Sharks try-scorer: Charl Mcleod
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The Sharks charged into the Super Rugby semi-finals with an impressive 30-17 victory over the Reds in Brisbane on Saturday.
The elimination of the Australian conference winners means the Sharks will face South African rivals the Stormers at Newlands in the semi-finals next Saturday, while the Crusaders will travel to Hamilton for an all-Kiwi clash with the Chiefs.
There was plenty of talk about teams carrying momentum in the build-up to the qualifying finals, and the Sharks showed they will be very a tough act to beat next weekend following this sterling performance.
The Durban side were scintillating on attack in the first period and backed it up with brave, well-organised defence after the break.
The Sharks led 20-10 at half-time thanks to tries from JP Pietersen and Paul Jordaan plus a Fred Michalak drop goal, while the Reds replied just before the break via a touchdown from Will Genia.
An intercept try from Charl McLeod early in the second period gave the visitors a healthy gap, forcing the Reds to chase the game. Radike Samo's 80th-minute score proved to be too little too late for the defending champions.
The Sharks dominated the opening exchanges and were 10-0 up after 13 minutes. Michalak opened the scoring from the kicking tee before Bismarck du Plessis showed fantastic hands to put Pietersen clear out wide for the first try.
Things went from bad to worse for the Reds as fly-half Ben Lucas was forced off injured and coach Ewen McKenzie made a big call by bringing replacement scrum-half Nick Frisby on, leaving Mike Harris in midfield and handing the pivot role to Genia.
The nightmare start continued for the hosts when Paul Jordaan showed a neat step, after a great offload from Keegan Daniel, and raced home for the Sharks' second try.
Harris stepped up to find his target with a long-range penalty, but Michalak replied with a sucker punch to put the Sharks 20-3 ahead by landing a drop goal from bang in front.
With half-time looming, Scott Higginbotham broke down the left touchline and found Genia on his inside for a try that dragged the hosts back into contention.
The Sharks were first to strike in the second half, however, when McLeod intercepted Genia's pass to bolt 60m and score under the sticks. Michalak's third conversion left the visitors leading 27-10.
Both teams then came within inches of scoring but the Reds were denied by the TMO for inconclusive evidence before Meyer Bosman stumbled with the tryline begging.
The Reds pitched camp in the Sharks' 22 for 10 minutes but couldn't find a gap in the wall of black jerseys, although Digby Ioane came awfully close.
Samo finally crashed over in the final minute, but any hopes of the Reds defending their title had already evaporated.
Man of the match: A mention for JP Pietersen, who scored the first try and was immense on defence, but we'll go for Bismarck du Plessis who continues to astound not only with his strength but with some awesome ball skills.
Moment of the match: The Reds were still in it until McLeod's intercept try moved the Sharks two converted tries clear. Genia threw the offending pass. Should he have even been playing at fly-half?
Villain of the match: No nasty stuff to report.
The scorers:
For the Reds:
Tries: Genia,Samo
Cons: Harris, Genia
Pens: Harris
For the Sharks:
Tries: Pietersen, Jordaan, McLeod
Cons: Michalak 3
Pens: Michalak 2
Drop: Michalak
Yellow cards: Sykes (Sharks)
Reds: 15 Luke Morahan, 14 Dom Shipperley, 13 Anthony Faingaa, 12 Mike Harris, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Ben Lucas, 9 Will Genia (c), 8 Scott Higginbotham, 7 Liam Gill, 6 Jake Schatz, 5 Adam Wallace-Harrison, 4 Rob Simmons, 3 James Slipper, 2 Saia Faingaa, 1 Greg Holmes.
Replacements: 16 James Hanson, 17 Ben Daley, 18 Radike Samo, 19 Jarrad Butler, 20 Beau Robinson, 21 Nick Frisby, 22 Ben Tapuai.
Sharks: 15 Louis Ludik, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Paul Jordaan, 12 Tim Whitehead, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Frederic Michalak, 9 Charl McLeod, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Marcell Coetzee, 6 Keegan Daniel (c), 5 Anton Bresler, 4 Willem Alberts, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements: 16 Craig Burden, 17 Wiehahn Herbst, 18 Steven Sykes, 19 Jacques Botes, 20 Cobus Reinach, 21 Meyer Bosman, 22 Odwa Ndungane.
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Craig Joubert (South Africa), James Leckie (Australia)
TMO: Matt Goddard (Australia)
Comments
ruckingkiwi says...
Thanks to the Sharks I am $425 wealthier today. Very generous odds but it's a hard place to go and win. Well played Sharks and a good season for the Reds given their injury toll. Don't think it'll happen but Chiefs Sharks final would be my preference.
