The Sharks travelled to New Zealand without Anton Bresler, who suffered broken ribs against the Highlanders
Jake White believes the Sharks can win in Christchurch for the second time this season.
The Sharks beat the Highlanders 31-27 at Kings Park on Saturday to set up a semi-final showdown with the Crusaders. While the long plane trip will count against White’s side, he believes they can win in Christchurch on Saturday, having done so earlier in the season when they played most of the match with 14 men.
“It’s an 80-minute run and if we play well we can win, and I have to believe that,” said White.
“The Highlanders flew in from the other side of the world and came within four points of beating us. They came sixth on the log and we came third.”
“I am big on the fact that this group of players can beat anybody in the competition, and we have beaten both the Waratahs and Crusaders. The Highlanders knew they could beat us because they came here a couple of months ago and they won.”
The Sharks had a successful overseas tour in May, beating the Rebels (22-16), Crusaders (30-25) and Blues (29-23). White believes they can embrace the situation again in the play-offs.
“We have some great memories and a couple of months ago we did well and had a great time. It has never been done that a team has to fly there and win a semi-final, so we might as well enjoy the 36 hours and have fun this week.”
White said he was pleased with the Sharks’ final quarter against the Highlanders, which coincided with the introduction of Pat Lambie, who had not played since March, off the bench.
“I thought the last 20 minutes we played really well. It was some of our best rugby in terms of linking our forwards and backs. Charl and Pat are senior players who have been there and understand the pressures. Frans himself said to me after the game, when they walked on, he just got a sense of calmness from both of them being around.”
Lambie should start at flyhalf against the Crusaders with Steyn shifting to inside centre. Anton Bresler has been ruled out with a rib injury, but fellow lock Stephan Lewies, who was a late withdrawal on Saturday due to a knee complaint, is likely to be fit.
News from Durban is that neither Anton Bresler nor Beast Mtawarira was able to depart with the Cell C Sharks on their Super Rugby semi-final tour to the Antipodes.
Bresler lasted just 30 minutes of Saturday’s qualifier against the Highladners before being forced off the field clutching a suspected broken rib. Mtawarira was withdrawn ahead of the Springobks’ PE Test against Scotland due to a neck injury and has not played rugby since.
Fortunately, young Thomas du Toit has delivered three strong games at loosehead and together with the steady Dale Chadwick provides ample cover in the front row. Lock is more troublesome, but it is believed that both Stephan Lewies (who missed the Highlanders game due to a knee problem) and veteran Marco Wentzel have been included in the tour party.
Justin Marshall, writing for the NZ Herald feels that the Crusaders will right the wrongs from their previous encounter with the Sharks.
“I fear for the Sharks’ hopes in Christchurch. They look like a team with a game plan – smashing people up front – but little else. They outmuscled the Crusaders in their round robin match and you would think that would be their approach again.”
“Their defence was memorable that night at AMI Stadium, when they won despite playing with 13 men for a large part of it. It was outstanding. But they lack imagination. They resort to big runners going straight at you. There’s no subtlety. The Highlanders were creative and imaginative; the Sharks were full of pure brutal physicality and I don’t know if that will be enough against what is virtually an All Blacks forward pack.”
It will be interesting to see how the Crusaders approach their semifinal against the Sharks. Jake White’s outfit would be foolish to try an expansive game, but that’s something the Crusaders might try. They have shown in the last month that they look a much better side when they do. They won’t be out for “revenge”; it’s more about righting the wrongs, making sure you throw the punches you didn’t in the first fight. That’s what rugby is all about, asking questions of the opposition, whether that’s in the set piece, phase play or kicking game – doing everything you can to get an advantage.
They didn’t ask enough questions last time. They were lured into a game they didn’t want to play and they paid for it.
Another late withdrawel lol desperation?
Will depend on which Crusaders team shows up on Saturday, we all know what the Sharks will bring to the party because they will defend their hearts out to a team that has just lacked that punch on attack at times this year.
Without Lewies the Sharks will be very vulnerable at line out time and their kicking game could work against them this weekend, so Lewies will be on the teamsheet regardless of whatever knee ailments he might have. 2 Ponados a day and sit at the hotel coffee bar till Friday is the doctors orders.
Should be another tight game, Crusaders will play an expansive game to their peril unless their forwards can get the upper hand, so Carters tactical game will be crucial.
What do you guys think about the Bok scrumhalf debate?
Sure Mcwolkie and Reinach gets punted to play for the bokkies, but it appears there is usually a fiery debate about who is good enough just for the Sharks set up?
