Hungry 'Tahs smash fading Sharks
Sat, 26 Apr 2008 13:32
You beauty: The Tahs celebrate a Tom Carter try
A brutal three-try blitz in the second half from the Waratahs helped them to a 25-10 win over the Sharks in their vital Super 14 clash in Sydney on Saturday.
The Sharks defended bravely for long periods in the game, but had no answer to the constant pressure from the home side.
The win lifts the 'Tahs into second place on the standings, as they leapfrog the Sharks, whose semifinal aspirations are fading fast
The Sharks were dealt an injury blow before the kick-off when captain Johann Muller suffered a calf strain during the warm-up, and was ruled out of the match.
This brought AJ Venter into the starting XV at lock, and the big Springbok also took over the captaincy for the match.
The opening period was predictably tight and competitive between two teams that have designs on a home semifinal place. With so much up for grabs, and every result now vitally important at this stage of the season, it was clear that both sides were going to do everything in their power to force a result.
It was the unlikely figure of Waratahs wing Lote Tuqiri who lined up the first kick at goal, but the big Wallaby showed that he was very much at home as a goal-kicker by slotting a long conversion to open the scoring. 3-0 to the 'Tahs after 12 minutes.
The defences were on top in those first 15 minutes or so, but it was the Sharks who were not experiencing much luck - yet another injury, this time to Fred Michalak at pivot, forced coach Dick Muir into another reshuffle.
The coach brought on Ruan Pienaar at flyhalf after Michalak limped off, but there was more tackling to do than anything else for the gifted Pienaar as the Sharks held firm.
The home side seemed to be creating more opportunities, and if it wasn't for their poor ball retention in hand, they might have punished the Sharks on several occasions. But credit also has to go to the Sharks, and it was the ferocity of many of their tackles that probably forced the 'Tahs into spilling the ball in the contact situation.
There was plenty of cut and thrust, and both teams continued to be disciplined in defence.
The Sharks did have a few opportunities, especially after Ryan Kankowski broke expertly, and stepped the last man. The cover defence arrived, and Kankowski tried to fire a pass infield to Jacques Botes, but the flank knocked on the low pass, and the chance was lost.
This proved to be the definitive opportunity for the Sharks, and after more scoreless hustle and bustle, the teams entered the half-time break with the home side enjoying a slim 3-0 lead.
The second half started in much the same way as the first, as both teams were still fiercely battling for supremacy in this contest.
No-one wanted to give an inch, but the signs were there from the home side that they were beginning to get a foothold in this match.
The old cliché says that you can't tackle for 80 minutes, and it rung true in this match for the Sharks. They were starved for possession for longer periods, and although their defence was very solid in the first period, there were signs that the Sharks ship was creaking.
The Sydney team crept deep into Sharks territory, and after many phases, the ball went wide to Sam Norton-Knight, who was roaming in an area sparsely populated by Sharks defenders. The 'Tahs fullback took on Sharks wing JP Pietersen in the one-on-one situation for the try-line, and easily won the contest as Pietersen's weak tackle failed.
Beale missed the conversion, but the Sharks were suddenly looking very vulnerable.
The Durbanites did manage to open their account in the 53rd minute, courtesy of a Francois Steyn penalty from all of 55 metres. A sweet strike from the enigmatic back cut the Sharks deficit to five points, but the home side had tasted blood, and were poised to strike.
And strike they did. Wycliff Palu was the man to administer a shuddering blast to the Sharks on 54 minutes.
The visitors were in possession of the ball, and stand-in captain AJ Venter carried it up on the Sharks 22 after a quick-tap free-kick. But 'Tahs No.8 Palu lined up Venter in the tackle and smashed him backwards with such ferocity that Venter's whole body whipped backwards, and he coughed up the ball under the pure magnitude of the hit.
The Waratahs swarmed on the loose ball, and used the turnover quickly. Palu was back in play after his monster tackle, and received a short pass with 15 metres and two defenders between him and the try-line.
