Rebels feel the Sharks ’ wrath
THE Sharks vented their anger at losing to the Brumbies at home last week on the Rebels yesterday, hammering 10 tries past the lacklustre Australians, writes Sbu Mjikeliso at Kings Park.
They prepared themselves for a big meal as early as the seventh minute when Keegan Daniel peeled off the back of the scrum near the halfway line and offloaded to Marcell Coetzee. The ball went through a few phases before Pat Lambie sent Louis Ludik over in the corner.
The lineout maul was the chief weapon and it was hugely successful as the Rebels lacked the muscle to stop the bulldozer.
Props Tendai “Beast ” Mtawarira and young Wiehahn Herbst made the Rebels loathe the scrums, while the rest of the team out-muscled the Australians in the collision.
The first-half performance showed what could be achieved when hungry young players are fielded ahead of complacent seniors.
One of those young men, PieterSteph du Toit, 20, was monumental in open play and bossed the lineout in an all-round performance that was reminiscent of a young Juan Smith.
Hooker Kyle Cooper, too, didn't miss out on a chance to shine. He planted his throw-ins straight to the intended recipient, made a mess of the Rebels breakdown and was rewarded with a try minutes into the second half.
The Sharks had a field day in the forward confrontations, scoring three of their four first-half tries from attacking lineouts. The Rebels not only had zero on the scoreboard by halftime but they brought nothing to the field.
More pain was inflicted in the second half, beginning with a further four tries in the first 11 minutes and the game ceased as a contest. Cooper and Cobus Reinach scored on the counter-attack and Mtawarira crashed over after yet another successful attacking lineout.
Ryan Kankowski scored the try that took the Sharks past the halfcentury mark in the 51st minute. The total of 10 tries broke the Sharks record for a Super Rugby match. The team that had previously struggled to cross the whitewash, scoring only three in four matches, looked like they would score every time they ran the ball. URIE Roux, SA Rugby Union ’ s CEO, must feel a little like a mossie who discovers a nasty big and unruly stranger in its nest.
Months of nurturing have resulted in the appearance of a hatchling that is not at all what the parent expected — in fact, it’s a noisy cuckoo with a voracious appetite and a bullying nature.
It does not require much imagination to work out that I am talking about the Kings — Super Rugby fledglings, but large and disruptive in SA rugby.
The Kings have proved a predicament for Saru for far too long and unsurprisingly their contentious entry into Super Rugby has continued to be fraught with controversy.
The Kings have not played by the rules, they have been threatened with being kicked out of the nest and two foreign players, illegitimately added to their squad, have had to be recalled from tour.
JWhat can ’ t be denied is that the Eastern Cape is a rugby force that needs to be recognised
There are rumours of the Kings costing Saru a great deal of money (apparently not remotely covered by their belatedly announced sponsorship), of individuals being paid astronomical sums and of other imperfections that were not what was hoped for when, to continue my theme, “the eggs were laid”.
Yet, far from having no clothes, these Kings have surprised even their harshest critics with their bold entry into top-flight competition.
They surprised by beating the Force, gained admirers with their bravery in facing up to better-equipped opponents, but most of all it was the sight of a packed Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium that made the biggest impact. The sheer delight of their fans, their passion for the game, said only one thing — the Kings and the region they represent belong in Super Rugby.
That is not the outcome many would have wanted. The Lions and those in sympathy with them over what was seen as political interference to relegate them from Super Rugby had hoped that not only would the Kings be an embarrassment, but few would turn up to support them.
The predictable run of injuries means the Kings might yet find their new environment ever tougher to deal with, but what can’t be denied is that the Eastern Cape is a force that needs to be recognised.
It is a dilemma for SA rugby and the question has to be asked — what is Saru doing about it?
It is clear that Port Elizabeth has come to stay but also that it is just bad that the Lions are not in Super Rugby.
A third of the 2013 tournament has already been completed and there is no indication that rugby administrators have realised the promotion matches between the lowest ranking SA side and the Lions are not going to resolve the issue.
As it stands the noisy “chick” is not going to go away and it is not the most prescient of predictions that the Kings — with their usual covert governmental backing — will refuse to accept the outcome.
The solution seems to be to sway Saru’s Sanzar partners towards a 16-team competition, which would solve the problem of accommodating all six of SA ’ s regions and provide more matches for the television partners who wield the financial whip and a more symmetrical play-off structure.
Sanzar have let it be known that this can’t be done, but perhaps it is time Saru took a stronger stance in solving a situation that is profoundly damaging to local rugby.
If increasing the size of the tournament is proven to be impossible, is it not possible that there could be a team called the Lion Kings — that an accommodation could be reached that could provide competition for the best players in both regions rather than excluding some as is now the case?
What is clear is that Saru need to be trying to head off the problem rather than careening head-on into the catastrophe that is the assured outcome of the situation as it currently stands.