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, 13:11 pm
@munkiboi-449: @munkiboi-449: pity then the stormers couldn’t beat the Sharks in the semi at home hey?! you had it all in your favour but you threw it all away in spectacular fashion! sharks got further than your team in the competition – therefore they are better – fact! deal with it hombre!
4 Aug 2012, 13:13 pm
Sharks lost.No,Sharks got moered silly.End of story.Deal with it you sharkievarkie supporters!!!
4 Aug 2012, 13:15 pm
@Wing Commander Raymond-450: Earth to Raymond, Earth to Raymond. 37-6.
That is not a loss, that is paedophilia. Spin it whatever way you want.
PS: we still have the conference cup, yes we do. You on the other hand, have memories:)
37-6.
“The best team to never win a Super rugby title?”-WAFLOHS
Have a BOOM BOOM day my friend. Out of here
4 Aug 2012, 13:16 pm
@Wing Commander Raymond-444: I don’t know you but you sound like a pr!ck.
I am a Stormers supporter.
I rate the Sharks as SA’s top 2012 team and diserved their spot in the final.
This final was one of the most boring and one-sided I’ve seen in years.
After 15 mins I was reading the paper.
By 40 I’d lost complete interest.
15 mins into the second half I switched off.
From first hand experience I factored in the impact travel would have on the visiting side. The wet conditions wouldn’t have helped but that’s acceptable. The match officials just ensured the game was never going to be a spectacle.How was that never a high tackle on Kanko. I mean; are these guys blind?
What a **** final. Just my opinion.
And you, you blind provincial d00s should go and find a Zambezi to swim with.
4 Aug 2012, 13:16 pm
Congratulations to the Chiefs. A bridge too far.
Well done to the Sharks players and staff for never giving up.
Credit to both.
Keep goingyougoodthings, you gave it your best shot.
4 Aug 2012, 13:17 pm
@Wing Commander Raymond-451:
by your logic the lions are better than the sharks then seeing as they won their last game against them….
!
4 Aug 2012, 13:21 pm
@TASSIES-454:
yes it was one of the worst games in the whole S15 comp. imagine that was the only match someone watched of the comp. what a bad advert for S15.
the comp is severely flawed when it allows a final (which should be the showcase) like that. chiefs were on receiving end last time the final was so one sided.
thank flunk there was the olympics to flick over too. lets hope those shark boks can pick themselves up for rugby championship.
4 Aug 2012, 13:36 pm
Well from a shark fan prosective, what a poo game. They might as well let the another frenchise go over to play the Chiefs instead, they only made up the numbers- shocking stuff.
Du Pussie brothers always conceding penalties. You would think a doctor of all people should have some brains al least, compared to other rugby players. Jannie sure doesnt. Naybe its the standard of doctors in SA these days! These two are like effing kids, a bunch of 20yr olds, will they ever grow up?
Michalak once again the calprit for a try like last week, was invisible in this game.Great flyhalves are able to make a stand even when the forward domination is going backwards. Glad to see him leaving as I am not a fan of any foreign players/ coaches in SA. (English football side is always **** because premier league consists of mostly foreign players – sinario). Hopefully little lamb learned a thing or two from him otherwise a negitive(backward step) for bok rugby. Its key position so we should always be seeking depth and the best in SA talent , regardless how ****, only way to develop and be consistant and that inculdes coaching staff. Steyn is only mediocore so we need serious growth here and a.s.a.p.!
Does SA Rugby have a minimum educational and standard requirment? I am guessing not if foreign coaches are needed. Maybe it is time to install one. I mean one that borders on an master degree. like HM, J white, Mallot, Henry, just an example may it be good or bad, all the knowledge they have , being the basic knowledge of all provincial rugby teams. And as the game evolves so to must the coaches get up dated. Something like IT personell, they have to do courses every 6 months just to keep up to date…
Sloppy from the Sharks – knock on galore.
Lambie was poo today, bad decision making and on defense.
