Lambie boots Sharks into final
20 Oct 2012
JON CARDINELLI writes that Pat Lambie’s cool game management was decisive in the Sharks’ emphatic 20-3 win over the Blue Bulls in Durban.
If Saturday’s semi-final at Kings Park was a movie, Lambie was the show-stealing leading man.
This blockbuster boasted a strong supporting cast, with Marcel Coetzee and Keegan Daniel producing influential performances at the collisions, and Jannie du Plessis perpetuating the physical dominance with a powerful scrumming display.
But above and beyond all of that was Lambie’s decision making and execution. This allowed the Sharks to take advantage and eventually finish the game as deserved victors.
The wet conditions prescribed a conservative approach, and it was the Sharks who adapted best. The hosts enjoyed a wealth of possession and territory in the first stanza, and much of these advantages were earned through a superior kicking game.
Lambie, scrumhalf Cobus Reinach and fullback Louis Ludik shared the tactical kicking duties, keeping the Bulls pinned in their own territory with a series of probes and high-hanging up-and-unders. While the Bulls employed similar tactics, it was the Sharks, and especially Lambie, who were more accurate in the implementation of this strategy.
The Bulls were often beaten in the air when the ball went high, such was the precision of the Sharks’ kick as well as the timing of the chase. When they attempted to reply in kind, they were guilty of booting the ball too deep. It was because of these errors that they were unable to put the Sharks under the necessary pressure.
Morné Steyn has struggled with his kicking all season, and had another awful outing in Saturday’s semi-final. The out-of-sorts Bok flyhalf made mistakes from the kickoff that resulted in turnovers. There were several instances where he was charged down and where he kicked the ball out on the full.
But the blame for this defeat cannot be laid solely at Steyn’s door. The forwards were outplayed physically and technically, and the patent lack of discipline and composure of the Bulls’ collective cost them at key moments.
In the first half, Lambie had done well to switch between kicking and running. As the Sharks launched an attacking move on the Bulls’ 22m line, Lambie made the decision to chip and chase. It looked to be an excellent option with nobody sweeping at the back, but as Lambie raced to collect his own kick he was felled by Bulls prop Morné Mellet. Referee Mark Lawrence didn’t hesitate in sending Mellet to the sin-bin for tripping, and the Sharks proceeded to score six more points in Mellet’s absence.
The Bulls finished the first half with zero points and virtually no territory, and found themselves chasing the game in the second period. They enjoyed a brief period on the front-foot but were repeatedly undone by their own errors and indiscipline. To be fair, the Sharks did respond to this onslaught with a determined defensive display.
The hosts’ lineout wobbled and their scrum looked less secure when Du Plessis left the field before half-time, but they will be happy with the way they performed at the collisions, and the manner in which their flyhalf dictated play in the battle for territory.
They will enjoy home ground advantage in next week’s final, but these are the attributes that will make them favourites to win the Currie Cup trophy. They played to the conditions and kept their composure in the semi-final, and they have the right balance between individual brilliance and collective clout to ensure that they will go all the way.
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351 Comments
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20 Oct 2012, 18:14 pm
@David-195: it wasn’t the worst idea in theory, trouble is he presumably wanted them all to play his one-dimensional limited style
20 Oct 2012, 18:15 pm
Dewald trying to jump over a ruck to score is one of the silliest moves I have seen…
20 Oct 2012, 18:15 pm
Ag man poor Hondo can’t help himself
20 Oct 2012, 18:15 pm
Same thing predawn.. U guys keep falling for the same fake kak… Time to grow up.. Do u still believe in the tooth fairy and santa clause?
20 Oct 2012, 18:15 pm
Morne pulling a Greyling?
Now I have seen it all………
20 Oct 2012, 18:15 pm
Bloody hell. Stiff arm slug from Steyn.
20 Oct 2012, 18:16 pm
F ucking shitstain is so kak, can’t do jackshit on the field so takes a liberty!
What a prick!