Posted 01:45 22nd July 2012
carpelone says...
To be honest, both teams had missing players ut the Reds inuries/ban were significantly more important.
How many of the injured oz players are in a position of makinh the 4N?
Posted 00:58 22nd July 2012
Waz4before says...
Damn the Sharks were good, incisive in attack astonishingly robust in defense. Sat behind the goal at the half hour point me (and my fellow Reds fans) actually counted the number of Sharks players to make sure thy didn't have 16! They didn't of course but we checked anyway ;-)
Very impressive performance from the Sharks, and to concede so much terretory and possession, especially in the second half, and still look comfortable is the sign of a very good side.
It could have been different of course but sport is simple: you either do it or you dont and on the night the Reds didnt so I'm looking forward to seeing how the Reds fill some gaps in the team and build on 2 successful seasons; I can at least enjoy the rest of the finals wih my fingernails intact - hope it goes to one of the Saffa sides, good to rotate the trophy but to be honest I wouldn't like to try and pick a winner from the 4 remain sides!
Posted 00:37 22nd July 2012
bigb6969 says...
Kaplan has just become a fat has been. Sharks were probably the better side but how they were not carded until the last minute was a crime. That period of 10/15 minutes after half time when the Reds did not have to make a single tackle were not helped by Kaplan's lack of guts (he had plenty under his shirt).
Good news for NZ teams because I believe they can take Stormers who lost last year's home semi. Going back and forth across the Globe can't help the Sharks though
'
Posted 00:26 22nd July 2012
isthatrightref says...
Karma wins again... Rids didn't deserve a home playoff, should've been in Cheechee getting their asses handed to them by McCheat & Co, but getting blown away by the Shorks is almost as fitting.
Why did Genia go to 10 when Lucas went off, surely bringing Tapuai on & Harris in would've been the go? After that Rids were never going to be able to target the Sharks ruck defence... and as for the pass to McLeod, haven't seen one like it since Carlos in RWC '03!
Good to see the master baiter taking it on the chin, no whinging about injuries, suspensions, hoodoo grounds, refs/TMO's... from him anyway, shame about some of the others (and was that booing I heard? Surely not, I'm sure I read somewhere that only kiwi crowds do that).
Rids did well to win their conf given their injury woes - hard enough to deal with at the best of times, harder still when you don't have much depth to begin with - but the guys forced to step up will be better for it in 2013 & beyond.
Never thought I'd say this but: go the mighty Shorks... next week anyway.
Posted 00:15 22nd July 2012
ruggaluva says...
@ramage i disagree about the better SA/kiwi commentators... i much prefer the aussies they sound like a bunch of pals sitting around watching the game rather than the inebriated Hugh Bladen or stiff ineloquent ex saffa players - of course they are biased so what ? so am i !
Always knew the Sharks wld take this game.... great stuff from the boys in black n white !! now to complete mission impossible !
Posted 23:59 21st July 2012
kevkaiora says...
Reds won the aust conference
Brumbies next best
when it came to the real games ,not a lot better than brumbies the week before
Excuses are exactly that
Agree with Ramage , Sia Finger , cheap shots ,
those smug ,cheap shot commentators from fox have very selective eyesight and memories
The Sharks outplayed them ,out enthused them ,and didnt let their own mistakes get in the way off their game
The crusaders had a saffa ref , and !!
Sharks to beat Stormers
Crusaders to beat Chiefs
thats my plan
Then a awesome Sharks v Crusaders
a Eighth title to the Crusaders
Posted 23:41 21st July 2012
AWEBLAX says...
What's left, 2 best conferences, 4 best teams all good enough to win the final only hurdle left after making a mockery of John ONeills conference plans is travelling from country to country,
Posted 23:39 21st July 2012
Irish_bok1 says...
Wallaroo keep your head held high, truly sportsmanlike response.
Win like a winner and lose like a winner
Posted 23:24 21st July 2012
7ton says...
Pekinghunter
Not sure if it was the way I was sitting or the camera angle but it appeared to me that Kaplan missed quite a few forward passes many of which were by the reds and in fact one that led to a reds try. Funny you seem to have missed those. Then of course there was the constant interference with players of the ball by the reds. Kaplan did warn them about it but some may say he should have penalised/carded them.
Like many fair minded reds supporters say the Sharks deserved their win and to try and say the ref favoured them is a nonsense.
Posted 23:06 21st July 2012
s15rules says...
That was more satisfying than the saders win,
Thought genia was a better man than that , to use to getting all the calls there way at the so called fortress!
