Late surge sees Sharks go top
Fri, 11 Jul 2008 21:39
The Sharks went to the top of the Currie Cup standings with a 28-10 win over the Falcons at Absa Stadium in Durban on Friday, but it required a late surge against very willing opposition for the home side to earn the bonus point.
The introduction of mercurial Frenchman Frederic Michalak in the final quarter of the game saw the Sharks turn a somewhat precarious 18-10 lead into a more comfortable 18-point win.
Even Sharks captain Johann Muller admitted after the game it had not been as convincing as he would have liked, while the Falcons could only ponder the number of opportunities they had wasted.
That the Sharks were the better side on the night, there was no doubt. But it is also a fact that the Falcons had an opportunity to cause an upset and let it slip.
But credit to the Sharks for getting the win and the bonus point in a game that will serve to point out to coach John Plumtree the areas he need to work on before his side face the defending champion Free State Cheetahs in Bloemfontein next week.
The Sharks relied on the experience of old hands like Johan Muller and never-say-die loose forward Jacques Botes up front, while Stefan Terblanche was his usual rock sold self at fullback. Replacement Skholiwe Ndlovu deserves a mention for his workrate.
The Falcons' best player was veteran No.8 Sean Plaatjies - who moved around the park like a fleet-footed midfielder, despite his prop-like appearance. He was well supported by flanks Reg Muller and Warren Perkins, while the replacement Mpho Matsaung and scrumhalf Gerrie Odendaal were the most incisive of the backs.
The Falcons had a good early burst, making it to within metres of the Sharks' line. But like most of the match they failed to convert.
In fact it was generally a very scrappy start to game, with neither team really holding onto the ball for any length of time - poor handling and shocking options mostly to blame for the sloppy play.
There were lots of movement and it would have looked exciting for the uninformed, but all that running around inside the first 15 minutes produced no score - a clear indication of the lack of structure on both sides. The closest either side came to scoring was in the 12th minute, when a TMO call went against Sharks veteran Albert van den Berg - who had worked his way over the line, but it was ruled that the ball was held up. It was a pity, as it was Van den Berg's 50th Currie Cup game for the Sharks and would have been a fitting memory of the milestone.
The first points came from a Monty Dumond penalty in the 17th minute.
It was not until the 21st minute when the first try was scored - with openside flank Jacques Botes going over for the Sharks after a neat backline move in which the crucial offload came from Chris Jordaan, who came off his right wing. Dumond made it 10-0 with the conversion.
The Falcons finally got on the board in the 27th minute, with a Jacques Schutte penalty, when scrumhalf Scott Mathie got penalised for breaking one of the new Experimental Law Variations (ELVs).
The Sharks continued to let themselves down with poor skills, wasting a number of chances.
They finally put another move of quality together after the hooter for half-time had sounded, with quick hands putting replacement forward Skholiwe Ndlovu over in the right hand corner. Dumond couldn't add the conversion and the teams went into the break with the home team leading 15-3.
It was much the same in the early stages of the second half - lots of endeavour and movement, but the execution and skills letting both teams down.
The Falcons scored first after the break, when scrumhalf Gerrie Odendaal, a real livewire, worked his way over from close range after a number of phases. Schutte's conversion narrowed the gap to just five points at 15-10 and an upset looked to be on the cards.
However, a Dumond penalty soon afterwards stretched the lead back to eight points at 18-10.
Frenchman Frederic Michalak made his first Currie Cup appearance when he came on in the 61st minute - finally making his comeback from what was first thought to have been a career-threatening knee injury he suffered playing for the Sharks in the Super 14.
And his impact was there for all to see, as he was instrumental in the 66th minute try by No.8 Keegan Daniel, with a cross-field kick by Michalak and some neat hands creating the extra space for the speedy loose forward. Dumond failed to add the conversion, but at 23-10 the Falcons had a mountain to climb to get back into the game.
The Falcons now threw everything into attack, but somehow the Sharks defence managed to plug the gap every time it seemed the visitors were on their way to a score. In fact they eve tried to run it from their own tryline, but to no avail.
A score did eventually come, but it went the way of the Sharks - with hard-working flank Jacques Botes giving his team the bonus-point try after a few phases and a short burst in the 79th minute. The conversion attempt bounced off the upright, but the win was secured.
The scorers:
For the Sharks:
Tries: Botes 2, Ndlovu, Daniel
Con: Dumond
Pens: Dumond 2
For the Falcons:
Try: Odendaal
Con: Schutte
Pen: Schutte
Teams:
Sharks: 15 Stefan Terblanche, 14 Chris Jordaan, 13 Waylon Murray, 12 Bradley Barritt, 11 Wesley Bodmer, 10 Monty Dumond, 9 Scott Mathie, 8 Keegan Daniel, 7 Nic Strauss, 6 Jacques Botes, 5 Johann Muller (captain), 4 Albert van den Berg, 3 BJ Botha, 2 Skipper Badenhorst, 1 Jannie du Plessis.
Replacements: 16 Craig Burden, 17 Robbie Harris, 18 Nikolai Blignaut, 19 Skholiwe Ndlovu, 20 Charl McLeod, 21
Andries Strauss, 22 Frederic Michalak.
Falcons: 15 Jacques Schutte, 14 Dewald Pretorius, 13 Rouan Cloete, 12 Hanno Coetzee (captain), 11 Ernie Kruger, 10 Len Olivier, 9 Gerrie Odendaal, 8 Sean Plaatjies, 7 Reg Muller, 6 Warren Perkins, 5 Marius Coetzer, 4 Wouter Moore, 3 Nico Pretorius, 2 Rayno Barnes, 1 Gavin Whittingham.
Replacements: 16 Frik Venter, 17 Rassie van Vuuren, 18 Reg Perkins, 19 Emile Verster, 20 Bolla Adams, 21 Jeff Perkins, 22 Mpho Matsaung.
Referee: Jonathan Kaplan
Touch judges: Pro Legoete, Reuben Rossouw
TMO: Shaun Veldsman
