• SOCCER 26 & 27 SHARKS GET THE JOB DONE
FOR anyone who didn’t watch the Sharks beat the Sunwolves 38-17, with a novel bonus point, the indications were that it was a performance to be proud of. Unfortunately, the score belies a game racked with missed opportunities.
Three late tries, two from Lwazi Mvovo and Sbu Nkosi, saw the Sharks break the shackles that the Sunwolves were slowly tightening, trailing by only four points with five minutes to go. In the end, it was more mistakes by the Sunwolves, who were not going to die wondering as they threw the ball around with reckless abandon, that led to the Sharks running in the tries.
Through the nitty-gritty of it all, the Sharks were less than impressive when they managed to get into the right half of the field. There were several breaks made around the park as the physical forwards, and pacy backs, got into the opposition’s 22, only for patience to run out, and clinical edge to dull.
The Sharks’ conversion rate from visits into the opposition 22 was woeful, and it is something that has been identified by coach Robert du Preez over and over again. The coach will be disappointed again with the way his team threw away their opportunities to score by either getting turned over, forcing a pass, or just generally running out of ideas and patience.
The hope for this game, before the Sharks even landed in Singapore, was to put on a performance that would at least be good enough to make a potential quarter-final clash – with a Kiwi team – a competitive one. This match, against the basement-bound Sunwolves, would not strike much fear in a more complete side.
It is clear the Sharks are trying to grow their game, keeping the ball alive and throwing some offloads that dazzle; their scramble defence is also looking solid. However, the game management still seems to be void of leadership and composure. When backs are against the wall, the Sharks revert to the tried and trusted, like their mauls, or look to strike from mistakes – of which there will be fewer when the knockouts come.
It was the Sharks who struck early, and struck well as Garth April took things into his own hands from the back, making a telling break from his own 22 when it looked more likely that a kick would be on.
Striking deep into Sunwolves territory, Lwazi Mvovo was soon over after slipping a tackle, ghosting his way for the first try within four minutes.
The Sharks were soon made to pay as the Sunwolves struck back with a try of their own after taking just a small bit of possession and territory.
The chances were there for the Sharks to extend their lead, but halfway through the first half, it was 7-7.
Perhaps a bit of a wake-up call as the old South African tactic of the driving maul was hauled out and Ruan Botha was the man at the bottom of the pile over the line as the scoreboard pinged back to 14-7 to the visitors.
It was a special moment for Sbu Nkosi as the Sharks capitalised on the Sunwolves trying to push the passes. Jumping onto a knock-on, Lukhanyo Am was quick to offload to the speeding Nkosi who broke away for the third try.
The Sharks’ inability to pull away, and dampen the Sunwolves’ spirit, led to another try for the opposition, the first score in the second half after 15 minutes. The score sitting at a nervy 14-21.
As the game started to draw to a close, and it was still hanging in the balance, the Sunwolves threw their advantage away with an ambitious crosskick that led to a scrum in a good position for the Sharks. Needing to strike, and convert their chances in the 22, Mvovo finally burst through for his second score.
To add a little more respectability to the scoreline, Nkosi soon grabbed his brace after the Sunwolves again threw away possession, this time S’bura Sithole intercepting to pass the ball to the flying winger. Following that, Mvovo completed a hat-trick as the Sunwolves finally capitulated with minutes left in the game. Tries: Lwazi Mvovo 3, Ruan Botha, Sbu Nkosi 2 Cons: Garth April 3, Benhard Janse van Rensburg Tries:takeshi Hino, Shuhei Matsuhashi Cons:yu Tamura 2 Pens: Jumpei Ogura the big-stage, and Combrinck is one of them. He returned to action yesterday rather unexpectedly after not being considered for the team following his shoulder operation last December, but got his chance when Sylvian Mahuza pulled out on the eve of the match.
The Lions will now focus on the Kings who visit Joburg on Sunday, while the Bulls prepare for a meeting with the Hurricanes on Saturday.