Hopefully, the Sharks get off to a good start. They need to get over the advantage line, with quick ball at the rucks for their strike runners to get space around the edges.
The Hendrickses are placeholders until new options arise. Jaden started his career well, but he seems more conservative in his approach after a few injuries, perhaps trying to avoid more injuries.
.
Winner of this game gets the Bulls in the semifinal, right? Other semi is Glasgow vs Leinster.
Damn, good thing I checked in here. I had it in my head that the game is only much later.
If the Sharks win this, then the semi at Loftus will be like a test match.
I was hoping Williams would be ready for the playoffs as they hinted.
Eben is the skippie tonight
Thanks heavens my DSTV is sorted out
Nope. Bradley Davids on the bench and no flyhalf backup. Fassi to #10 if necessary by the looks of it.
I hope Hooker has a massive game
Oh please . . .obstruction?
Some good strong carries from Siya and AE . . .
"I hope Hooker has a massive game"
I'm pretty sure we all do . . . except maybe Stav . . . and ou Maaik.
Good go forward by Kolisi.
Good scrum Sharks.
First scrum of the game in the half way line...
Jayden feeds...
Sharks win the penalty
Sharks kick to the corner
Lineout just inside the 22...it's fumbled by Bongi cleans up.
Shark lose it
Sharks lose it in contact. Munster tries to run it out of their own 22. Clearance to outside the 10m line.
Pointlessly boots away their possession through Jayden.
Munster uses the gift to counter into the Sharks 22. And they score. Nash runs down the kick in the corner.
Great run by Kilgallen gets held up but then it's over to the other wing and Nash scores.
5-0. Make that 7-0.
Lovely score by Munster from a break and then alert cross field kick.
Jayden got skinned and failed to make a tackle ...which lead to the try.
Where did it start? Sharks attacking possession on halfway, boots it straight to Munster, 70m down the park Munster scores.
Good try by Munster, Mapimpi a bit slow to get back.
Some lazy defensive work too by whoever it was chasing the kick for the Sharks. Mapimpi?
great take Hooker.
Munster making meters through Bongi's tackle for the second time.
Jason Jenkins off. Emile van Heerden on.
Lovely take by Hooker and the Sharks fail to the basic right as Jenkins passes one at Vincent's face
2 scrum of the game
Jenkins tosses a pass into Vincent's face. Scrum Munster.
These black players are awful. First Mpimpi poor cover, knock on from Tsisuka, poor catch in the air from Fassi. Am is a ghost.
Only black players are Ox, Bongi is scrumming well
Unlucky Fassi.
Good grubber by Casey forces Fassi to take it into touch.
2 poor touch line receives from Fassi coughing up the ball. Giving Munster a perfect attacking plat form
This is not looking good.
iSharks are Kak
KC, please try to contain your skin colour comments on a live match thread.
Munster attack not doing much on the line but they get a penalty. Looks like they'll take the 3.
Lol how did he miss that!?
The score stays 7-0
Crowley blows the penalty, still 7-0
Good touch-finder from Crowley and Sharks back on defence.
Lovely kick for the corner now by Crowley. Munster keeping the pressure on.
iShaka, the black MK of rugby
Bog average clearance from Jaden. Sharks still under the cosh.
Clearance by Jayden to just outside the 22. Sharks still under pressure.
Van Heerden does well to turn it over but there's a knock on.
Bongi knocks it. Attacking scrum midfield on the 22 for Munster.
Just when Am wins it for us we give it back . . . penalty Sharks. That's a relief.
Crowley hacks a speculative high ball, Sharks get it and then Munster gets it back. Jayden and Koch wins the penalty at the tackle.
Why do the Sharks try to pass balls from the ground instead of clearing then pressure!?
Jaden kicks it away again.
Good take Fassi.
Another shallow high ball by Jayden and Munster takes it.
Terrible pass from Eben and Sharks give it back.
