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on second thought

Ok, so I might have gotten ahead of myself after the win on Saturday. Yes, it is worrying that our first line of defense was broken so many times. The cover defence on Saturday was magnificent but in the future we might not be so lucky. Especially worrying was the fact that Ruan missed an opportunity to stop both tries, Peter Grant’s more so than Bobo’s. However, he had a bad game all round and we need to be prepared to see that happen and to keep backing him. He is pure class when on form and we won’t get the best out of him if we don’t all get behind him. Also, the Lions were far better than I gave them credit for and Saturday’s game is going to be tougher than we would’ve thought when the fixtures were first released. But, the fact that the game is in Durban must count in our favour a lot. Also, the memory of the CC semi will still be in Earl Rose’s mind even though he was at fullback that day. Our defense will be better on Saturday and Henno and Ashwin will definitely be seeing less of the ball. Something that hasn’t been mentioned a lot is the fitness the players showed on Saturday. As the game wore on it was clear that we were better conditioned and I expect us to be scoring more points towards the end of games than we have in the past. Too many times have we seen the Sharks score 2/3 early tries but fail to get the bonus point. And we all know how valuable bonus points are come the end of the season.

We all know that there are a few things still needing work but if we know it then John Plumtree knows it even better. I have so much faith and trust in him. I still believe that when we get it together there’s no team capable of beating us. Let’s enjoy Saturday’s win (4 in a row over the Stormers now) and wait in anticipation for the Lions game. Watching a Sharks team on fire is something we shouldn’t be taking for granted. For those in Durban: get to the game!

sharks 20 stormers 15

I was one of the many thousand humans who were fortunate enough to gain entrance into Newlands yesterday. The vibe was nothing like King’s Park but we came for the win, not to appreciate the lack of atmosphere. At half-time it was 0-10, which made me a bit uneasy, more so because I was sitting with only Stormers fans. However, having watched the game on tv there wasn’t that much to be worried about. Ruan missed three early kicks which would’ve given us the momentum early on but to be fair all three were difficult and there was a swirling wind to deal with. The other things which lead to a scoreless first half was poor first-time tackling, very average tactical kicking, and unnecessary infringements at the breakdown. This meant we were constantly on the back foot, struggling to put together more than a couple of phases. It’s worth remembering that it was only the first 40 minutes of a four month mission. John Plumtree said that he wasn’t worried at this point which is great. He really shouldn’t have been, and it’s a good sign that they know what they’re capable of and what they need to be doing. There wasn’t much to judge the backline on during the first half.

The second half was controlled by a very calm and mature Sharks team. It started with a great interchange of passes but once again  they missed an opportunity to get onto the scoreboard. It was during this move that Jean de Villiers took a knock and had to be stretchered off. The change in momentum from this point onwards was remarkable and during the next 25 minutes the Sharks proceeded to win the game. The Stormers didn’t look the same without their star player and leader but the Sharks did step up a few gears. They improved on all the areas in which they struggled in the first half. Notably, Stefan kicked more effectively and looked a lot more solid at the back. The forwards managed to build on the majority of possession they got and finally the Sharks carried the ball through phases and created space by moving the ball through the hands.

Kockott took over the kicking and kicked a long-range effort with his first attempt. The Sharks suddenly looked like they knew this was a game they could win and settled into doing what they needed to. Kicks were less aimless and used effectively to turn the Stormers around and chase up to defend aggressively. Bismarck came on and was his usual self; awesome. John Smit moved to loosehead and got the better of Mujati. The first try came on 60 minutes when aggressive defending at a lineout lead to a free kick. It was taken quickly and John Smit barged over. Five minutes later an awesome run of play starting from a scrum on our own 5m line saw Stefan round off a great try. I have a feeling we will be seeing many more such tries. At this point there was only one team on the park. The Stormers scored through Peter Grant and scared the Sharks at the end but our defense held well and a well-deserved 4 points were earned. The Sharks will be happy to head back to King’s Park to face the Lions, who shouldn’t pose too many problems. Coming back from an average first half and a 10 point deficit against a team that look certain to finish in the top 6 is a good way to start this campaign.

The Sharks look like a team that know how to win. It’s something they’ve gained from making the semi’s last year and winning the CC. It’s a trait which all champion sides show and the Sharks definitely have it. The forwards were awesome, Stefan got better as the game went on, Rory was magnificent, and Adi ran with purpose and distributed very well. The wings chased up well but were relatively quiet. That will change when Ruan and Frans work out their partnership. They haven’t played together as 10-12 so it will take time but when it comes off there won’t be a team in the competition that can stop the Sharks. It’s our time!

