I missed the first half messing around trying to get BT sports on my Sky Box.
So far the 2nd half is pretty poor affair at the 48th minute.
Mvovo is being stretchered off.
Sharks losing 20-3.
Some clumsy play at the base of the ruck.
Sacrcans seem relatively physical, they are apparently the leaders in the English tournament
Sharkbok
The first half was a mess - the backline constantly got poor ball - if they got any at all and the forwards were fiving away penalties like it is unbelievable. Du Plessis and Beast was very disappointing as props and Alberts did near to zero during the whole game - 3 ball carries (only one of which was significant), no tackles and no ball protection as a result of which two penalties were conceded.
The real thing was that the conditions were very poor and it is evident that a three mopnths absence from playing competitive rugby did not help.
Not entirely a bad situation - the Sharks at last have discovered a real no 12 center in the form of Esterhuizen - he was brilliant and his performance showed what can be done when a center is not looking only to crashball. I said it before and I will say it again - this guy has the X factor and he is bound to go places in future.
Swiel did not do as well as he could have done - but he did not get enough decent ball since the forwards kept the ball amongst hem and the backline was rarely used. The intercept pass was not really on - because the play was too flat for the relevant pass. His long range kicking was promising.
The second half was not bad at all and the ball handling was much better,
Sharkbok.
There is a difference between Steyn and Esterhuysen. When Steyn carries the ball in traffic he aims his body forwards ready to go to ground - in other words he is easilu tackled since that is the way he is going anyway - hence his tendency to crashball, Steyn also runs straight at defenders - something Esterhuizen does not do.
Unless there is a serious improvement in performances I think Esterhuizen will replace Steyn before halfway through Super 15. I do not think Esterhuizen is a natural 13 - but we will have to see how things develop. He is a strong ball carrier - but nor particularly speedy.
I think in most cases White was just experimenting with individual players who have virtually gad no game time together - when players get more used to each other synergy will develop naturally.
Shezza
Sorry - but I have seen Esterhuizen play in a number of games and spoke about him before the match afainst Saracens and he really was impressive all along.
De Allende had some very food fames and he is also based on performances in 2013 a distance ahead of Francois Steyn. White will have a problem - as I said if Steyn do es not up his performances - he will be shouted at by people - but he will replace him
Shezza
Sorry - but I have seen Esterhuizen play in a number of games and spoke about him before the match afainst Saracens and he really was impressive all along.
De Allende had some very good g ames and he is also based on performances in 2013 a distance ahead of Francois Steyn. White will have a problem - as I said if Steyn does not up his performances - he will be shouted at by people - but he will replace him
Mozart
Who really were the failures - I will tell you who - it was Jannie du Plessis, Beast abd Willem Alberts = how young are those three?
The scrums were a complete mess and penalties flowed from there. Between the 3 at one stage they gave away 7 penalties all in the first half. Alberts did squat all game long and was replaced at minute 48. The only loose forward noticeable was Deysel.
The problem was not with the youngsters - it was the elderly amongst the forwards that messed up badly and the backline did not get into g ear because of that. As per normal your remarks reflect prejudice - not fact.
Mozart
Gropm your comments I gathered that you did watch the game. OK - that makes everything clear to me.
As biased a load of rubbish as one can expect. Alberts handled the ball exactly twice in the time he was on the field of play - once he gained nothing and there was a turnover in possession. He never made a tackle - he did squat in trying to protect the ball in breakdown situations - where was he? In the first 25 minutes he did nothing - his name was not mentioned once by the commentator.
Because he had one ball carry gaining about 2 meters - he suddenly was fine. HE WAS NOT - the loosies functioned better when he was replaced. Comprehende?
And those malfunctioning forwards - all experienced players - who gave most of the penalties away as well as a dysfunctional prop situation and poor scrums - that meant nothing?
Those three quotes are superficial crap - with respect. Nobody argues about the Du Toit yellow card and the intercept pass - but Du Toit at least trued to perform and keep things going - the props and Alberts tried nothing but to give away penalties and being bossed around in the scrums and mauls.
Swiel at least made his tackles - something your hero Steyn miss regularly.
Mozart
Have you seen the game or are you doing your ordinary?
Kingcorn
I think all the players were rusty. Some of them has not played in the same team ever - especially the youngsters - and they were playing in conditions totally unfamiliar to them.
To go on the rampage and blame the youngsters in the team - like Mozart did - it not called for. If they really were matchfit and familiar with each others play - it would have been different.
What was disappointing was the performances of some senior players who should be used to NH conditions and did not show much at all. Matter of fact some of them did precious little during the whole game and was the source of the pressure that was put on the team.
However, I think the defence was solid and in general there would be improvement in the team once they are more used to playing together.
Not at all bad for a team whose player have had a lay off of about three months so I think there is no reason for despondency in this case.
Saffex
Alberts would love to be 28 again - he will be 30 in 3 months time.
Saffex
Alberts would love to be 28 again - he will be 30 in 3 months time.
Hakwa
One thing is for sure, The Chiefs was too cowardly tot take on Toulon and opted out of the game on flimsy excuses. The Sharks did go to Saracens - but was clearly rusty and not game ready. My bet is that the Chiefs will lose against the Sh arks this year and lose badly. And so will the other NZ teams.