Clarke bagged the crowd for booing kaplan leaving the field after game and horan said even quade wouldn't have made a difference, so i give them points for that so glad we didn't have to sit through marto calling the game .
saders beat the bulls by playing bulls rugby, sharks played reds rugby and got up too .
Smart coaching
Posted 22:40 21st July 2012
tweedledee49 says...
@ramage, completely agree with Saia, karma caught up with him. That was surely the forearm he usually drops on unsuspecting players.
Trinats, you are gracious in defeat so I won't rub this loss in your face. Don't worry mate about my previous comments, I know the Reds are a quality side and it is always fun taking a dig at quality sides who you know are a threat to your team. Cheer up mate, we'll be back at each others throats come rugby championship.
Posted 22:06 21st July 2012
2EyedKiwi says...
I didn't bother with the aftermatch - what did Genia say?
Posted 21:32 21st July 2012
jontheref says...
Just finished watching the game, on time delay.
Kaplan is not a ref I think is good at the test level, but at this level, I saw nothing to indicate he helped the scoreline of either team.
he had a good game. Something I didn't think I could say, even as a nuetral!
The commentators are a joke, making up offences, that don't bear scrutiny, even with a rewind facility!
To suggest McLoed was offside, is just silly, he did not move until the hands were on the ball.
Read it perfectly.
Sharks should have had another, but was it basson? Slipped metres out from the line.
Scoreline flattered Reds.
Big mistake moving Genia, but that is down to the coach, not the player.
Higginbottam great runs, but why is he trying to be Mr Biff all the time?
grabing Peterson by the neck, out of play in the first few minutes?
Continually doing things off the ball.
he is a good player, why does he resort to the school yard tactics?
Sharks deserved it.
Posted 21:30 21st July 2012
kitch says...
pekingunther.. now you are home allow yourself the pleasure/misery of watching the replay.. the pass that lead to the first try was actually released in the 22 and while a straight line may indicate it going forward, the rules do allow for it (watch vid as newj pointed out)... you could easily say the same of genias pass to higgenbottom in the leadup to reds first try. What made the sharks look worse was it was done on the 22 line and the passer was stopped dead in a tackle.
keep watching the vid and you will see the intercept try i believe was quite legitimate (but of course i would say that since im not a reds fan!).. have a look at the moment the reds halfback touches the ball... you will clearly see the sharks line were onside!
i do, however, agree with you about the reffing !! I mean how come the reds didnt get penalised for clearing a path at the back of rucks???(kaplan eventually warned them and it did improve but it didnt stop them and they werent penalised !), the tacklers not releasing the player (one which lead to a turnover just before genias try) , reds scrum was not penalised for popping up also. If anything i thought the ref was a bit pedantic towards the sharks and more lenient toward the reds... unfortunately thats what happens
good call trinats.. aus teams poor showing in super rugby by no means follows that wallabies wont be a force in the championship
Posted 21:01 21st July 2012
Kiwidiver says...
Hmmm.... I think I finally get the buzz over (sir) Graham Henry....out of context comment?!?...... Not really - I'm not a big Henry fan, but one thing he is good at is getting his players to think like winners - to have the right mental approach to the game before them. Then once a game is concluded, he works on the next game plan and mental conditioning. My point here is: This wasn't a foregone conclusion of "any of the current form teams showing up a medicore home side". This was a case of the Sharks being in the right place mentally, and the Reds not. How else do you explain the Reds dismantling the Chiefs back in round 12??? They are clearly capable of beating any team on the day - yesterday they just didn't have their heads in it.
As for poor ref'ing, there isn't a fan anywhere that doesn't feel like the refereeing was sub-standard at some point this year. The key is not to be putting yourself in the position where marginal calls can be made. If a team is always on the defense, then of course more calls are going to go against them - Look at the Bulls in the other QF - no ball, and an enormous penalty count.
The Sharks utilized their loosies better than the Reds (notable exception Scott Higgenbotham), and the rest of the team got onboard.
It was a well deserved win.
For me, I'd almost rather have seen the Reds come across the Tasman, than have to see two kiwi teams beat the snot out of each other. My only consolation is that the same thing will be happening in Capetown.
Posted 20:24 21st July 2012
papachinzo says...
Referees are killing our game...
Too many poor performances from referee's this season!
Posted 18:29 21st July 2012
scot_rsa says...
McLeod is putting his hand up for a Bok place.
Posted 18:04 21st July 2012
new_j4a says...
"Walleroo, well said! You are a gentleman and a scholar. and long may jonesy's absence last.
Posted 17:40 21st July 2012
daibok says...
Great game Sharks. Pity about the unsporting crowd booing everything including conversions.
Posted 16:52 21st July 2012