20 Oct 2012, 18:17 pm
@Atreides-175:
the sharks probably deserved it but you have admit the refereeing was pathetic.
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-184: sharks were always the fancied team going into this, so deserved i guess. but we can all agree the ref had a negative and ultimately influential influence on the game.
bulls are sitll building and about one or two seasons from being title contenders.
i’m off,
enjoy the rrugby and best of luck for everyone’s teams
cheers
20 Oct 2012, 18:17 pm
@suffer_guy-185: You know how many people at are the Jurie Els concert ?
20 Oct 2012, 18:17 pm
Sharks_Lover must be beside himself……..They better give Bambie additional protection when he leaves the stadium.
20 Oct 2012, 18:17 pm
Well done Sharks… Bar full of happy black people. Too bad for the Bulls, was gonna buy a Bulls jersey and move to Despatch next week…
20 Oct 2012, 18:17 pm
@Atreides-207: Exactly. I logged in just to comment on that. Lambie made him look like a fat **** tonight so he loses it against Ludick.
20 Oct 2012, 18:18 pm
And Dusky appears.
20 Oct 2012, 18:18 pm
Best team won but Mark Lawrence cheated from the first whistle. May he burn in hell.
20 Oct 2012, 18:18 pm
If Meyer doesn’t play Lambie above Steyn after that then there is no hope.
Now let’s see how Jantjies goes.
20 Oct 2012, 18:18 pm
@Big Hit-192: remember saracens – mouritz botha or something – showing him up in 2009?
he is no FdP!
20 Oct 2012, 18:18 pm
I said the Sharks would win by 15.
They won by 17.
Nice result.
Die Currie Cup kom weer.
20 Oct 2012, 18:18 pm
@Atreides-186:
Jon Jones breaking okes in the ring.
20 Oct 2012, 18:19 pm
The Bulls play similar and are almost as kak as the Boks.
20 Oct 2012, 18:19 pm
Got to give Lambie credit.
No big mouth, no complaints, no whinging…
Just continues to make a statement where it counts.
Interresting to see if Morne Steyn is picked at 10 ahead of Pat for NH tour.
Bok 10′s in order:
Goosen
Lambie
Jantjies
James
Steyn
20 Oct 2012, 18:19 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-208: Sharks dominated in every single facet. Mark Lawrence had two or three clangers in the game. TWO OR THREE.
The fact that you guys slipped into the semi-finals by a hair, and haven’t won a Currie Cup match in Durban since 2006 also holds some weight. And I think now in the last 18 Currie Cup games – Its Sharks 14 – Bulls 4.
Your flou nulletjies were always on a hiding to nothing.
20 Oct 2012, 18:19 pm
Hougard haaaaaa haaaa haaa let’s kick up & unders even though we well behind & time basically up
20 Oct 2012, 18:19 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-208: Lawrence did suck Bakkies. But you have to admit your Bulls desperately needed a playmaker at 10 today, and not a bot.
Bad luck Bakkies – the Bulls will live to fight another day
And just remember – it might be a Sharks/Lions final – but the Bulls and Stormers will still be playing super rugby next year
All is not verloren just yet.
20 Oct 2012, 18:19 pm
@mikeybrass-215: it was a wet, soggy field. Not unlike those up north. And Lambie outshone Steyn by a country mile.
If Meyer selects Steyn then there is no hope.
20 Oct 2012, 18:20 pm
@Dawn-213: Dont get wet.
20 Oct 2012, 18:20 pm
Well done to the Guppies!
For the Bulls, their drought will continue for at least another 5 years, both SuperRugby as well as CC
TRANSIE,
Poor performance by Kings.
They will win next weekend!
20 Oct 2012, 18:20 pm
Lambie was composed and his positional play & support play outstanding. He can take it in the pocket and play flat as the situation demands.
20 Oct 2012, 18:20 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-208: Dude you have a pathological problem with refs, why do you even watch the game, it doesn’t seem like you take any enjoyment from it? Serious question. It literally consumes you.
