Error-strewn Sharks let Waratahs off the hook

Heinz Schenk

The Sharks remain winless in their Super Rugby campaign after spluttering to a frustrating 24-all draw with the Waratahs at King’s Park in Durban on Saturday.

Coach Robert du Preez will not be a happy man as the home side only had themselves to blame for a result they patently threw away. They were arguably the best team on the field throughout, definitely creating the majority of play but the Australians managed to cling on by simply feasting on the Sharks’ mistakes.

It was indeed a rather depressing outcome from a South African perspective. Especially taking into account that only one of the country’s four franchises came up trumps at the weekend.

Sharks centre Lukhanyo Am (right) was outstanding in midfield, particularly the running lines he adopted in scoring his two tries. His defence was decent too, but his distribution suffered. As a result, Waratahs flanker Michael Wells deserves this accolade.

He hardly did fancy things but he completed a massive 15 tackles and, crucially, effected no less than four turnovers. By all accounts he played a major part in keeping his side in the game.

The most frustrating part for Du Preez would the fact that all three tries the hosts conceded were from mistakes.

Flyhalf Robert du Preez fluffed a pass close to his goalline, which led to a scrum and Waratahs scrumhalf Jake Gordon’s try.

Michael Hooper, the opposition skipper, exploited a turnover and, bafflingly, replacement Mitch Short was the beneficiary of some sloppy defence from a poor tactical kick and some brilliant passing.

The Sharks seemed to suffer from the stop-start nature of their season. They played on week one and then had a bye. As a result, they looked like a side playing their first game of the season again. Nineteen handling errors was simply unforgivable and their iffy line-outs robbed them of a good platform to attack from. It was ironic that Am’s second try came from a clean set-piece.

The signs continue to look ominous for Thomas du Toit, who the Springboks hope can make an effective switch to tighthead. He wasn’t as under the pump as he was against the Lions but it was noticeable how the Sharks scrum dominated once Du Toit was replaced by John-Hubert Meyer. The patience with this switch won’t last long.