It’s go time

The day has finally arrived! It’s Feb 14, and you all know what that means… Sharks Stormers! I think it’s also Valentine’s Day? Anyway, the weekend has already produced some exciting rugby. The opener between the Highlanders and the Brumbies was a cracker and 16 weeks of that would be wonderful. Having seen bits and pieces of most games I still believe this is our year to put an end to the Super 12/14 ghost which still haunts us. There’s no better way to start off our campaign than a win against the team we love to hate. At Newlands. We’ve won the last 3 against them and 2 years ago at Newlands it was 36-10. On paper we look stronger, if a little thin on the bench due to a few niggling injuries keeping back a few who are going to make our 22 absolutely unmatched in this year’s competition. It feels slightly strange going into a campaign being considered the favourite by even the experts from Down Under. But, it won’t count for anything if we lose today. It might not be the spectacle we’re hoping for but, for those who know their rugby, a hard-fought, ground-out, physical win is just as satisfying as winning an open game with lots of tries. And, how often have we not seen a structured gameplan lead to the floodgates opening (think SA v Australia last year).

I’m not here to give the most in-depth preview of the game but there a few things i’m looking forward to seeing today:

* Frans playing with the maturity he acquired last year.

* Ruan dazzling at 10

* Kanko, Jean, Keegan keeping Schalk quiet

* Adi being Adi

* The Stormers fans leaving before the hooter

For those wanting to read more about our great team head over to www.sharksworld.co.za. It’s a great place to discuss all things Sharks. Their match preview will also be better than mine!

The weather in Cape Town is windy and rainy right now but even the sun would want to see us play today. I’ll be there representing. Go Sharks!

Round 1 Picks

Highlanders

Force

Lions

Crusaders

Waratahs

Sharks

Bulls

super 14 – round 1

Friday 13 Feb

08:35 Highlanders vs Brumbies

12.45 Force vs Blues

19:10 Lions vs Cheetahs

Saturday 14 Feb

06:30 Crusaders vs Chiefs

08:35 Hurricanes vs Waratahs

17:00 Stormers vs Sharks

19:10 Bulls vs Reds

redemption continued…

It has been 3 months since we last saw the Sharks dominate. The excitement of regaining the trophy we made our own during the 90′s has led to this being one of the most anticipated Super 14 seasons in a long time. Not only are the Sharks a firm favourite, but this could be the year the Stormers finally break through. Or not! Saturday should put that rumour to rest. The Sharks are the only South African team realistically able to consistently challenge our foes from down under. This competition is about far more than promise, a good team on paper, and the most biased journalists in the world. The Cape press loves to talk the Stormers up every February, but we all know how that story ends. A feeble tight 5, lack of team unity, and one too many weak links together with a last round stumble should give the Stormers a comfortable top 6 finish but nothing more. Moving on.

The Sharks have a favourable draw, a stretch of home games at the end, and a great squad. With the loss of Freddie and Brad comes a new-look backline. 9 Rory 10 Ruan 12 Frans. The rest stay as they were. 11 JP 13 Adi 14 Odwa 15 Stefan. Nothing wrong with that. A slight worry is the cover should there be injuries as there are bound to be when a team play 13 games in 14 weeks. Only time will tell.

The forwards are just as strong, with the added comfort of quality replacements. Throw in a few youngsters around the fringes and things are looking promising.

There really is a sense of destiny about this team. I can’t wait for the final on May 30th. King’s Park. You’re invited. Be There.

For now, we’ll take it one week at a time. Our first test are the Stormers at Newlands. I’ll be there. It’s going to be a cracker.

redemption – the start

October 25 – King’s Park.

The Sharks finally put to bed the ghosts of finals past. An intense two-week build-up couldn’t prepare the faithful for what was to come. Ruan Pienaar provided the edge with a trademark dummy and stretch in the first half. The second half was solid but lacking the killer blow which would’ve put the game out of reach. A missed conversion close to time sent a wave of deja vu over the stadium of kings but nothing would stop this group of warriors from tasting the glory which we had all been waiting for. 12 years and too many play-offs to think about. Our time had come. Redemption had come.

Ruan - Photo courtesy of www.sharksrugby.co.za

It was the end of a long journey back to where we belong. It was also the start of something bigger. It was the start of the Sharks redemption story, a story we will be following closely as 2009 unfolds. We are black, we are white, we are, we are, dynamite!!

redemption - Photo courtesy of www.sharksrugby.co.za