when Peter de Villiers took a second team to play the All Blacks I heard similar talk of a win and when the Boks took a 40-7 hammering there was way too much surprise among the supporters.
Be loyal to your team. Be South African in your support but also know that this final is weighted heavily in favour of the hosts – as is every Super Rugby final.
592 Comments
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3 Aug 2012, 10:24 am
Now Keo you never get it right 3 times in a row,you had your 2 times
3 Aug 2012, 10:26 am
Thanks Keo!
3 Aug 2012, 10:29 am
Dumb @ss
3 Aug 2012, 10:29 am
Jokes aside, Keo look fact is yes everything favours the Chiefs, and they are clear favourites, but another fact is the SHarks have defied those same facts in their last 2 outings,
This is a very good Sharks team when on song,which they are, they also somehow have found a way to minimise the effect of travel.
We also have hear in the last 3 weeks how the Reds are better on attack, how the Stormers have a better backline? and yet in each match this was proved incorrect.
I am not for one minute saying we will win, i meaqn my head says Chiefs, and my heart says Sharks.
But to think this Sharks outfit will get slaughtered?? me thinks you in for a little rude awakening
3 Aug 2012, 10:30 am
Look, I really like this Sharks team, and I backed them to beat both the Reds and the Stormers.
They clearly are our best team, and will make up the bulk of the Bok team as well, and rightly so.
That said, I think the travel is just going to be too much for them this weekend.
I think it will be close, but it would be a superhuman achievement if the Sharks manage to pull it off. The Chiefs have to be the favourites.
Not because the Chiefs are the better team. If it was on a neutral ground I would back the Sharks team in its current form. If Frans Steyn was there to neutralize SBW I would even back the Sharks in New Zealand, if they had an extra week to rest.
But as it stands, the expectation is simply unreasonable and the setup is a farce. This is no fair contest, and the Chiefs will probably sneak it on Saturday.
3 Aug 2012, 10:31 am
ahh.
now that Captain Cunteye and Cape Towns most famous Leprechaun have gone for the Chiefs its time to put a lazy twenty on the Shorks.
3 Aug 2012, 10:32 am
Have my bet on the underdogs to defy history!!
3 Aug 2012, 10:33 am
@the artist formerly known as gunther-6:
3 Aug 2012, 10:33 am
“Michalak has enjoyed his best month of Super Rugby but he has never been one to mix it with the Kiwis and I don’t see that changing on Saturday.”
How about when he came on as a substitute and scored a try that knocked the Kiwis out of the World Cup in 2007?
3 Aug 2012, 10:34 am
@Tacitus-5: YOu know Tacci that is exactly might defeat the Chiefs?? sit back and wait for the Sharks legs to run out of steam.
3 Aug 2012, 10:36 am
Anyhows, time will tell and as a supporter? support i will and will br proud of them win or lose
3 Aug 2012, 10:36 am
@sharks_lover-10:
Would be great if that happens.
The Sharks have the players to dominate the collissions amongst the forwards, but can they keep doing it after the 60 minute mark?
They were at least 15 points better than the Stormers, but that comeback by the Stormers at the end was clearly due to travel fatigue.
That’s what I’m worried about.
3 Aug 2012, 10:37 am
I guess Keo didn’t “like” the Facebook petition to dump Plumtree.
Good on you Keo.
3 Aug 2012, 10:38 am
There is a huge difference between belief and expectation… As a Shark supporter I believe we can win but I don’t expect them to… So yes supporters have blind faith but they do expect reality… Reality is the Sharks are up against it and expected to lose… But win they can… Ask Chelsea…
3 Aug 2012, 10:39 am
” Michalak has enjoyed his best month of Super Rugby but he has never been one to mix it with the Kiwis”, Uhm refresh my memory, but who was the one that scored the try knocked the Kiwi’s out of the 2007 world cup?
3 Aug 2012, 10:40 am
My heart says Sharks, My Superbru says Chiefs.
3 Aug 2012, 10:45 am
@Tacitus-12: If they play it right Taccy i agree they can do it,
The center pair chosen i think also is about the intent to get the scsore board moving early in our favour, thus leaving Bosman and viljoen on the bench is about getting them on when legs are tired and tightening up the midfield defensively
This also evident with Botes Sykes and Deysel on the bench
3 Aug 2012, 10:47 am
@THE MAULER-14:
Thats very true.
It will be a near miracle if the sharks win tomorrow – personally i doubt very much that they will win- miracles do however happen in sport as was the case when the sa rowing team took gold at the olympics against all odds.
So far it’s been a very good week for SA sport. Lets see if the trend can continue.
3 Aug 2012, 10:51 am
You can’t use the word “slaughter”. That happend in 2009
Not tomorrow
3 Aug 2012, 10:56 am
@KingRiaan-15: Was it him? Did he make the break or give the assisting pass to the try scorer? I know he was involved some how in that try.
3 Aug 2012, 10:56 am
Sharks by 3.
3 Aug 2012, 10:59 am
@Sasuke-20: My memory might be wrong, but I think he scored the try, hopefully the other bloggers will help us out on this one
3 Aug 2012, 11:00 am
Late Saturday night its going to read NZ 11 titles SA 3.
Chiefs by 10 – 15.