20 Oct 2012, 18:21 pm
@Liewe Luiperd-224: Like the conditions the Boks will face soon up north!!!
20 Oct 2012, 18:21 pm
Saffas always complain about the ref huh? Usually the bonehead Saffas.
When a team dominates so much the ref calls tend to go their way.
If the Bulls were better perhaps they wouldn’t have ad to defend all game and get a snotklap.
20 Oct 2012, 18:22 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-205: morne needs a LONGER “mental break”
20 Oct 2012, 18:22 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-210:
20 Oct 2012, 18:23 pm
Wetter than an otter’s pocket.
20 Oct 2012, 18:23 pm
I see little evidence of Pine Pienaar evolving the Bulls game.
20 Oct 2012, 18:23 pm
Well done to the Sharks for making their second final this year.
Clearly the best in SA in 2012, as next weekend will show.
20 Oct 2012, 18:23 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-208: Bakkies i thought there were some calls in Sharks favour however you have to agree with the talent available for the Bulls they are badly coached and didn’t deserve to win. Arno Botha and CJ Stander are two of the best loose forwards in SA and if you had to put them under a different coach would be phenomenal. Man for man this Bulls side is bigger and may even have more potential but they can only play the “python” game and with defences so flatly lined they battle to break them down and defences can absorb the attacks all day long as the ABs did to the Boks.
20 Oct 2012, 18:24 pm
For all the other teams’ supporters. Please show some compassion towards us. We had to play the entire season with Morne Steyn and when the Boks played he also played.
The cancer for this Bulls team is the following.
1. Morne Steyn and the Bulls gameplan
2. Hougaard, who is a good player, but if you cannot play in the rain then you cannot play for the Boks. His kicking is useless.
3. Our props binding. The number of penalties Greyling and Werner Kruger conceded between them is shocking. The fact that any new prop has the same problem shows the coaching team needs to be blamed.
In Arno Botha, Ralepele, Juandre Kruger, Basson and some other we have enough to take this team forward, but we need to get rid of this cancer first.
To be humiliated in playing with pink jerseys does not help!
20 Oct 2012, 18:24 pm
@suffer_guy-204:
Go to the Africa Fight League 12 at Greyville Race Course on the 3rd November then we’ll talk.
20 Oct 2012, 18:24 pm
@Transformation-231: Morne needs a 3 week break in a MENTAL asylum. That swinging arm at the end told one tragic story…….
20 Oct 2012, 18:25 pm
Lambie sounds like a shy grade. 7 les been
20 Oct 2012, 18:25 pm
No Leadership and bignames costing the Bulls bigtime.
Plus the skop;jaag;pray;hope;faith;dirty bully techniques not working anymore!
Dont go pubbing in Tswane tonight!
20 Oct 2012, 18:25 pm
@mikeybrass-227: I still thought he wasn’t at his best and will get better playing there more often.
20 Oct 2012, 18:25 pm
If Bakkies isn’t banging on about the “filthy kiwis” its about “cheating refs”!
20 Oct 2012, 18:25 pm
Go Province!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
20 Oct 2012, 18:25 pm
Vok if the next game is as boring as this am gonna watch MIB 3
20 Oct 2012, 18:26 pm
@Predawn-218: his win over Machida is my favourite…killer guillotine
20 Oct 2012, 18:26 pm
Go Lions.
Lions by 12 I said.
20 Oct 2012, 18:26 pm
@Horings-237: The Bulls will be back dude. You have some stupendously talented youngster scoming through. If the management make the correct decisions i.e. DROP Spies, play Botha etc etc etc…no reason the Bulls won’t be rocking on shortly.
20 Oct 2012, 18:27 pm
@Liewe Luiperd-224:
It looks like the next game is going to be played in a massive thunderstorm.
20 Oct 2012, 18:28 pm
@Big Hit-201:
Not for the national coach to determine, when you consider their lifespan.
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