Sharks have been so good the air...but can they just play their back line instead of constantly using pods?
Better by Fassi. Knock, Munster scrum.
Oh my God, now Ebenezer thinks he is a centre and put a poor pass into his fellow player
Again it looks like the Sharks players struggle to read and find each other as that pass by Eben catches the other player completely by surprise, apparently.
Sharks need Willie to provide some nous.
The Sharks are looking utterly rudderless.
A new coach, or even a new team bus driver, just any form of change would be an improvement
Hooker makes a great run but botches the kick at the end.
Hooker beats 4 for a terrific run and then his attempted kick is a disaster.
If the Sharks get too far behind, they will struggle to get back into the game as their point scoring ability is very limited.
Lively break by Hooker….Bok material
I think everyone is to afraid to talk about quotas or black washing. iSharki has bought up all of the Bok boks. Some are good and even great, but other's are awful and had always been. Mpimpi has never been able to defend, fact. What on earth has happened to Am. Why not start with Jurenzo.
Then you look the bulls who are the least "transformed" but yet they play better rugby and probably the only consistent SA team.
Lovely break by Hooker.
The Sharks have him and Fassi so it's a mystery why they have to feed off scraps instead of being brining them into the game front set plays
Lovely break by Hooker.
The Sharks have him and Fassi so it's a mystery why they have to feed off scraps instead of being brining them into the game front set plays
That was the first clean break and defenders beaten on the Sharks stat sheet - after 24 minutes. Munster already on 3 and 8 respectively.
Sharks scrum has been good but they get a short arm against them for some reason.
Eben smashes Crowley into touch.
Jordan misses touch.
Jirre!!!
Casey getting past Mapimpi far too easily there, Munster relieves the pressure.
Jaden lobs a looping pass to Ox to lose all the momentum. Jaden is truly dreadful. He has no technique at all.
Coombes is a big powerful unit.
Sharks ruck support effectively prevented Esterhuizen from winning a potential penalty on the ground there as they crushed into him.
Long break here. Sharks scrum coming . . . it's good again . . .
First set move and Fassi instantly looks dangerous.
DO IT MORE!
Another mish mash Sharks backline move goes boink. All sideways and just running the outside guys out of space.
Oh my God how kak are Fassi and Hendeikse. Completely ran sideways
All the way back for a scrum penalty. Jordan going for poles. Dumb decision if you ask me.
He pulls it. What a waste.
Jordan going for 3 from pretty far out...
He misses it
0-7
Jaden driven back about 10m . . .
Sharks haven't used Esterhuizen at all tonight.
Another strong run from Hooker. Mapimpi makes a good run . . . AE takes it up . . . Sharks bash it up until Jaden kicks it away.
Hooker making good yards again. Nice quick hands from Esterhuizen to Mapimpi. Sharks looking promising now. Esterhuizen again gets go forward. Back to bashing and being driven back.
Brilliant run from Mapimpi but intercept!
Stop passing to stationary players for god's sake.
Mapimpi and Hooker looking great.
I hate Jayden Hendrikse
All that work and he get intercepted
Some intent from Mapimpi in that run and then another loopy loop from Jaden is intercepted.
Jayden Hendricks throws the worst pass 5 meters out and gave away a certain try
Haha, the crowd shots after that intercept. We feel you.
Mpimpi showing real attacking grit and physicality, well done
Mapimpi with two very strong carries in the space of a few minutes. The Sharks with plenty of momentum...
How is Munster only 7-0 ahead? They must be a bit shit themselves.
More like it from the Sharks but Ox knocks on and it's all for nothing. Very frustrating team to support.
Another poor pass from Jayden to Ox, ball dips and Ox knocks on
Finally Esterhuizen is brought in and effortlessly breaches the advantage line. Sharks proceed to lose it yet again though.
And then Jayden throws one at Ox's knees to cause a knock on.