SBWillams seems to shoulder charge often, glad to see a ref pic that up, disgraceful stuff. Thats one thing I have noticed about him, he like to do this.
Chiefs are the team in the compo. Sharks seem to have a poor plan coming into the game, and if you kick for touch make sure you get it, jeepers, basic school boy stuff– very fustrating to watch
So for compitition organisers, the greedy cash grabbers, well, that was a loss for you….well deserved!!
For NZ rugby, a major plus, a provincial team(two Ablacks) beats the near Bok team… thats huge, thats massive.. People want to talk about depth in SA, well bite your lip, NZ have done far better, and perhaps added coaching staff to the list too!
4 Aug 2012, 13:42 pm
100m for men first had prelim. rounds and only now heats of first round(proper) and then evrything thereafter.
So no one is into the semis yet. Gatland now wins heat 2 of this first round.Tyson G. won heat 1
GB looks set for more golds/medals in hep. and rowing.
4 Aug 2012, 13:44 pm
Havent’ watched the match yet — was Walsh that bad?? It was ironic earlier this week when Rennie came out and said he wanted Joubert for this match.
4 Aug 2012, 13:49 pm
well done chiefs.
bad luck my sharkies.
the better team wonon the day but i am encouraged by the team that has been built in durbs, i am proud of you guys and will be shouting SHARKS FOREVER!
4 Aug 2012, 13:49 pm
Ryan Baily USA – 9.88 in the FIRST HEAT
That going some in a warm up run
Next best so far Gatlin at 9.96
Bolt, Blake still to come
4 Aug 2012, 13:52 pm
@munkiboi-457:
well from a South Africans point of view…it was a rubbish game.
In fact if someone just tuned into a rugby match for the first time , the final would not have been a bad one to watch.
Better than watching the Cheetahs, no try stormers or kick and bash Bulls team dont you think?
4 Aug 2012, 13:52 pm
That was heat 3. Heat 4 with Bolt about to be run and Tyson won heat 1.
4 Aug 2012, 13:53 pm
@rangerman-461:
Bad luck Ranger, good to see you still proud of your team. They played a good tournament really.
Timed there run just right but ran out of gas in the end.
4 Aug 2012, 13:56 pm
And Bolt strikes like lightning but easing up early.
4 Aug 2012, 13:57 pm
Bolt won’t take it this year he looking out of condition cruising in in 10.08 but he looking over trained over weight and cumbersome, so far Bailey USA looking the business, Jamaica hopes gotta rest on Blake this time.
4 Aug 2012, 14:02 pm
The bits and pieces I did watch this morning, I observed Pat was completely out of sorts. Not up to his usual high standards. JP and Kanko were up for it. However, the team were not firing as we’ve seen recently on the park and I would suspect jet lag and the combined effects of excessive recent travel finally caught up. Not the teams’ fault but it’s in this department that the S15 is flawed. The finals are sometimes played on very uneven playing fields and today was an example of the highest order. Nowhere are the Chiefs worth a 31 point win over this Sharks team. With a bit of luck, 7 maybe.
4 Aug 2012, 14:03 pm
First the Yanks showed and now the Jammies answer back.
4 Aug 2012, 14:06 pm
@munkiboi-457: we’re obviously on the same page. What a lousy investment. You might as well have given the one team takkies to play in to create a visually obvious handicap. Ditto the Chiefs Bulls final of a few years ago. Who want to pay good money to watch this rubbish. I say, make Hong Kong the venue for all S15 finals. No home ground advantage because its a farce.
