It is an uncomfortable image, the fearsome Bismarck du Plessis and his band of Sharks, one of the more intimidating units in Super Rugby and a franchise desperately keen to shake off a moniker that doesn’t mix well with the team.
Yes, the Sharks are Super Rugby’s perennial bridesmaids, officially the most successful side never to have won the tournament.
In eight appearances in the finals, the men from Durban have reached the decider on four occasions.
Yet the Blues, Brumbies, Bulls and Chiefs have each time prevented one of the powerbases of South African rugby from bringing home the Southern Hemisphere’s Holy Grail of provincial competition.
This time around, it will be the Crusaders who stand between the Sharks and potentially a fifth appearance in a Super Rugby Final.
And there are plenty of portents that support the side from the Republic despite the red and blacks pedigree, boasting seven crowns while they are in the midst of a remarkable 16th showing in the knockout stages of the season.
- The Sharks are the best touring team in Super Rugby this season, winning five of their eight matches away in 2014, including wins in Melbourne, Christchurch and Albany.
- Jake White’s preferred template of rugby is well suited to elimination football, a relentless forward pack and a physical style that has ensured many teams have achingly trudged off the field against the Sharks this year.
- The return of Pat Lambie is a big factor, with the 23 year old out of action with a biceps injury for most of the season until his surprise return off the bench against the Highlanders last weekend. A Lambie / Frans Steyn axis is potent both with ball in hand and from the boot, but will be up against one of the great conductors of our time in Dan Carter.
- They have the Bismarck. The massive hooker is unequalled as the finest rake on the planet, a superstar forward who often has significant contributions to make in the heat of battle. If his power game stirs then the Crusaders could be in trouble, while the thought of the rugged hooker in a bridesmaid’s dress is the stuff of nightmares.
One thing is for certain, the Sharks will need to match the Crusaders feats of 1999 (the only team to win Super Rugby after finishing the regular season outside the top two) if they are to break what has become an uncomfortable trophy absence.
Those four…
1996: Blues 45-21 Sharks
An All Black laden Blues outfit was too powerful at Eden Park, with Zinzan Brooke relying on a pack boasting the likes of Sean Fitzpatrick, Olo Brown and Michael Jones. Despite being coached by the legendary Natal coach Ian McIntosh, the Sharks under Gary Teichmann were clearly fatigued having played in Brisbane the weekend before.
2001: Brumbies 36-6
As it was with their first final, the Sharks came up against a pseudo international side with the Brumbies at the time having the backbone of the Wallabies team, and with no New Zealand sides in the top four, many felt that ACT only needed to turn up to claim their first crown. While the Sharks had thumped the Cats the weekend before, the long trip to Canberra was clearly a step to far as George Gregan’s Brumbies ran riot. Captain Mark Andrews and a young John Smit had little influence in the contest.
2007: Bulls 20-19 Sharks
Oh the agony for Sharks supporters as Springboks flyer Bryan Habana crossed in the 82nd minute to give the touring Bulls their maiden Super Rugby championship. Smit’s team must have thought they had conquered history when Albert van den Berg scored a try in the dying stages, but credit to Victor Matfield’s outfit who kept the ball alive at the death to break Durbanite’s hearts.
2012: Chiefs 37-6 Sharks
One only had to look at the Sharks feats over the fortnight leading into this match, with valiant wins in Brisbane and Cape Town before reaching the decider in Hamilton. The longest journey by any Super Rugby Finalist in history clearly took a toll against a Waikato based side that had not had to travel once in the knockout stages. To the tourists credit it was a scoreless first quarter, before Tim Nanai-Williams crossed in the 19th minute to start the four-try to nil procession.
