Chiefs storm to Super title win
4 Aug 2012
JON CARDINELLI watched the Chiefs deliver a masterclass in power and composure to crush the Sharks 37-6 in Saturday’s Super Rugby final.
Some will list travel fatigue as decisive. Some will complain that referee Steve Walsh was too lenient on the hosts. Some might say the clamour of cowbells and the driving rain made for a perfect storm of pressure that squeezed the fight out of the Sharks.
But the external factors were never decisive.
The Chiefs rocked up in rampant mood. Their forwards absorbed the early pressure, and their inside backs played outstanding finals football. They ran away with the game in the second half, but the result was secured in the first.
The Sharks needed to bank early points if they were ever going to win this final. Their forwards clattered into the collisions during a bruising first quarter and their line speed on defence kept the Chiefs on the back foot.
But a three-point return during that period was never going to be enough. They coughed up too much possession on attack, and it was a series of missed opportunities early in the piece that they were made to regret.
The Chiefs’ performance in that first half highlighted the tactical nous of the coaching staff, as well as the efficiency of the team’s key decision makers. They played for territory but they also kept the Sharks’ defence guessing with a series of grubbers and chip kicks.
It was a deft nudge by Aaron Cruden that sparked the Chiefs’ first try. Sharks fullback Pat Lambie was caught in two minds, and in the end he made the wrong decision in allowing Cruden’s chip kick to bounce.
The Chiefs, as they have done all season and managed to do on several occasions during this final, chased well and forced the breakdown turnover. From here, the Sharks’ defence was compromised, and centre Sonny Bill Williams took full advantage, breaking two tackles to take play up to the opposition 22.
From there the ball flew out to the left where it was Chiefs backs versus Sharks forwards. Tim Nanai-Williams obliged with a score that spelled trouble for the Sharks, even at that early stage.
For all the talk of fatigue, the Sharks’ intensity at the collisions never seemed to flag. And yet, they struggled to adapt to Walsh’s calls at the breakdown.
Their defensive work was outstanding for the most part, but they made some poor decisions with ball in hand and failed to stretch the Chiefs’ defence.
Their set piece was expected to rattle that of the Chiefs, but the hosts overcame some early lineout wobbles to compete strongly and force several turnovers of their own.
The Sharks also struggled to win set-piece possession in the Chiefs half, and were completely outplayed in the battle for territory. The Chiefs peppered the Sharks in the first half, and the pressure told.
Cruden, who would miss a couple of goal kicks later in the game, was accurate in front of poles during those first 40 minutes. It allowed the Chiefs to build a commanding lead, and before the Sharks knew it, they were 13-3 down.
It was a massive deficit considering the conditions. It was a gap they were never going to close with the Chiefs dominating the collisions and winning the kicking game.
The Sharks suffered a further setback when Kane Thompson crashed over from a five-metre scrum early in the second half. At 20-3, the visitors were dead and buried.
They attempted to play more expansively in an effort to close the gap but, as the final scoreline suggests, this only played into the Chiefs’ hands. The Waikato outfit fed off the Sharks’ errors and scored two more tries.
The performance was emphatic, and the victory well deserved. The Chiefs have played some brilliant rugby at times this season, but they have also shown themselves to be one of the best defensive teams.
The tactical excellence of their halfback pairing hasn’t received enough credit, and Cruden and Tawera Kerr-Barlow certainly played a decisive role in winning this final.
It’s an embarrassing end for the Sharks, who have also produced some encouraging and balanced performances in 2012. In the end, they will lament the early season failures that forced them to travel so extensively in the play-offs.
The Chiefs are the Super Rugby champions for the first time in the competition’s history. They are worthy of the title. They won the New Zealand conference. They won the right to host a semi-final and, thanks to the Stormers’ home defeat, a final.
Their consistency allowed them to do so, and it was also a consistent performance that allowed them to beat the Sharks in the decider.
603 Comments
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4 Aug 2012, 08:00 am
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SHARKSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
4 Aug 2012, 08:01 am
Morning all. Can anyone tell me the weather and field conditions in Hamilton
4 Aug 2012, 08:05 am
@Nautigal-2: Good morning , I hear cold wet and windy
4 Aug 2012, 08:07 am
C’mon Sharkies! This is it! You can do it! I cannot wait for kick off. It’s gonna be epic!
4 Aug 2012, 08:13 am
@sharks_lover-3: Thanks Sharks_lover. That should favour the Chiefs a bit. As a Stomers/WP fan I will be shouting for your boys today. Good Luck
4 Aug 2012, 08:15 am
@Nautigal-5: It probably will do although a tighter game might mean the scoreline will be close and one moment of magic could swing it! At least Freddie will feel at home in those conditions
4 Aug 2012, 08:16 am
@Nautigal-5: Thanks mate, not sure about who it will favor as the Sharks actually have a good record in the wet, also we have the stronger pack, Guess time will tell
4 Aug 2012, 08:18 am
@sharks_lover-7: SL, how confident are you feeling that we can pull this off?
4 Aug 2012, 08:21 am
@shark4life-8: Hard question, Knowing we are up against it , yet tryng to be very positive.
If the legs can hold mate we have a good chance, much depends on that
4 Aug 2012, 08:26 am
@sharks_lover-9: Yip, feeling pretty much the same
Agree that if we have rested well and got the travel out the way we can do it. I just have a sneaky little feeling deep down that we are gonna pull this off but I’m trying not to acknowledge it so I don’t set my expectations too high
I think that if our centre combination clicks we could just pull off a win against all the odds!
4 Aug 2012, 08:29 am
Come Sharks – I better not be doing die groot trek to the pub for nothing.
At last – a proper sport on tv.