TAKE HIM OFF
Fucking Am, you have one job and then you fuck it up. How on earth can't you create space for your winger ?!!!!
Seriously, if Bradley Davids doesn't start the 2nd half then Plumtree should be fired.
Kak pass Kolisi.
Great pass Kolisi!
Sharks lose their lineout throw.
Knock on, Sharks get one more scrum before half time.
Thinking Etzebeth should be the villain in the next Mission Impossible
Last scrum of the half coming. This had better go down the line to the backs
Great take Kilgallen. Munster lose it though. Neither side setting the world alight here.
Ugh, and now Jordan fumbles Jaden's slow lob before controlling it.
End of yet another frustrating half of Sharks rugby
7-0
Fassi boots it away and that's the half. What a shit show.
Fassi kicks it away and that's half time.
Sharks need to catch a wake up. Bring on Davids at half time and get Mchuni on early.
Another dumb Fassi move
Munster is a good side, but the Sharks are not playing well. Perhaps the Sharks has too many geriatric former Bok greats that are struggling to keep up with the pace of the game
The Sharks entire game is running sideways and feeding the ball to stationary players to take it up half a meter at a time ad infinitum.
Jayden easily the worst player that half. Totally stunted a good few moments of momentum for the Sharks.
Looking for Julius….it’s time.
Julius not on the bench.
Fassi again boots it away, into touch. Stop fucking kicking the damn ball. Straighten the line, draw your man inside, make space outside, pass. FFS, schoolboy stuff.
Compare our number 8’s Kolisi to Hanekom….night and day in terms of contribution.
Hooker!
Good reward for a his efforts tonight.
I'm liking the look of Hooker as the Bok #13.
HOOKER!!!!!
Ethan Hooker FTW!
Lovely run and finish
What a player, he is the only consistent youngster that put his hand up every weekend
Weldone Vincent T, brilliant off loading in the tackle
Now Mapimpi crabs across the field.
Vincent gets it away to Hooker who runs in a beauty.
Great offload out of a double tackle by Vincent.
Hooker vs the Stormers backs with their flippies and dummies and backhands - the difference between a test player and a bunch of pretenders.
Mapimpi almost gets the offload to Vincent, Casey just gets a hand in the way.
Sharks attack . . . Siya knocks on and it was all for nothing.
Hang on . . . looks like a late hit on Jordan . . .
Fucking Kwotalisi, as useless as ever. Put a real 8 in the field
Shakes win a nice scrim penalty to set up a lineout on the Mkngsters 10...nice phases with Mapimpi making ground down the touch line...
Until Kolisi can't hang on and Minster clear the pressure
Now Kolisi knocks on…hopeless
Big Sharks scrum. Penalty can see them back in Munster territory. Lineout 10m line.
No,
Sharks attack off the lineout . . . must score here . . . no . . . Sharks close . . .
Man my feed is lagging behind again.
Penalty. Take the scrum!
Klaasvakie Hendrickse the most useless 9
phases and phases on the Mkngsters line.
Sharks get a penalty...
They should probably take 3 here
10-7
Jaden can't pass any lower than the shoulders apparently. Pathetic.
Jayden kicks the penalty. Where was Jordan?
Munster ring the changes . . . Tshituka carries it up . . . Jaden kicks it away.
Kolisi subbed on 54 minutes
And the inspirational leader doing what a great leader does and exit after 55 min. Thank you Kolisi
Kolisi off after a forgettable 50 minutes.
Great last tackle from Fassi but Munster score anyway.
Game on!
Time for Mchunu.
And Mongsters punish the Sharks with a nice try that started in their own half
No he was inspirational
Munster rumbles for what feels like the first time in forever and immediately scores.
Yes, Mchunu on for Ox.
Hooker has beaten 9 defenders. Gigachad.
Should have gone for the try….
Hanro Jacobs on for Koch. Fez for Bongi.
10-14 Munster
Venter looking confused . . . no HIA?
