Sharks sneak another win
Fri, 11 Apr 2008 11:35
Take that: Jacques Botes dishes out punishment
The Sharks managed to maintain their unbeaten record, but just, by sneaking a 19-17 win over the ever-improving Highlanders at Carisbrook, Dunedin, on Friday.
The teams scored two tries each in the South Island's famous House of Pain, but a 60-metre penalty by Francois Steyn midway through the second half sealed the win.
It was 12 against 2. You would not have thought so as 12 looked well set for victory. In fact 12 were doing better against 2 than they were against 14 last week.
This may speak loudly about the strength of teams in the Super 14, that any team could beat any other. Perhaps it was that. Perhaps it was Queenstown.
Queenstown is a beautiful town, a holiday resort with all sorts of fun activities for young, physically active people. The Sharks would be young and physically active and perhaps the stay in Queensland was just too much holiday and it came with them across the South Island to Carisbrook and a match which the unbeaten ones would win easily and collect a bonus point in doing so.
They did not win easily and did not collect a bonus point. In fact they could easily have lost it to the Highlanders who collected yet another bonus point for being close losers. In the end the Sharks were hanging on for their two-point lead.
It could have been much more than two points. Pienaar missed two conversions, the second an easy one. He also missed and easy conversion. One easy kick went right, the next left. Then along came François Steyn and banged one over from within his own half before he missed two, the second hitting the upright. Then, leading 19-17, the Sharks opted for a five-metre-line-out instead of a kick at goal when the Highlanders were penalised five metres from their line and 15 metres from touch. The Sharks were prodigal and their prodigality was the difference between an iffish win and a big one. 35-17 would have looked comfortable.
In the end it was a missed penalty by James Wilson, who had kicked so well, that saved the match for the Sharks.
In the first half the Highlanders, who lost Johnny Leota to a virus not long before the match, were full of enterprise. They started kicking just behind the Sharks backs but found greater profit in going right out wide where Waylon Murray found adjusting to the wing berth difficult on defence.
In that first half there were just four scrums. The first came after 18 minutes and was the only scrum to the Highlanders. In the second half there were 13 scrums, seven to the Highlanders and the Sharks destroyed them. It was surprising. The pack that had eaten the Lions the previous week, crumbled. Perhaps it was because Jamie McIntosh was being rested.
The Sharks also won four of the Highlanders' throws. The Highlanders got two back but generally the Sharks were better here and they mauled well in the second half. The second half, apart from the last few minutes, belonged to the Sharks but the Highlanders were a resolute band.
The Highlanders threatened to score first when Toby Morland, starting ahead of Jimmy Cowan, intercepted a pass and raced down the right-hand touch-line, short legs pumping, but Pienaar tackled him from behinds five metres from his goal-line.
Then Morland grubbered through towards the left where Odwa Ndungane saved at the line.
Hoani MacDonald won a Sharks throw into a line-out and the Highlanders moved the ball wide left. It looked -pedestrian will Paul Williams thrust into the line and in the half-gap passed inside to Matt Saunders. Saunders gave to Fetu'u Vainikolo. Vainikolo was knocked down but got up immediately and simply forced his way over for a splendid try far out. James Wilson converted. 7-0 after 8 minutes.
At this stage the Sharks looked soft and yielding.
The Sharks had a brief batter till they lost the ball in a turnover. They came back and MacDonald was penalised for being off-side. Pienaar goaled. 7-3 after 18 minutes.
Then came the first scrum of the match in midfield. Craig Newby picked up at No.8 and gave to Morland who gave to Vainikolo coming in from the left wing. Vainikolo went strongly past Steyn and was close to the line. Newby went closer and then huge Clint Newland picked up and drove over. Again Wilson did well to convert. 14-3 after 20 minutes.
The Highlanders were immediately back on the attack when Bismarck du Plessis made a mess of getting the ball and the Highlanders footed through. Terblanche saved.
