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, 19:12 pm
I am here
Stone cold sober
3 Aug 2012, 19:15 pm
@Dusky-441: @Sharks fans are genuine Bok supporters-439: yes boys, transie is this, that…
3 Aug 2012, 19:19 pm
Dusky has been behaving strangely lately
Maybe it’s 24 hours daylight or night or whatever happens in Norway
3 Aug 2012, 19:21 pm
@gonzo-438: oh s.hit i didn’t realise you okes wanted a “pat on the back” with all this posting of population based medals tables, my bad
3 Aug 2012, 19:29 pm
Bronze for New Zealand in track cycling-beating the Russian team into fourth position in the team pursuit. Neat ride.
3 Aug 2012, 19:30 pm
@Dawn-453: he is smarting since he stupidly outed himself as a nic stealer.
3 Aug 2012, 19:32 pm
Great Britain killing Australia for Gold. World Record.
3 Aug 2012, 19:54 pm
451@Dawn……..jeez Dawn if you want to have fun and get a bit smashed with friends you don’t have to justify to anyone, if someone asked me or told me that on the net I would just say yes and get it over with, cos no matter what you say if some one decides to give you a hard time there is no right answer. Most of us here are just actually insignificant in each others lives.
3 Aug 2012, 20:21 pm
@PissAnt-448: Welcome aboard the bandwagon. You backed the Stormers last weekend, but no hard feelings. I’m guessing you believe the Sharks are the more “desperate” of the two teams playing this weekend
3 Aug 2012, 20:36 pm
@Dawn-453: “Strangely” is a polite way of putting it. I wonder if he can be persuaded to become a Stormers fan.
3 Aug 2012, 20:37 pm
Incredible swim by Missy Franklin- smashed the world record for 200 m backstroke- 3 rd gold for the 17 year old.
3 Aug 2012, 20:39 pm
Chad versus the Legend part 11 coming up.
3 Aug 2012, 20:43 pm
Silver for Chad- fantastic swim by him – another gold for The Legend
3 Aug 2012, 20:47 pm
Chad you biscuit.
@kaksioek-460:
He is one of yours. Please keep him.
3 Aug 2012, 20:48 pm
Le Clos gets silver and puts the Kiwis back in their place
3 Aug 2012, 20:50 pm
@Robzim-463:
And at the turn, both seemed out of it. Some serious sprinting there. Phelps is a legend.
3 Aug 2012, 20:51 pm
Huge payback time from the King of Swim.
Phelps smokes the banana………………………………………………. boy with a wacking – no daydreaming about bong action this time.
21 medals 17 pure gold.
3 Aug 2012, 20:53 pm
Whatever happened to Thorpedo
3 Aug 2012, 20:56 pm
@IAAS-466:
Phelps’ record for the most medals at the Olympics is not going to be broken soon if ever. Chad is an incredible fast finisher- If he continues like this he will become our best Olympian ever- potentially he can win the 100 and 200 butterfly as well as 200 Indindual medley at next Olympics.
3 Aug 2012, 20:59 pm
Which SA swim medal-winner is not on a US sport’s scholarship presently?
3 Aug 2012, 21:01 pm
Thorpe is swim expert opinion in the BBC studio.
3 Aug 2012, 21:01 pm
@Dawn-468:
Retired– he must be about 30 – probably living the good live in Aus – armani suits and Breitling watches and so on.
3 Aug 2012, 21:02 pm
Well done Chad.
Another medal for the People of the South.
3 Aug 2012, 21:03 pm
At last my day is finished and halfway home.
So tired of these cape town people
lazy fecks
3 Aug 2012, 21:04 pm
Thorpe is in BBC sport’s studio today and not poolside as he normally is with that smart lass.
3 Aug 2012, 21:04 pm
Good grief I never knew he was 30 already
3 Aug 2012, 21:05 pm
@oogle-470:
Apparently Cameron vd B is mainly locally trained.
3 Aug 2012, 21:08 pm
Well done Chaz
3 Aug 2012, 21:11 pm
@Robzim-477:
Not at all true as when he won his gold in WR time the commentators on the BBC and Eurosport and ESPN(Brit) all said he was on a US sport’s scholarship.
3 Aug 2012, 21:11 pm
@Robzim-477:
Shame that ‘Bert’s Boy’ and our Rebecca could not get another gold in the pool!!
3 Aug 2012, 21:13 pm
Farewell swim coming up for Roland.Fantastic sprinter in his day- slightly over the hill now- did brilliantly to make the finals here at over 30 years old- at least he has a gold.
3 Aug 2012, 21:13 pm
@Dawn-476:
Evening Dawn, is this thread worth reading?
Was there any golden moments here on Keo today?
3 Aug 2012, 21:14 pm
@Robzim-481:
‘Slightly over the hill’
Sounds a bit like us!!
3 Aug 2012, 21:15 pm
@oogle-479:
It was reported here that he trained mostly in SA.
3 Aug 2012, 21:15 pm
@oogle-479:
In case you doubt those TV channels I am watching all 3 right now trying to get all the swimming and athletics and the cycling before. BBC goes from event to studio to another event so it is hectic.
3 Aug 2012, 21:15 pm
@carol-482:
Arghhh sorry ‘were’ there not WAS there…..It has been a long day!
3 Aug 2012, 21:17 pm
@carol-483:
Speak for yourself. I am not slightly but “totally” over the hill.
3 Aug 2012, 21:19 pm
Well then it means I have three sets of liars.
3 Aug 2012, 21:20 pm
@oogle-485:
They did not show all the cycling here. Who won the woman’s Keirin. Hopefully Victoria P?
3 Aug 2012, 21:22 pm
@oogle-488: Are you poop smear reincarnated? Are you here solely to tell us that our South African athletes are training overseas? Why do we care again?
3 Aug 2012, 21:22 pm
Eurosport giving Phelps medal ceremony now while ESPN giving athletics and BBC in studio now.
3 Aug 2012, 21:24 pm
Is that a shared 2nd for Chad?
3 Aug 2012, 21:26 pm
@oogle-479: cameron is trained in sa.
as is chad.
who gives a toss what the commentators say.
3 Aug 2012, 21:28 pm
@Robzim-484:
He trains at the Tukkies high performance centre. Apparently our rowing team trained there as well. The Bulls not as much.
3 Aug 2012, 21:28 pm
@Robzim-489:
Victoria Pendleton won in some style!
You are in remarkable shape actually and you know it! How was the gym tonight btw??
3 Aug 2012, 21:29 pm
@oogle-488: or you are just a liar yourself?
3 Aug 2012, 21:29 pm
@Robzim-489:
I am not into cycling really but the men’s race had GB gold(WR) with Aus. silver and NZ bronze and it meant they all could sing God save the Queen.
The women’s race was won by GB(Pennington I think). I was doing too much channel hoping and one always misses out with that action.
3 Aug 2012, 21:31 pm
@oogle-497
I see it is Pendleton, above.
3 Aug 2012, 21:33 pm
@IAAS-494:
It is what I have read as well. It is funny that Chad gets more press here in CT, it is as if people have forgotten about VdB’s swim even if he broke the world record.
3 Aug 2012, 21:33 pm
Veldhuis(Ned) wins 1st semi of women’s 50m freestyle.
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