Hooker gets it and carries it but then loses it . . .
Eben offside . . . all the pressure off.
Oh dear. Mapimpi slips and Munster score. That could be the game.
Hooker now loses it in contact. Another Sharks attack fizzles into nothing. Can they do anything other than having Esterhuizen run it up and then passing from one dude to the next until they run out of guys to pass to?
The conversion is for an 11 point lead . . . it's over. 21-10.
Sad to say but the Sharks don't deserve to win this. Munster have had precious few opportunities but they've taken them, while the Sharks have had oodles of possession doing mostly nothing with it.
Sharks back on attack. Come on boys!
Penalty Sharks. Kick for the corner.
Sharks need to score off this lineout.
Hooker, Tshituka, Venter all take it up . . . Mchunu charges . . . no try but penalty.
Please call for the scrum!
Clock stopped. Eben is down.
Give us more stationary bashing lads, go on.
Scrummmm, but not with Klaasvakie at the back
Hilarious. Guy in the crowd with a "I will rip my T shirt" banner attempts to rip his T Shirt and can't.
Scrum it is . . . peanlty try surely? No, just a penalty.
That should be a penalty try !!!
Scrum again . . . get it to the backs please!
Yes. It goes to the backs and Fassi scores. Come on Sharks!
How is this not a penalty try?
Doesn't matter Fassi gets the score
No just for Jordan to miss it
Jaden converts. He does have some value after all.
Yes, finally they use the backs and score. Jeesus the penny takes long to drop in Durban. Must be the humidity.
Klaasvakie only contribution, 2 points!!;
Nash beats Fassi in the air . . . but it's a scrum to the Sharks.
Good, forward pass, scrum , hopefully another penalty
Nash outcatches Mapimpi and Munster goes wide. Forward pass though.
Sharks get a scrum just inside their own half and can set up a lineout here if they win penalty...
KlanCorn, these match threads are to follow the game. Not listening to your Aryan Klansman comments.
Penalty Sharks!
Sharks looking a lot better in this second half.
Kick for the corner, 9 minutes on the clock
Yes!
Fez!
Kickable penalty Sharks, will they take the 3? Nope, touch.
Sharks lead by 1 with a simple kick to come.
Great comeback Sharks!
Best play of all season by the sharks
Good try, Esterhuizen busting the line and Fez finishes.
There we go Vissies!!!
Lovely moves from the lineout to get AE onto it at pace, he gets the momentum and the ball goes out of the ruck and the Vissies dive over and will convert this
24-21 Sharks
Munster still look dangerous . . .
Penalty Munster. They'll kick for the corner.
If I was Munster I'll go for 3
No, going for posts! Dumb call I reckon. What happens if scores are tied?
Yellow card to Sharks for deliberate knock down. I think it's Am off?
Am slaps it down, penalty Munster.
Conor Murray has the distance . . . and the line. Scores tied at 24-24. 3 minutes left.
Looks like the Mongsters are going for 3 points here from just inside the Sharks half...
4 minutes on the clock.
Murray lines it up...and he gets it...
Are we gonna have extra time?
24-24
Come on Sharks!
What happens if scores are tied?
Extra time according to a 2024 article I just googled.
Phepsi carries strongly, Hendrickse hoof . . . aerial ping pong . . . Mapimpi makes another strong carry . . . Munster win it back . . .
Makazole Mapimpi is my MotM.
The standard of play out there is pretty embarrassing for two top 8 teams. Mapimpi with a sizzling counter though but they lose the ball.
Jordan messing up badly here...
Mapimpi with a beautiful break and the Jayden Fs it up with a forced pass in the groin to nobody and Mongs get a scrum
Seriously, the Hendricks brothers are so useless. Jordan twice threw poor passes and broke down the backline . Only Mpimpi show real venom from the back. Black Mamba
Let's hope it doesn't come down to a place kick competition.
