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| Adi Jacobs. Image © sharksrugby.co.za |
A most intense game that hung on a knife’s edge from start to finish, the match see-sawed between the balance of power as the Waratahs would score, only for The Sharks to nullify matters as they added points themselves.
The home side were never really able to build on a score, conceding points soon after each time they scored to allow The Sharks to remain in the game.
The match started at a hectic pace and never really let up both sides looked full of running, although it was the Waratahs who adopted a fairly high risk style which didn’t pay off as they conceded possession a few times when a more circumspect decision possibly would have yielded more. Having dropped off late in the game against the Bulls last weekend in Pretoria when the home side scored a number of late points to win the game, it seemed a strange ploy to play a high tempo game which might affect them late in the game, considering the travel fatigue factor.
It so nearly counted against them.
The opposing kickers contributed with a couple of points-yielding kicks each before the action really started when The Sharks lost Jannie du Plessis and Andy Goode to yellow cards. With The Sharks deep in their 22, defending their line, all looked lost.
But a try against the run of play when the Waratahs had a two man advantage on The Sharks was testament to the fighting spirit of the visitors who were pressurising the home side into making all kinds of mistakes. The Sharks turned the game on its head when Ryan Kankowski doubled his try-scoring count for the season with an intercept off an ill-advised quick throw-in from the home side. He wrong-footed wing Drew Mitchell and then beat him for the line showing exactly how much pace he really does possess.
When Ruan Pienaar converted a penalty minutes later, The Sharks had managed to score eight unanswered points.
However, the Waratahs struck back with two tries to take the lead going into the half time break, but would have been severely disappointed not to make more of their numbers advantage.
The first 10 minutes of the second half belonged to The Sharks but against the run of play, the Waratahs managed to score a try, only for The Sharks to hit back with one of their own, involving 15 phases of play and virtually every player in the team having a part in the try eventually scored by Adi Jacobs (pictured).
But The Sharks saved their best for the final quarter as they completely dominated the game and the team try brought them right back into the game before the most bizarre of circumstances saw the result snatched from under their noses.
With Stefan Terblanche needing to make the final pass to a racing Ryan Kankowski on the wing, and no defenders in front of him and 20m to the tryline, the ball was slapped away and the Waratahs’ player yellow carded. There was no doubt that had The Sharks eighthman received the ball, it would have been try-time and the win secured. However, no penalty try was awarded, instead it was just a penalty which The Sharks kicked to touch.
Again, The Sharks found matters tough when Jannie du Plessis, lifting Wilhelm Steenkamp to take the lineout throw, was penalised for obstruction despite being bound to the rolling maul and having been the supporting player for the jumper.
With time up on the clock, the win was taken away and The Sharks will go back to their base knowing they were much better than the result. It was a character-filled match, one where they gave as good as they got, and at times, better. They pressured the home side and should really have had more to show for their enormous efforts.
“A few things didn’t go out way although I thought we did enough in the game to win it, but the scoreboard didn’t show it,” explained captain John Smit afterwards. “Four losses in a row is hard on us because we’re a team that has a lot of pride, we’ve got a good bunch of guys here. Tonight was a good game, we just need to improve on that. But when you lose four games in a row you don’t get the rub of the green from the referee so we’ll have to work hard on that.”
Waratahs’ captain Phil Waugh paid tribute to The Sharks when he admitted that they had been in a big game. “This was one of the more physical games we’ve played at this level and were probably a bit lucky to get away with the win at the end. We hung in there nicely.”
Crowd: 20 651
Referee: Paul Marks (Australia)
The Sharks: 21 (14)
Tries: Ryan Kankowski, Adrian Jacobs
Conversions: Andy Goode (1)
Penalties: Andy Goode (1), Ruan Pienaar (1)
Drop-Goal: Andy Goode (1)
Waratahs: 25 (18)
Tries: Daniel Halangahu, Tom Carter, Tatafu Polota-Nau
Conversions: Berrick Barnes (2)
Penalties: Berrick Barnes (2)