4 Aug 2012, 14:06 pm
FIRST ROUND = first HEAT
Maybe Bolt fooling everyone with that lethargic first HEAT run, but Bailey USA looking better
Powell easing up easy cruising his first heat run
Going to be one magnificent final
Gatlin, Bolt, Blake, Powell, Bailey all gunning for sub 9.70 time
4 Aug 2012, 14:07 pm
hehehehe the Stormers fans telling us about “boring rugby”! hehehehe the irony! fact is I am very proud of my team for making the final and no amount of bitter Stormers trying to rain on the parade will change that! the Stormers fans are so happy today hehehehehe! but their happiness is a mask for the sour grapes felt in the pits of their stomachs and they know it! well done Sharks on a great season and for making the final, they have a wonderful team to now push on and win this thing. watch them next year! whilst the Stormers have peaked and will now commence the downward curve it’s only a matter of time for the Sharks as they have the Super pedigree of regularly contesting finals. the Stormers don’t really have the history, do they?!
4 Aug 2012, 14:10 pm
@Hurricane-463: Can’t really agree. where is the excitment in watching such a one-side final between two top teams. The game was effectively over after 15 mins. So why not call time after 15, save the players’ energy and the crowd can enjoy a beer out of the rain. If they had a replay in two weeks, same conditions, would you bother to watch. I know I wouldn’t.
4 Aug 2012, 14:11 pm
And the Jammie Beast answers again for the islanders in heat 6.
4 Aug 2012, 14:12 pm
Blake wins heat6 of round 1.
Read the moniter.
4 Aug 2012, 14:15 pm
Screen says: Result: Round 1 Heat 6
1. Yohan Blake.
2. Who Cares
4 Aug 2012, 14:17 pm
Heat 7 is the final heat of Round 1.
It has GB’s Chambers in it according to BBC the hosting and original channel
4 Aug 2012, 14:21 pm
@TASSIES-473:
Again depend who you back.
Go and ask any Bulls supporter in 2009 when they took apart the Chiefs, did they not enjoy the game at all??
As i said only people that didnt were people supporting sharks.
Now after 15 mins the Sharks were still looking good, i dont know why you would stop watching after 15 mins.
I enjoyed it.
4 Aug 2012, 14:24 pm
@TASSIES-470: ja myself and atreides had a discussion about this yesterday.
it makes a mockery of finals imo but no complaints, the chiefs were tops.
@Hurricane-465: cheers man, i am proud of my sharks and will be forever a sharks fan.
i am loving the fact that it is saffas, mostly stormers fans, that are trying to stick the knife in and not kiwis
shows how much last week meant.
4 Aug 2012, 14:24 pm
And the Trinnie completes it for the Caribbeans with a 3rd.
Result: Round 1 Heat 7
1.Dwain Chambers GB
4 Aug 2012, 14:24 pm
I enjoyed every minute of the final. Fantastic performance by the Chiefs. They very cleverly took away all the Sharks attacking plat forms. Brilliant tactics by Rennie and Smith. Its clear that they made plans for the Sharks. Sharks ran out of cards to play. The Chiefs studied them to a tee. They knew the Sharks would target Sbw so they utilized that factor brilliantly.
4 Aug 2012, 14:27 pm
@rossoneri-481: seeing as the Crusaders haven’t won the thing in 4 years are you now a Chiefs supporter?
4 Aug 2012, 14:29 pm
@Wing Commander Raymond-472: could not be further from the truth. I was lucky enough to be in a ‘box’ at Newlands last week and to a person, the folk I was with, accepted that the better team won and were intent on supporting the Sharks in today’s final. Many however, were concerned about the travel. Dbn-Brisbane. Brisbane-Dbn. Dbn-Ctn. Ctn-Dbn. Dbn-Auckland. Hour drive to Hamilton. Clearly you haven’t much west-east travel experience as us Stormers supporters do.
4 Aug 2012, 14:29 pm
Tassies. You are just suurgat at the Sharks performance. As a true rugby lover I was blown away by the coaching intelligence on display. It really looked like Plum thought the same game plan they used against the Reds and Stormers were automatically going to work for them. Chiefs played a completely different game than what they played against the Saders. Hats off to Rennie and Smith. Innovating rugby with every step ala Spain innovating football.