The Sharks need to a run the shit out of Munster here...
Munster will try to hook it quickly and likely kick it out to go into extra time
Last chance in normal time . . . Sharks scrum is strong but Crowley clears. We have extra time.
Extra time it is.
Yep, quick hook and were in extra time.
Jordan Hendrikse messed up massively in the last few minutes of the half passes to nobody and putting the Shark on the back foot.
Then kicking while everybody was in front of him so no Sharks could chase.
Very disappointing.
LOL URC TV, camera right in on the Munster talk. The amount of swearing is epic.
Good take Kilgallen. He's been good all night.
Monster will jsut kick themselves out of their half.
The sharks need to keep ball in hand and play rugby...
Sharks get a scrum inside the half
Etzebeth first to the long kick…the man is trying
Looks like the first half of extra time will be taken up by this scrum
I made myself a snacky snack. Looks like I didn't miss much.
This game is ludicrously long…I’m waiting to play golf
Dammit!
They were in their if Jordan got that ball to Hooker's hands.
They were in a penalty advantage and the Sharks go to the corner for lineout
Sharks rumbling after a great run by Phepsi, then Jordan throws a shit paqss to Hooker out wide.
Was there a need for the skip pass? They three on two.
Fucking hell Sharks. They rumble spectacularly to 5m from the line with momentum charges, and then resort to stationary bashing again only to get penalized.
Once again scrumming is keeping a SA team alive….stunning if you think of all the units available from Fiji and the,like.
Hooker can't gather what would have been a glorious try, but it's still penalty . . . Eben overruns and it's a forward pass.
Stupid forward pass by James Venter to Eben. No cool heads when there should be cool heads.
Mchunu runs a great line . . .
Jordan drop kick attempt charged down. Fassi cleans up well . . .
If the Saarks lose this game, it will be all on the soldiers of the Hendeikse brothers
Kicking contests would be better if you can pick the opposition kicker.
Knock on by Munster and Sharks get a much-needed scrum.
Kicking contests would be better if you can pick the opposition kicker.
Haha!
Sharks backline going nowhere but it's penalty advantage . . .
Mchunu is man down, Ox waiting to come back on . . . but Mchunu plays on . . .
If the Sharks played with this intent from the start, despite flawed execution, there may have been no need for extra time.
Hanro Jacobs carries well but it's lost forward and a scrum to Munster.
Munster should get booted, wasting so much time
Be hilarious if the Sharks push Munster off the ball in this scum just inside the Mong 22...
Fassi magic!
James Venter knocks on . . . Munster kick deep . . .
Great kick and chase Fassi
Davids is finally on and not even for Jaden who is needed for his kicking. Mapimpi is off.
Jaden kicks it out and we have a kicking contest.
Well, a kicking contest...
LOL!
Well that was an uneventful 20 minutes.
Apart from the Stormers this feels like scraping the bottom of the top 8 barrel. Not a game for the ages despite the drama.
Three kicks from three different positions. Three different kickers.
Not be negative but I can't see the Sharks winning this...
Munster have better place kickers
Here’s a howdy do.
Jaden first from bang in front.
Crowley taking the easy one? Suprised. He does nail it though.
Should have slapped in the halfway spot for some fun.
Jordan taking from the right . . . it's over.
Rory Scannel from the right . . . he misses!!! Advantage Sharks!
Bradley Davids just needs this now.
Lol Munster miss their second kick
It's over! Sharks win . . . no . . . all 6 kicks are taken. Conor Murray next, from the left . . . . it's over. Advantage still Sharks.
Now it's the 10m line. Jaden nails his from in front.
Jayden slots his first far one from the middle position
Lol Okay I like Jayden's tactics here...
That wink at Crowley...brilliant
Crowley lining up from in front . . . Jaden having cramps . . . Crowley's kick is good. Now Jordan from the right.
Jordan nails it. Great kick. Now Munster need to convert to stay in it.