They might as well not have been there, as Palu was in an unstoppable zone, and he did a very good impression of a runaway bulldozer as he flicked Stefan Terblanche aside, before smashing right through and over the unfortunate Odwa Ndungane to crash over the line.
Beale's conversion was hardly noticed in the aftermath. 15-3 after 55 minutes.
Palu started and ended that try, which basically ended the Sharks' resistance. It was a blow so brutal and violent that it shook the belief of the Sharks, and caused them to totally lose their composure.
The home side were now in overdrive, and it was clear that the Sharks had lost any momentum they ever had in this contest. It was as if a dam wall had broken, and the Sharks had no answer.
The Waratahs now launched wave after wave of attack, and three minutes later they penetrated the Sharks for another score. This time it was centre Tom Carter who crashed over near the corner to make it 20-3.
Beale missed the kick, but it was one-way traffic, and the Sharks had no answers.
If the match was not already in the bag, then the Waratahs' main destroyer Palu sealed the deal by scoring his second of the day by rounding off a great move on 63 minutes to complete a nine-minute demolition job on the shell-shocked Sharks.
In those nine minutes, the home side not only cracked the Sharks' previously solid defence, but also racked up 17 unanswered points to effectively win the match.
There was still 16 minutes left of the match after yet another missed conversion from Beale, but the Sharks were a beaten team.
They did manage to pluck up some pride and engineer a try near the death through wing Odwa Ndungane, which Rory Kockott converted on 77 minutes.
But it was mere consolation, and the Waratahs saw out the rest of the match without any further alarms. The final scoreboard showed 25-10 to the home side.
The final whistle signalled celebrations for the home team and their fans, as they consolidated their hopes of a home semifinal with the bonus point win.
At the same time they pulled the rug from under the Sharks, and placed a serious dent in their Super 14 aspirations.
The Durban franchise now have a tough task ahead of them to remain in a top four spot, with the Crusaders next on their schedule.
Man of the match: Waratahs number eight Wycliff Palu was a destructive beast who tore the Sharks to shreds. He made a huge difference in the second half, and the Sharks couldn't deal with his Lomu-esque rampage.
Moment of the match: The entire sequence that led to Wycliff Palu's first try - his death-tackle on AJ Venter, and his unstoppable drive to the line through flailing Sharks defenders.
Villain of the match: Nobody deserved this award.
Scorers:
For the Waratahs:
Tries: Norton-Knight, Palu 2, Carter
Con: Beale
Pen: Tuqiri
For the Sharks:
Try: Ndungane
Con: Kockott
Pen: Steyn
Teams:
Waratahs: 15 Sam Norton-Knight, 14 Lachie Turner, 13 Rob
Horne, 12 Tom Carter, 11 Lote Tuqiri, 10 Kurtley Beale, 9 Luke Burgess, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 Phil Waugh (captain), 6 Dean Mumm, 5 Dan Vickerman, 4 Will Caldwell, 3 Matt Dunning, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Benn Robinson.
Replacements: 16 Adam Freier, 17 Al Baxter, 18 David Lyons, 19 Beau Robinson, 20 Brett Sheehan, 21 Matt Carraro, 22 Alfi Mafi.
Sharks: 15 Stefan Terblanche, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Waylon Murray, 12 Francois Steyn, 11 JP Pietersen, 10 Frederic Michalak, 9 Rory Kockott, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Jacques Botes, 6 Keegan Daniel, 5 AJ Venter (captain), 4 Albert van den Berg, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements: 16 Craig Burden, 17 Deon Carstens, 18 BJ Botha, 19 Jean Deysel, 20 Ruan Pienaar, 21 Henno Mentz, 22 Adrian Jacobs.
Referee: Steve Walsh (New Zealand)
Touch judges: Chris Pollock (New Zealand), Grant MacNeill (Australia)
Television match official: George Ayoub (Australia)
Assessor: Scott Young (Australia)
Performance Auditor: Lusanda Menze (South Africa)
By Phil Coetzer