I watched the game again tonight and try to clear up some issues:-
* Jannie made a determined effort to ensure that he breaks the worlkd record for penalties awarded against him. He managed to give away 4 before half time.
* Alberts' sole contribution in the first half was a missed tackle - made no tackles. Before he was replaced eight minutes into the second half he made one ball carry of about 2 meters being slipping one tackle and brought down by the second one. This was the only positive thing he did the whole match.
* Reinach areuffkwed the whole night - partly because there was no protection for him on the part by Alberts who although selected at 8 actually played at 7,
* Bar the one pass that went astray - Swiel had a very good game at flyhalf
* Esterhuizen was very impressive - but make two mistakes - a knock on 5 meters out and a kick directly into touch on one occasion. The knock on came from a very poor pass by Mckeod.
* Jordaan knocked on one ball - but was a key to the backline defenc e of the Sharks - he pit in more tackles than most of the backline players combined.
* Ndungane did nothing positive of note - other than to give away a penalty and kick the ball directly into touch.
Most of the above could be attributed to rustiness - but White will have to do something with Jannie - he is a liability - while he will also have to put a fire under Alberts and see whether that would wake him up and do something on the field of play.
Saffex
The answer to that rubbish is BALLS in capital letters. Alberts had ONE devent Carry in the whole game and missed one tackle - he made none. Why do you think he was replaced early? The loosies functioned better after he was gone.
And Jordaan did not miss a single tackle - he made plenty - even a try-saving one before Saracens scored their first try.
Go and watch the game again before you mak e crap remarks
1) Beast Mtawarira. A very busy hour on the park, with scrum-work perhaps the only blight on an otherwise impressive showing. Wasn’t used all that much as a ball carrier, but did good work on defence and as a support player at the breakdown. 6/10
2) Bismarck du Plessis. Led the team well in his first outing as captain and was superb at lineout time. Made some strong surges with ball in hand and generally kept his cool, which is encouraging to see. 7/10
3) Jannie du Plessis. A quiet outing after a long injury lay-off. Jannie was penalised a bit too often for my liking, but put in some good work, particularly on defence. 5/10
4) Etienne Oosthuizen. Looks a physical player, but perhaps lacks a little finesse at times. The yellow card was unfortunate, but he atoned for it well with a high work rate while he was on the field. 6/10
5) Pieter-Steph du Toit. Superb in the line-outs and came to the fore strongly as a ball carrier. Little opportunity to show off his “x-factor”, though, and was perhaps a bit unlucky to be shown a yellow card. 7/10
6) Tera Mtembu. For a number 8 playing out of position, the young man put in a truly phenomenal performance on the open side. Huge work on defence and as a support player, he also made a few lovely carries, one of which won crucial metres in the build-up to the opening try. This man is pushing hard for a starting spot in 2014. 8/10
7) Jean Deysel. The best forward on the park for 80 minutes. If Deysel needed to lay down a strong marker and erase any doubts the new coach may have had about elevating him to the leadership group, then this performance will have ticked all of those boxes most emphatically. 8/10
8) Willem Alberts. Put in a typically hard-nosed performance, with some crushing tackles and a huge bounce of Sarries hooker Schalk Brits the highlights. 7/10
9) Cobus Reinach. Not the best performance we’ve seen from the young scrumhalf, with decision-making not as crisp as is needed at this level. Will work hard over the next few weeks to rectify those errors. 5/10
10) Tim Swiel. A bit of a mixed bag from a very brave player, who showed glimpses of what he can do with ball in hand, but perhaps didn’t back himself quite as often as he should have. Showed signs of a very big boot for his size and also tackled manfully in a very busy channel. Can’t really blame him for missed kicks given the wind, but showed his inexperience a little in gifting Saracens a try with a pass that shouldn’t have gone out. 6/10
11) Lwazi Mvovo. A quiet outing, with only a short run or two in the first half to really shout about. Went off injured after 48 minutes. 5/10
12) Andre Esterhuizen. The find of the afternoon for the Sharks. The big youngster proved a real handful for Saracens, bumping off would-be tacklers at will and showing huge strength on his feet. Picture Trevor Halstead with real gas and defter hands and you get the picture. Was never really tested on defence, but looks the real deal with ball in hand. 8/10
13) Paul Jordaan. Has been out of rugby for a good 9 months and the break has taken its toll. His hands were poor on the day, but he battled on manfully for 80 minutes and put in some good work on defence. 5/10
14) Odwa Ndungane. Did some good work on defence, but was hurried into a few clearances that didn’t really find their mark. Always a solid, reliable player with a high work-rate that should be the envy of other players. 6/10
15) Tyler Fisher. Showed encouraging glimpses and was particularly brave under the high ball, occasionally making a bit of ground on the counter as well. Management will be hoping the shoulder knock he took – which forced him off at half time – isn’t too serious. 7/10
Saffex
Crap ratings by a journalist again. They are worthless and clearly crap. For instance I watched Alberts carefully - he never made a single tackle in the game - where the writer got that garbage from only he would know. I can quote a few other examples - so please learn something = watch games yourself and don't quote the dribble of rugby writers.