The wake-up call for the Sharks came when Steyn had a long break. He had a standing start and was hemmed in but somehow contrived to burst free. Newland was penalised for being off-side and Pienaar made it 14-6 after 30 minutes, a score which flattered the Sharks. They were more flattered soon afterwards. They attacked with clever passing from a scrum and a kick through by Frédéric Michalak which Murray got hold of to set up some more clever passing till Jacques Botes swirled away under Chris King's attempted high tackle to score far out on the left. 14-11 after 35 minutes.
It must have been a massive blow to the Sharks' pride that they, who had conceded fewer than a try a match up till now, had conceded two tries in a half.
But the Highlanders made the score fairer when they made a penalty against Botes into a five-metre line-out. Keegan Daniel was - surprisingly - penalised for collapsing the subsequent maul and Wilson goaled. 17-11 to the Highlanders at half-time, and well deserved.
Just after the kick-off to start the second half Terblanche was penalised for an air tackle. The Highlanders kicked out and won the line-out near the front. Morland passed to his right - straight into the arms of Ryan Kankowski, giving the tall No.8 an easy 50-metre run to the line and a try well. Pienaar missed the conversion which would have given the Sharks the lead. 17-16 after 41 minutes.
Pienaar then missed an easy penalty kick when Saunders was penalised for late obstruction after a long kick by Pienaar.
Of a clever pass by Brad Barritt Steyn cut clean through the midfield but veering off had no support and threw a wayward pass. A golden opportunity had been let slip.
Adam Thomson was penalised form being off-side just inside the Sharks' half and Steyn belted the ball over with lots to spare. The Sharks had the lead at last. That was after 56 minutes. There was not a single score in the remaining 24 minutes in which Steyn missed two penalty kicks and a drop and Wilson, crucially, a drop and a penalty.
Ndungane came closest to scoring when he chipped into the Highlanders' in-goal but Saunders just beat him to the bouncing ball.
The Sharks then went in search of a try with a penalty goalable - for most kickers anyway and by now Rory Kockott was on the field.
Albert van den Berg was also on and charged down a clearing kick by Cowan but the ball just eluded Michalak as it spun into touch-in-goal.
The end was exciting as it seemed that the Highlanders would salvage the game but a knock-on after the final siren gave the ball to Kockott who kicked out.
Man of the Match: Ryan Kankowski who ran so well, passed so well and tackled so well. (The middle syllable of his surname rhymes with cough, not cow!)
Moment of the Match: Ryan Kankowski's intercept and the smile on his face as he ran, such a noble figure, for the line.
Villain of the Match: Nobody.
Scorers:
For the Highlanders:
Tries: Vainikolo, Newland
Cons: Wilson 2
Pen: Wilson
For the Sharks:
Tries: Botes, Kankowski
Pens: Pienaar 2,
Steyn
Teams:
Highlanders: 15 Paul Williams, 14 Matt Saunders, 13 Niva Ta'auso, 12 Aaron Bancroft, 11 Fetu'u Vainikolo, 10 James Wilson, 9 Toby Morland, 8 Craig Newby (captain), 7 Tim Boys, 6 Adam Thomson, 5 Tom Donnelly, 4 Hoani MacDonald, 3 Clint Newland, 2 Jason Macdonald, 1 Chris King.
Replacements: 16 David Hall, 17 Jamie Mackintosh/Keith Cameron, 18 Isaac Ross, 19 Hayden Triggs, 20 Jimmy Cowan, 21 Daniel Bowden, 22 AN Other.
Sharks: 15 Stefan Terblanche, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Francois Steyn, 12 Bradley Barritt, 11 Waylon Murray, 10 Frederic Michalak, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Jacques Botes, 6 Keegan Daniel, 5 Johann Muller (captain), 4 Steven Sykes, 3 BJ Botha, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements: 16 Craig Burden, 17 Jannie du Plessis, 18 Deon Carstens, 19 Albert van den Berg, 20 AJ Venter, 21 Rory Kockott, 22 Adrian
Jacobs.
Referee: Ian Smith (Australia)
Touch judges: Stuart Dickinson (Australia), Josh Noonan (New Zealand)
Television match official: Shane McDermott (New Zealand)
Assessor: Kim Eichmann (New Zealand)