Then again if Lewies is not fit, Kanko is there to step up.
@ MacroBull:
Crusaders forwards don’t necessarily have to get dominance, just for them to get parity will do.
If the Highlanders forwards and scrum wasn’t totally moered up, they would probably have won.
The Sharks will continue to kick, but why on earth they persist in not kicking out, I don’t know?
Reinach showed on Saturday why Heyneke doesn’t have him in his Bok group.
It is amazing that Border can play in the Craven Week Final… yet their u21’s gets destroyed, shows how badly the union is being run… from 11 July
The Vodacom Blue Bulls Under-21 team had way too many guns for their Absa Under-21 Provincial competition foes Border, beating the East London side 143-0 in Pretoria on Friday.
They scored 21 tries to nil.
Tries: Dan Kriel, Neethling Fouche (2), Kefentse Mahlo (2), Joshua Stander (2), Jannes Kirsten (3), Jade Stigling (2), Jan Enslin, Ganfried May, Christiaan du Bruin, Jacques Rossouw (2), Dennis Visser, Marquit September (2), JP Smith. Conversions: Joshua Stander: 12 and Kobus Marais: 7.
I really hope the Bulls do not lose Kobus Marais… I have been saying for a while now he will be a superstar at flyhalf when one of the other unions picks him up.
@ nortierd:
Lambie is a much stronger kicker, I guess the Sharks relied on their defense to force mistakes from Highlanders counter attacks?
I mean the Crusaders wont be expansive if their forwards do not get them over the advantage line because the Sharks defense is too strong and too organized because their forwards are almost always tackling players backwards.
The Blue Bulls age group teams played the Sharks age group teams this past weekend…
this from the official Bulls site.
The Vodacom Blue Bulls Under-19 team won their second match of the Absa Under-19 Provincial Championship, this time beating the Sharks 33-18.
The home side scored four tries to get a bonus point for their efforts. They had a 23-6 lead at the break.
Scorers:
Blue Bulls 33 (23). Tries: Duhan van der Merwe, Hanro Liebenberg, Jason Jenkins, Jurie Linde. Conversions: Dewald Human (2). Penalties: Human (3).
Sharks 18 (6). Tries: Jean-Luc du Preez, Malusi Cele. Conversion: Innocent Radebe. Penalties: Radebe (2).
Under-21’s score six against Sharks
A strong second half performance by the home side saw them beat the Sharks Under-21’s 53-25 at Loftus B on Saturday.
Scores were still tied at halftime (18-18), but there was only one side on the field in the second half, with the Vodacom Blue Bulls running in four tries.
Flyhalf Kobus Marais had a field day, scoring 28 points.
Scorers:
Blue Bulls 53 (18). Tries: Kefentse Mahlo, Kobus Marais, Marquit September, Neethling Fouche, Pierre Schoeman, Ruan Steenkamp. Conversions: Marais (4). Penalties: Marais (4). Drop Goal: Marais. 1
Sharks 25 (18). Tries: Buzwe Mpotulo, Cameron Wright, Tyler Fisher. Conversions: Tim Swiel (2). Penalties: Swiel (2).
6 @ MacroBull:
Lambie isn’t a stronger kicker than Frans. Frans gets much more distance.
The problem is the game plan dictates that they mustn’t kick for touch, or at least that’s the impression I got last Saturday.
If your captain says afterwards that ” they ran us to pieces” then surely the players should have also seen it and changed tactics?
Crusaders will run the ball, it’s in their DNA as New Zealanders
@ nortierd:
Lambie is a much stronger kicker though, he might not get the distance but he is a lot more accurate, his kicking at the start of the season was pinpoint.
If their strategy was not to kick out and defend, the the problem was their defensive line, left too many holes and did not come up in “one straight line”.
Crusaders have not been as attacking as the other NZ teams this year, they have a huge relience on Ndolo at wing and that has been their go to plan… get it wide ASAP.
Sharks were effective in NZ when the Blues and Saders ran at them and were forced to make mistakes with the defensive pressure the Sharks could exert on them.
The Saders will attack, but will be mixed with tactical kicking, just like they played against the Stormers when the Stormers were at their peak.
@ MacroBull:
Jakeball and the kicking game that goes hand in hand with it is reliant on your forwards getting the better of the opposition forwards.
Can this Sharks pack get the better of what is basically an All Black pack?
@ nortierd:
Well that is the big question. I would like to think they can. This though is largely a strengthened Springbok pack with Beast sitting out and young Thomas and Chadwick standing up.
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