THE Springboks under Jake White thrived on playing without the ball, but once they had their hands on it, they were clinical in the business area.
The same blueprint was applied in the Sharks’ 29-23 win against the Blues in Albany yesterday, keeping them on the inside lane to finish top of the combined conference when the three-week international break comes around.
Recording 10 consecutive wins against any outfit in any sport is impressive but the Sharks only needed three gears to punish an errant Blues side, who suffered their first home loss.
With engagements against Australasian opponents done and dusted, along with collecting three wins on tour, only South African foes stand between the Sharks and a home semifinal. Their destiny is in their own hands.
For long periods of time, the Blues dominated territory and possession but the Sharks did not let the dominance reflect on the scoreboard.
They had to play with 14 men for 20 minutes in the second half after Jannie du Plessis and Frans Steyn were yellow-carded in the 41st and 61st minutes respectively.
They conceded two tries through Luke Braid and Tevita Li, with the latter’s tinged in controversy.
Ma’a Nonu’s final pass was forward from his hands and referee Nick Briant was correct to refer the decision to television match official Aaron Paterson.
Following the trend of erroneous officiating that has blighted the tournament, Paterson saw fit to rule that the pass was fine.
The Blues were unable to make the most of their numerical superiority because of their ill-discipline, conceding kickable penalties after scoring their tries.
While the penalty count was loaded against the Sharks, they were not caught short in terms of discipline at key moments of the game. That was the difference between the sides.
Only two tries were scored – by Bismarck du Plessis and Cobus Reinach – but it was always going to be about the Machiavellian approach in terms of getting four points.
A point’s haul of 13 out of a possible 20 is an excellent return, especially when South African teams have to spend double the amount of time on tour as compared to their Australasian counterparts. The Sharks are primed and ready for a home run assault for the coveted semifinal spot at King’s Park.
Sharks on fire in NZ
The same blueprint was applied in the Sharks’ 29-23 win against the Blues in Albany yesterday, keeping them on the inside lane to finish top of the combined conference when the three-week international break comes around.
Recording 10 consecutive wins against any outfit in any sport is impressive but the Sharks only needed three gears to punish an errant Blues side, who suffered their first home loss.
With engagements against Australasian opponents done and dusted, along with collecting three wins on tour, only South African foes stand between the Sharks and a home semifinal. Their destiny is in their own hands.
For long periods of time, the Blues dominated territory and possession but the Sharks did not let the dominance reflect on the scoreboard.
They had to play with 14 men for 20 minutes in the second half after Jannie du Plessis and Frans Steyn were yellow-carded in the 41st and 61st minutes respectively.
They conceded two tries through Luke Braid and Tevita Li, with the latter’s tinged in controversy.
Ma’a Nonu’s final pass was forward from his hands and referee Nick Briant was correct to refer the decision to television match official Aaron Paterson.
Following the trend of erroneous officiating that has blighted the tournament, Paterson saw fit to rule that the pass was fine.
The Blues were unable to make the most of their numerical superiority because of their ill-discipline, conceding kickable penalties after scoring their tries.
While the penalty count was loaded against the Sharks, they were not caught short in terms of discipline at key moments of the game. That was the difference between the sides.
Only two tries were scored – by Bismarck du Plessis and Cobus Reinach – but it was always going to be about the Machiavellian approach in terms of getting four points.
A point’s haul of 13 out of a possible 20 is an excellent return, especially when South African teams have to spend double the amount of time on tour as compared to their Australasian counterparts. The Sharks are primed and ready for a home run assault for the coveted semifinal spot at King’s Park.
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