4 Aug 2012, 08:32 am
@cab-11: I hope skopbefok doesn’t read your post. He reckons it’s a minor event versus the Olympics! It might well be in the overall scheme of things but he wasn’t saying that before the semifinal
4 Aug 2012, 08:40 am
Rain is pissing down
I have a feeling the Sharks team will change a bit before the start
4 Aug 2012, 08:43 am
GO SHARKS.
4 Aug 2012, 08:44 am
@sharks_lover-13: Raining damn. Wonder if it would have been better to start with Viljoen now at fb? Especially with is big boot. Move Lambie to 12?
4 Aug 2012, 08:45 am
@cab-11: hehe. Groot trek to the pub this time of the morning?
Enjoy the game Cabbie.
4 Aug 2012, 08:45 am
Cold, wet and raining. Wet weather rugby on the cards.
4 Aug 2012, 08:46 am
S H A R K S S S S S S S S S
This is so exciting !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Win or lose SHARKS FOREVER
Whohooooooooooo !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
4 Aug 2012, 08:47 am
To all the sharks fans and Sharks bloggers
Good luck. Hope your team wins
Most of us saffas are 100 % behind you
Go Sharks
4 Aug 2012, 08:47 am
@Puma-14: MOrning Brudda, eish me nervous as hell
4 Aug 2012, 08:48 am
wet weather could be a blessing with that SBW offloading machine phenomenon in midfield.
4 Aug 2012, 08:48 am
@TAJ BAR-17:
I think the rains helps the sharks
They have the better pack
It makes for a slower game
And could neutralize SBW
4 Aug 2012, 08:49 am
@CoachPete-19: Thanks Pete, much appreciated mate
@Treehugger-18: GOOOOO Sharkssssssssssssss , helloooo goreous
mwahzzzzz you well??
4 Aug 2012, 08:49 am
wtf cant i respond to others, says im posting too quicly, i am no IT guru but surely 20mins aint breaking the internet bandwidth limit?
yessus i hope beasty been fed the aggro beans and comes out bursting..
4 Aug 2012, 08:53 am
With the rain I have to give the sharks the edge
4 Aug 2012, 08:54 am
@cab-24:
4 Aug 2012, 08:55 am
Mhaw !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Morning Sharkie
4 Aug 2012, 08:56 am
Good luck Sharks. If you can pull this one off it’s like winning 3 Super Rugby titles.
4 Aug 2012, 08:56 am
When it all said and done, the Sharks start at 1:3 to win, they don’t meet this morning the propelled by swindles Stormers this time, they face the currently strongest Kiwi team
Can the odds makers be wrong twice in a row?
4 Aug 2012, 08:58 am
May the best team win, the ANZAC ref never need the TMO and the assistant refs resist the desire for cameos on TV
Interesting coincidence: 75% of both the RWC 2011 and the SXV 2012 semi’finalists have kiwi coaches. Will the home team win again?
This is my first post; how can I be posting too quickly????
4 Aug 2012, 08:58 am
@CoachPete-25:
It’s a cold rain and it’s muddy there or so I was told
How often have the Sharks experienced cold rain at Kings Park?
4 Aug 2012, 09:01 am
Just listening to Mallett saying that the rain should suit the Sharks with our tight five. The legs will tire though so hoping we can just pull it off.
Go Sharkies. Win or lose I am so proud of my boys making this final.
4 Aug 2012, 09:01 am
@Hondo-31:
yes true I agree but possibly better than a warm evening on dry pitch
The game will slow down big time. this will help maybe a tired team. Rain and wet field is a good leveler
I also feel Sharks forwards are better
Maybe i am wrong idk
4 Aug 2012, 09:02 am
@sharks_lover-26: I am nervous too but really win or lose here so proud of our boys.
4 Aug 2012, 09:02 am
@Puma-32:
I am not sure they will tire as quick if it was a fast open game
4 Aug 2012, 09:03 am
hope it’s a great game of rugby…
good luck to both sides…
Go Sharks…!
4 Aug 2012, 09:04 am
Good Morning Sports Fans!!!! Best wishes to the Sharks from a long suffering Lions fan.
4 Aug 2012, 09:05 am
SHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARKS!!!
4 Aug 2012, 09:05 am
Goal kicking is going to be very important
Is Lambie going to take kicks?
4 Aug 2012, 09:07 am
Hmm posting to fast ???
Overseas high speed too fast for your site Keo?
4 Aug 2012, 09:07 am
I think the run-on team will have a few changes given the weather! Eish, I’m so nervous I can’t even sit down right now!
4 Aug 2012, 09:08 am
@CoachPete-39: Maybe stay with current or recent goal kicker, which has been working well? What do U think?
4 Aug 2012, 09:08 am
Ok off to bed DVR on record
Go Sharks
4 Aug 2012, 09:09 am
@Boertjie-37: Thanks Boertjie! I feel your pain! WTF is going on at your union? Now they’ve fired everyone except Ackermann!
4 Aug 2012, 09:10 am
@Boertjie-42:
Yes i think thats the way to go Hope the frenchie is on target
he can be hot or cold Just need to change if he is not kicking well
4 Aug 2012, 09:11 am
I meant cold,windy and raining lol
4 Aug 2012, 09:11 am
@shark4life-44: China…If it was my Union the business would be run very differently. All I have to say is that Johannesburg is SO important to the strength of future SA rugby, so all this kuk has been very disappointing.
4 Aug 2012, 09:13 am
@TAJ BAR-46:
Ja rain can be very wet
4 Aug 2012, 09:14 am
Waikato rugby aka chiefs love wet rugby you might be surprised how the chiefs attack in the wet.
4 Aug 2012, 09:15 am
There will lots of windy rain and wet wind lol
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