4 Aug 2012, 14:31 pm
the sharks were on top for 15 to 20 mins then ran out of gas and were brilliantly picked apart by the chiefs.
this isnt a theory, its fact.
the sharks will just have to up their game and ensure they are better placed next year but i still say that provision needs to be made to minimise the effect of travel on a final, regardless of who the teams are IN FUTURE.
the bacon, porkies and muchies were excellent btw, lots of hp sauce and a lovely durban winter day not a cloud in sight.
sadly for the fish, i cannot give them the day off tomorrow now so i will be up well before dawn and plan to enter the water at first light for bugs and maybe a garrick/ leervis.
i hope the chiefs fans party hard tonight, this win has been a long time coming for them and i know that WHEN the sharks win the comp, i will let it all hang out.
4 Aug 2012, 14:31 pm
The obvious answer is rosso supports rugby.
4 Aug 2012, 14:32 pm
@rangerman-479: you’re a good man Ranger. Not for a minute did I blame your team for today’s performance. I watched them at Newlands. They were sublime. Nailed us stukkend.
4 Aug 2012, 14:33 pm
tjorts people
4 Aug 2012, 14:34 pm
Commander. You are narrow minded. My team were beaten by a better Chiefs team. Today I watched the final as a rugby lover and saw a spectacular performance by the Chiefs. I appreciated the intelligence in how Plum who for the past three weeks thought he had the winning receipe got completely out thought by THE INCREDIBRAIN WAYNE SMITH.
4 Aug 2012, 14:38 pm
Anyway. Have a good day all.
4 Aug 2012, 14:41 pm
Spooner.
Is that you …..
4 Aug 2012, 14:41 pm
@rossoneri-489: I’m just wondering how much longer you will stick with the trophy-less Crusaders before finding another kiwi team?
4 Aug 2012, 14:42 pm
@rossoneri-484: nope. Not suurgat. Not close. Chiefs played a very good game. Probably diserved to win. My gripe is somewhat different. It’s the one-sided nature of the event. The Sharks were NEVER going to win this one. So why bother to watch. Do you for one minute think this excellent Chiefs steam would have any chance of beating this same Sharks team if for example they had flown to Perth to take on the Force, then returned to Hamilton, then off to Christchurch to play the Saders and jump on a plane and travel to Shark Tank and play an infinitely more rested Sharks team, in their own back yard. And to top it, add a ‘friendly’ ref to add some flavor to the whipping they could expect. I know where my heart would lie. I’d feel very sorry for the Chiefs and their fans. So you’re wrong.
4 Aug 2012, 14:43 pm
game went exactly as I predicted. Cheifs brought their A game.
Big game from the Cheifs Polynesian front row against the Springbok Front Row
Jannie is very overrated.
4 Aug 2012, 14:43 pm
@TASSIES-493: very good points.
4 Aug 2012, 14:46 pm
@Wing Commander Raymond-492:
Does it matter?
Fact is what Rossoneri says is the truth.
Wayne Smith has a great brain for rugby. Chiefs break into the big time was securing Smith.
4 Aug 2012, 14:47 pm
@Hurricane-478: okay maybe it was 20 mins. I had the newspaper on my knee. The latter just became steadily more interesting and the former less so. I was simply trying to make a point. As a Kiwi I suppose one must understand that you’d enjoy it. As a part-neutral(read: alien Stormers supporter if you believe some) it was a disappointing missmatch and not neccessarily based on purely rugby reasons.
4 Aug 2012, 14:49 pm
Does it not say “Spooner”?
4 Aug 2012, 14:50 pm
Absolutely Hurricane. Agree with you there. As for my Crusaders. They will always be quality and still one of the feared sides in this comp. But today is not about them. Today was about the final and I did enjoy it.
4 Aug 2012, 14:50 pm
@Wing Commander Raymond-495: thanks. Then we can agree on something. And apologies for calling you a P. It was uncalled for. But I still don’t agree with you about all us Stormers supporters. Many of us a pretty fair in our assessments. Well, we try.
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