3 Aug 2012, 11:01 am
They have the belief and positive attitude going for them. Can that counter the fatigue they might feel in the last few minutes of the game. I think it can…..the mind is stronger than the body.
3 Aug 2012, 11:01 am
Prove them wrong Sharks.
Go and win the cup boys. Just bring it home.
3 Aug 2012, 11:02 am
I think keo and the others basically expect ingThe Sharks to lose based on history. Fact is, The Sharks have defied all the odds to get this far and the Chiefs are not the best team in the competition.
There have been NO good teams in this competition this year.
The Sharks have done a ‘Bulls’ and come from behind to surprise everyone…myself being no exception. As with the Bulls teams from past seasons..this Bok laden Sharks team will beat this Chiefs team. The Sharks have a very special squad and should not be underestimated.
3 Aug 2012, 11:03 am
@KingRiaan-22: He made the forward/not forward pass if my memory serves me correctly.
3 Aug 2012, 11:03 am
@NZINCHINA-23:
Based on?
3 Aug 2012, 11:04 am
@SuperStirrer-13: Plumtree is best coach among SA’s Sup Rug franchises. Sharks play bloody good rugby.
3 Aug 2012, 11:05 am
@KingRiaan-22: Yes hopefully the nz bloggers would not have erased that from their memory banks.
3 Aug 2012, 11:05 am
@NZINCHINA-23: The only certainty about late Saturday night is that you will still be here on keo, making the most of the best years of your life. Whoop-whoop.
3 Aug 2012, 11:05 am
The players will be hectic tired but the will to win will come through. The sheer belief they have in themselves is a massive positive. They never went this far just to give up because their legs will feel like lead, their minds will carry them through.
Just keep believing boys and the cup will be yours.
Go Sharks.
3 Aug 2012, 11:06 am
@Sharks fans are genuine Bok supporters-28:
The Chiefs dealing to the Crusaders at home, home advantage etc The Sharks did very well to beat the Reds in Brisbane but both the Crusaders and Chiefs would have beaten the Stormers in Cape Town.
3 Aug 2012, 11:07 am
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged by Mad Eye Productions.-27: Yes, he made the pass and Yannick Jauzion scored
3 Aug 2012, 11:08 am
@Puma-32: Snap i said something similar further up.
3 Aug 2012, 11:09 am
Slaughter is an interesting choice of words for this heading.
What starts out as laughter, quickly changes when you introduce the big black and white S…
3 Aug 2012, 11:09 am
@>^..^< katman-31:
actually Mao nanren the workload has just eased and i’m off to far north east Queensland shortly for some fishing and golf so you boys will have to do without me for a few weeks, will you cope?
3 Aug 2012, 11:10 am
@keo-29: Mark remember i am just stirring a bit
3 Aug 2012, 11:10 am
@NZINCHINA-23: and whether the Sharks win or lose, NZ coaches will own almost all titles in World Rugby currently.
3 Aug 2012, 11:12 am
@Sasuke-39:
yes I saw that pretty impressive stuff, we have plenty of great coaches at the moment ( except Mitchell but we did warn you) I would expect Rennie to coach the Ab’s at some stage
3 Aug 2012, 11:14 am
@NZINCHINA-37: At least those Queensland fishies are safe. Judging by your attempts here on keo, you’re really kak at fishing.
3 Aug 2012, 11:17 am
@>^..^< katman-41:
ha the reef fishing up there is superb no skill required
3 Aug 2012, 11:19 am
The mind is a powerful weapon. It will push the players through the tiredness and pain. They know they win this it will be the greatest win in SuperRugby history and there is no disputing that. The travel has been horrendous and Sharks will have beaten every conferece winner this season. To come from behind to win like that is unbelievable.
Go Sharks. Make us proud.
3 Aug 2012, 11:19 am
@Puma-43: conference
3 Aug 2012, 11:20 am
Some positive vibes and energy needs to be created to combat all the negativity.
S H A R K S S S S S S S SsssSsss ….YEBO BABY !!!!!!!!!!
3 Aug 2012, 11:21 am
@>^..^< katman-41:
his worm is too small.
3 Aug 2012, 11:23 am
@the artist formerly known as gunther-46: And his rod is too floppy.
3 Aug 2012, 11:25 am
@Puma-43:
good luck Puma would be a very fairy tale for your boys, the last 20 minutes with a home crowd and tired leg is going to hurt the Sharks, the Chiefs forwards are all 80 minute players
3 Aug 2012, 11:27 am
@Treehugger-45: For sure, way to go Hugs. Not going to take in anything negative about our Sharks at all today.
Just full support behind our team. They in it to win it. The reason they made it this far. They believe they can and we should too.
Good luck to our boys.
3 Aug 2012, 11:32 am
@NZINCHINA-48: Thanks mate.
Just watch my Sharks be a full 80min team tomorrow too. They never got this far just to give up because their bodies have taken a beating from the monster travel they have had to do. A mind is so powerful when it comes to the final hurdle. They not going to be beat as easy as some are saying. They are a magnificent team, playing awesome rugby and it will take a massive effort from the Cheifs to beat my Sharks. Tired or not.
I am so proud of them for making it to the final and especially the way they have got there.
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