Final Score
Reds 25
Shorks 13
6 min – Sharks turnover Reds go wide from scrum
Lucas has had two kicks charged down and dropped two balls in the first 5 mins
8 mins – Reds on attack after going wide, get short arm penalty and have a scrum 22mtr out to the left of the posts
9 mins – another Reds attack comes to nothing, too lateral in attack and Hynes threw the ball into touch, Connor should have taken it
11mins Awful move from the scrum with Kankowski running into touch – Reds playing all the rugby
12 mins TRY Reds – Lucas makes amends afert some good lead up work in mid field by Diggers and Connor. Adam Bryne goes over from about 5 mtrs out. His first try for the Reds
Predictably Lucas misses the conversion from the sideline
15 mins – Sharks go wide and spill the ball – they don’t look settled the Sharks
17 mins – A stagnate period in which both teams trading kicks – the Sharks get the better of it with lineout in Reds half
18 min – Sharks drop another ball in midfield, poor passing from Kockott
20 mins – Marcia opens up the Sharks forwards, Reds pressing hard
21 mina – Reds fuck a great scoring Higgs makes great break after good work from Leroy only to throw the ball to the invisible man with the line wide open
22min – PENALTY GOAL Reds – Barnes copped a love tap across the face
24 min – Sharks lineout 18 mtr out – Lucas down injured.
Sharks need to start controling the ball, they are getting sucked into the Reds run it game
25 mins Sharks under Reds posts bashing in close
26 min- Sharks turnover, off their feet at breakdown – Lucas off with rib injury, Genia on.
27 min TRY Reds good break from Leroy flicked it onto Connor who steamed toward the line only to be brought down just short , quick pop ball to Genia who goes over
Barnes kicks the extras
Reds 15 Sharks 0– the upset is ON!!!!
29 min – Sharks on attack but going nowhere, get penaly 42 out after silly work at the breakdown – offside playing the ball
30 min – PENALTY Kockott from 42 out on slight angle – shit he is a good kicker, and in my fantasy team!!!
Reds 15 Sharks 3
31 min – The Reds pressing hard in attack, turnover from a dropped ball from Diggers. JP kicks through but Marcia cleans up.
33 min – under pressure the Reds conceed penalty
PENALTY GOAL from Kockott
Reds 15 Sharks 6
35 min – Sharks starting to look good, applying pressure and the Reds are being found wanting. Dangerous time just before the break. Sharks mid-field scrum 30 mtr out from Reds line
36 min – the Sharks go nowhere once again Kankowski off the back of the scrum then forward hit-ups….They are starting to look like the Tahs!!!
38 min – The reds ar pressing again chip thru from Cooper and Higgers taken out by the BEAST, incredilely the press box were the only ones who saw it and the Reds have a penalty for an earlier high takle
39 mins – PENALTY GOAL – Barnes kicks it from the sideline
Reds 18 Sharks 6
HALF TIME: Reds 18 Sharks 6
The Reds are all over this one, the Sharks look like they don’t really want to do the hard work needed to win. The Reds continue to be the ones who are playing all the rugby while the Sharks look content to sit back and wait for something to happen.
The Sharks are bashing it through the forwards but are being matched by the Reds. The Sharks have the talent to change this game plan so it should make for a decent second half.
Poor handling continues to plauge the Reds but are making more of their chances than in previous weeks.
2 nd Half – Can the Reds battle on and cause a mighty upset?