Scannel nails his kick.
Bradley Davids to win it.
Jordan slots his far one from the right too...
But Jayden is injured...
So what happens now?
If David's get this one the Sharks win...
He's only about 12 years-old...
Cumon boy...
HE GETS IT!!!!!!!
Yes!!!
Bradley Davids wins it!
Bulls vs Sharks semifinal at Loftus!
Well done Sharks!
”I know it’s sore but we need to move on” … comment of the week
Okay that was classic. First time I've ever seen a kicking contest
Ja something different. Well done Sharks.
Pretty sure Munster will be kicking themselves that they didn't put that game away.
Ethan Hooker is MotM.
Looks like Hooker is MOTM
Well done my son.
He's gonna be 100 cap Bok this chap.
A most boring march to watch I have seen in a long time. Why 0- because the Shark backline is discfunctional and that makes it toothless. Poor inaccurate passing and knock-ons stopped most of the Sharks attacks and let to posession turnovers, That match ended up in having kicks at goal and on that the Sherks go through to the semi.
Can't fault the effort of either team, though not of the highest quality or skill, Sharks deserved to win given the overall dominance from from around the 30th minutes onwards. Still given their rather unsavoury behaviour during the kick competition I hope the Bulls batter them into the ground next weekend.
How poor was the iSharka, Hats off Mpimpi, Ox. Ebenezer was immense, what a player and played the entire game, unlike that great captain of 55 min. Oh and the Saarks got on the scoreboard.
Fassi got better towards the end of the game.
Plumtree will need to drop the Hendeikse brothers. Absolutely abysmal
Esterhuizen became môre dominant in the game.
However, Hooker is by far the best player.
Based on form during the play-offs and season my picks would be Hooker and HANNEKOM to crack the nod for the boks.
SFM completely imploded against a well structured team
dfgh
First Rugby game I have seen end in penalties, it was more like watching a football World Cup knock out.
Flabbergast was distraught. 2 poor kicks that somehow went between the poles. It is not clear how the Sharks camp was getting in the way, but it did appear as though Jaden could have just been moved out of the way to create more space.
Sharks lucky to win and Munster bad luck Not closing out the game….Go Bulls!
One looks at how effective the Sharks backs are when they get the ball and you have to wonder why they're so afraid to use them.
It's just pod ball after pod ball...over and over with little result.
They had Hooker, Mapimpi and Fassi on the field last night and yet it seems they're incapable of just letting them have the ball from set piece when there is space.
It's the SA way. The forwards get everything and the backs have to make magic from nothing. I honestly think we waste so much of our talent.
The Bulls are gonna eat them alive next week.
"The Bulls are gonna eat them alive next week."
That does appear likely . . . but if I was a betting man - and I am - I think a Sharks upset would be a good value bet.
Absolutely can't wait for next week. Don't know when last I was so pumped for a local game.
I quite enjoyed the kicking shootout. Well, I would have enjoyed it if I wasn't so anxious . . . but I'm not kidding when I say it would be better if the opposition chose your 3 kickers . . . or at least one of them. Let's see how guys like Vincent Koch, Eben Etzebeth or Bongi Mbonambi kick . . . with that kind of pressure on them!
Would be great. We'd see more props, locks and hookers taking the occasional place kick at practice.
Was Kollisi injured when he came off yesterday?? He looked so comfortable on the sidelines like a Princess:)……
Then take Eben who really put in a Captain’s shift…..Even a busted up eye could not stop the man!
"Still given their rather unsavoury behaviour during the kick competition I hope the Bulls batter them into the ground next weekend."
The wink?
C'mon u Bulle !
It was more than a wink ... fkn pantomine ... doos behaviour
16,077 posts
For me, this is last chance saloon for the Hendrickse brothers. If this Springbok-laden Sharks team can't beat Munster at home then I think they're the problem . . . along with the coach.
Come on Sharks!