I think one has also to realise players not getting game tim etend not to be quite as fit as those that do - rugby 101 stuff but a mystery to some!!
A nuber of sharks tries were dubious and handling of the slippery ball cost the Stormers.
ex supersport
The Cell C Sharks commemorated the emotional farewells of a trio of legendary players with the appropriate result as they overcame a second string DHL Stormers team in the final Vodacom Super Rugby league match of the season, but they were made to labour for their 34-12 win at Kings Park.
It was supposed to be a passionate performance to send Bismarck du Plessis, his brother Jannie and fellow Springbok Willem Alberts on their way in winning style as they prepare for futures outside of Durban.
The team did provide the win, but it wasn’t until the last move of the opening half that there was discernible passion from a team that at times before that looked as if it might be on a go-slow rather than looking for a fiery performance as a send-off to the stalwarts.
In truth it was a terrible game, particularly the 40 minutes before halftime, with a scratch Stormers team, playing together for the first time to allow the first choices to rest ahead of next week’s playoff game against the Brumbies at Newlands, playing plucky rugby but struggling to be fluent and just dropping way too much ball to threaten. (Exactly as reported by Beeno whose finger remains firmly on the pulse!)
Until the last minute of the half the only moment of note for the hosts was when the Stormers dropped one of their umpteen balls and Lionel Cronje booted through from near his own 22 metre line for Odwa Ndungane to use his pace before kicking ahead towards the Stormers tryline. (That halwit sharkbokkie then sails into Taute alone criticising him for dropping the ball. The sharks also spilt plenty of ball. Get real sharbokkie!)
The Stormers might consider themselves unlucky to be ruled against by the TMO, as it looked suspiciously like the Stormers covering player got his hand to the ball at the same time as Cronje did on the television replay evidence. (Exactly so as I noted)
Kurt Coleman, obviously putting the kicking yips behind him, was on target with three first-half penalties, with the Stormers leading 3-0, then 6-5 and 9-8 going into the last minutes of the half.
That though was when the Sharks really put it together for the first time, though they were helped by the referee missing what looked like an obvious forward pass to the wing as the Sharks surged upfield before eventually it was scrumhalf Stefan Ungerer who went over. (Another dubious try!!!)
Cronje missed the conversion but the Sharks went to the break 13-9 ahead and with their scrum starting to get the ascendancy in that battle, it finally looked as though they were on course for what should have been an anticipated victory.
BEST TRY OF THE MATCH
It did turn out that way, but not before the Stormers drew three points back to cut the deficit to one point through another penalty from Coleman.
That was to prove the last Stormers score of the match, with Bismarck du Plessis providing the fitting cap to his own farewell as he ran over the attempts of Stormers stand in captain Nizaam Carr to score a highly popular try in the corner.
The Cronje conversion put the Sharks more than a score ahead for the first time at 20-12, and that was the cue for Jannie du Plessis to leave the field to a standing ovation from the Kings Park faithful.
The Sharks scored their bonus point try courtesy of chip kick that Lwazi Mvovo picked up to go in, and by then the issue was beyond doubt.
The Stormers did keep trying but they just seemed to miss the togetherness that they might have had if they had played together all season.
They made their job harder for themselves when fullback Robert du Preez, playing his first Super Rugby game, was yellow carded for a tip tackle, something that had also seen Sharks centre Andre Esterhuizen taking a break for in the first half.
The best try of the match was scored by Odwa Ndungane who went in at the right corner when the Stormers were down to 14 men, thus putting a gloss on the final scoreline that was closer to what might have been expected from this game than seemed likely at the halfway mark.
The Stormers had nothing to play for once the Waratahs had made sure of second place by beating the Reds earlier in the day, with the order of play in the first round of the Finals Series seeing the Highlanders hosting the Reds in Dunedin and the Stormers hosting the Brumbies in Cape Town.
The scoreboard flattered the guppies for sure and apart from their dropp ing too many balls hats off to the Mighty Stormer youngsters.
Beeno sane and on the ball as per usual!