41 min – Sharks start well, more controlled Reds lineout 15 mtr from their own line
43 min Reds spill a ball on their 22 mtr line Sharks look like going in here
44 min- professional foul from Hardman quick tap
45 min – professional foul by Mungo McLinden and he’s in the sin bin…the sharks have opened strongly
47 min after relentless forwards pick and drives from the Sharks and they drop the ball AGAIN, Steyn again
Leroy replaced by Taylor who goes to no. 8
Reds clear with a kick and relieve pressure –
47 min Kockott boots the ball over the Reds deadball from 55 mtr out back for a scrum we go. The Sharks are making so many simple errors
49 min – great short side run from Kankowski – chip and chase almost regathers saved by Diggers who manages to save the day
50 min – Sharks lineout 22 mtr but they cant throw straight, another mistake
52 min – Reds scrum 40 from their own line, pick and drives and Sharks infringe, short arm the Reds pack another scrum on half way
53 Reds turnover and Sharks on attack, Taylor takes out Smit without the ball – trouble I reckon
54 min Taylor cops a legal belting from Smit and Sharks get a penalty for Taylor eariler indiscretion 38 mtr out in front
55 mins Penalty missed by Kockott, the Reds get out of jail again
From the lineout Jacobs shells an easy catch 40 mtrs from his own line, its not happening for the Sharks
56 min Reds go wide from scrum and Marcia toes through a nice little ball cleaned up by Terblanche
56 min Castens on for du Plessis and Botes off Ndlovu on
60 min Penalty Sharks kick deep into Reds qtr but lose another lineout with an overthrow
62 mins Reds get out of the dnager zone through another silly Sharks play, this time it was a penalty
63 min TRY Sharks Kockott away from a short arm penalty chips through for Kankowski who foots it with Marica and wins the race and score next to the posts
Kockott converts
Reds 18 Sharks 13…here they come!!!
65 min Reds hit back with some great attack the passes are sticking tonight, a wide move that see Connor takcled into touch.
Lineout Sharks on their own line
66 min Steyn knocks on in his own in goal, he is a worse catcher the Leroy!!! Reds 5 mtr scrum
Beast off Jannie du Plessis on
67 min Attacking raid from the Reds comes to nothing, Quade tried for a miracle off load and was held up in the ruck forcing the turnover
Braid off Laufutu on
69 min Quade off Faainga A on Barnes to no 10
70 min Reds attacking again, controlling possion half break by Diggers but dropped again by the Reds 15 mtr out
71 min- Mungo opens them up with a great run, short arm penalty to the Reds 22 out to the left of the posts,
Faainga S and Kennedy on just when they are packing an attacking scrum, not a good move
72 min TRY Reds Diggers gets an inside ball from Genia the same play they have run all season. Good lead up work from the forwards
Barnes kicks the extras
Reds 25 Sharks 13 they must be home from here
72 mins – yet again the Sharks knock on the ball from a kick, reds scrum 40 outCan they get a bonus point
73 mins Genia goes short side and the forwards rally around him to secure the ball 22 mtrs out but a knock ends the chance
74 mins The Sharks build some attack inside thier own 22 but a forward pass stops their enterprise Reds scrum in front of pstts 22 out
76 min – The Reds are all over the Sharks pressing hard near the try line
77 min turnover jsut short of line and the Sharks break down the sideline a kick through from half way is cleaned up by Diggers
78 mins the Sharks balls another lineout up thats three they have lost, they’re gone
79 Yet another turnover from the Sharks they are finished to add insult to the whole thing, their last attacking chance from a lineout 35 mtrs out from the Reds line and they lose it again, that four lineout turnover for the match.
FULL TIME Reds 25 Sharks 13
The Reds really deserved their win, tonight the passes stuck and they defended superbly. Madness was outstanding as was Genia and Barnes. All hail the front row however who were rock solid.
For the Sharks, well they were in a word – shithouse! No variety short of many different players dropping the ball and a total lack of direction. They never looked like it tonight even though they had plenty of chances
Crowd 20, 582 who witnessed a pretty decent game, pretty unstructed which is the way the Reds play and the Sharks got sucked in to playing this type of game which doesn’t suit them.
Genia will be in the shit for a late spear tackle on Keegan Daniel early in the second half and Lucas looks like he has broken ribs so that leaves them without a halfback.
Where to for the Sharks, their much lauded forwards were turned into fish fingers (couldn’t resist that one), the Jappie in the press-box is apoplectic, it is one of lifes great pleasures sitting next to a Sth African when their team loses
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="1655 https://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/?p=1655">4 Comments
thanks for the service, muchly appreciated.
I called it.
Go the reds, or whoever’s playing south africa!
Pedro’s last blog post..24 A-League Players
I wasn’t being sarcastic when I said the reds would win either.
I’m surprised they did though, even more surprised than the Force taking the draw after half time.
Since Larkham you don’t see fly halfs dominating the teams chances…
Carter???