The Card Sharks

Remember when the Sharks came into being and they produced what remains the best song yet done by one of the Super 12 teams? The refrain (are you listening Stormers?) went: 'We are black, we are white, we are dynamite!'

But now a reader of the Zone has provided proof that perhaps the Sharks are more fond of yellow and red.

Beryl John, of Arusha in Tanzania, is an avid fan of the Super 12 and keeps statistics to help her stay up to date and track the performances of the teams.

She points out that the Sharks are the cardsharps of the competition having already incurred 11 – one red and 10 yellow.

In this category the Sharks are well ahead with the next most penalised teams – in terms of cards – being the Highlanders and the Hurricanes with seven apiece.

A most interesting stat, however, is the one that shows that nine cards were issued to teams playing against the Sharks. This means that not only have the Sharks incurred the most cards, but they have also been quite prolific in causing other teams to fall foul of the referee – or should that be the dealer?

Nine cards were issued to teams playing against the Sharks with the next highest number being the six of the Bulls and the Stormers.

The Sharks have also been involved in the only two red cards to be shown. Brent Moyle was dismissed in the first game against the Bulls for head-butting while Tama Tuirirangi of the Chiefs was sent off for punching while playing against the Sharks.

Moyle with a red and a yellow card tops the list of villains while seven other players have received two yellow cards – Troy Flavell (Blues), Simon Maling (Highlanders), Jason Spice (Hurricanes), Owen Finegan (Brumbies), Matt Cockbain (Reds), AJ Venter (Sharks) and Robbie Kempson (Stormers).

Interestingly, given the furore raging around his head in New Zealand, Sharks flyhalf Butch James has not incurred a single yellow card.

Not unexpectedly Australian players are the most disciplined. The three Australian teams have been issued with eight cards, the four South African ones with 20 and the five New Zealand sides with 23.