Committed Reds cause more Sharks discontent

The Reds produced a committed, physical and organised performance to score a shock 21-14 win over the Cell C Sharks and break a 15 year Jonsson King’s Park Vodacom Super Rugby on Friday afternoon.

This was supposed to be a game that the Sharks would win easily to maintain their trend of producing starkly contrasting performances and results from one week to the next, and given how poor the Reds were at Loftus the previous week, the expectation was the correct one.

But unfortunately we’ve reached a point where the Sharks can’t be banked on, and not even on their home field. This was their fourth home defeat of the season, following up losses to the Stormers, Bulls and Jaguares, and it is hard to see them turning it around from here given that they are about to head to Australasia.

The Reds’ win was built around a much stronger forward effort, particularly in the scrums, than would have been anticipated, committed defence and an ability to make the most of the opportunities that they did create.

TAKING OPPORTUNITIES

They had two opportunities in the first 20 minutes and they took both of them. The first came in the third minute, with the Reds’ busy hooker Alfi Mafi making the initial burst and then flyhalf Bryce Hegarty running through a lax defensive system to put his team 7-0 ahead.

Poor defence also contributed to the Reds’ second try, which was created by man of the match Samu Kerevi running over Sharks flyhalf Robert du Preez and putting in his midfield partner Chris Faeuira-Sautia to put the visitors 14-0 ahead.

By contrast to the Reds, the Sharks created numerous chances to score, particularly in the second quarter of the match when it could have made a difference, but were unable to make use of them as handling errors and wrong options let them down.

It has also to be said though that while over-eagerness did play a part in their downfall and they did create scoring opportunities, the Sharks also let themselves down with a game-plan that remains just way too predictable. When the Reds fronted the Sharks in the scrum, they knew that after that they just had be ready to repel the Sharks one-off runner attack, which depends so heavily on Andre Esterhuizen taking the ball up and then playing from there.

SCORING FROM SET-PIECES

When the Sharks did score tries, it was from attacking set-pieces. The first was from hooker Kerron van Vuuren, who went over off a driving maul off an attacking line-out in the 25th minute. That made the halftime score 14-7, with the Sharks coming back into the game. The second was scored with a minute left to play, No 8 Dan du Preez forcing his way over through sheer determination off a back-wheeling scrum five metres out.

That put them nine points adrift and when Curwin Bosch converted from out wide to cut the deficit to seven, there was just an outside chance of the Sharks completing a great comeback to grab a draw. Not that it would have been seen as a big positive, for the Sharks should have been expected to win comfortably, but it would at least have ensured a share of the spoils and what could be an important extra point in a closely fought conference.

But isn’t it an indication of how low the Sharks have sunk over the past six days since their big defeat to the Jaguares that they should be left lamenting a missed opportunity that would only have given them a draw against the Reds? It could have happened, for the Reds were penalised for playing Hyron Andrews in the air at the restart, and Bosch was able to put the Sharks back into Reds territory from the penalty.

That it didn’t happen was because the Reds, as they were so often in the game, were superb at the breakdown, and it was a breakdown penalty that ended the game. Liam Wright was the chief protagonist here, but several other players weren’t far behind the flanker.

LITANY OF ERRORS BUT THE REDS DESERVE CREDIT

Much as the Sharks contributed to their own downfall with their litany of errors, the Reds do deserve some credit for the way they played. Kerevi, leading from the front, was the pick of the inside centres in a game where both team’s relied heavily on their big men in those positions, and made a lot of ground in creating attacking momentum for his team.

Halfbacks Tate McDermott and Hegarty were also outstanding with their game management, ensuring that the match was played in what they would have considered the right areas of the field when it mattered. It was McDermott who dotted down for the third Reds try, which came about from a great attack that featured as it’s source a great barging run and back-hand pass from Kerevi.

That was it as far as the Reds’ try scoring was concerned, but they could have made sure of putting the Sharks away when they missed two golden opportunities to score between the 65th and 70th minute. In the first Kerevi put across a perfect cross kick but the unmarked Reds wing wasn’t able to pick up and cross the open line.

If the backline players were the match-winners as far as the try-scoring was concerned, the real top of the pops brigade were the front-row players that the Reds used. It was anticipated the Sharks would dominate in the scrums but the visitors held firm and also forced some important scrum penalties.

The defeat leaves the Sharks second in the South African conference, with the bonus point for losing by less than seven that was clinched by Bosch’s conversion of the Du Preez try perhaps being significant if the Stormers, who are four log points, meaning a win behind them, win without a bonus point against the Brumbies in Cape Town on Saturday.

Not that it would prove of much significance, as either way the Sharks will be trailing the Bulls on the log, and the Bulls have a game in hand, as do the Stormers at this point.

Scores

Reds 21 - Tries: Bryce Hegarty, Feauira-Sautia and Tate McDermott; Conversions: Bryce Hegarty 2 and Hamish Stuart.

Cell C Sharks 14 - Tries: Kerron van Vuuren and Dan du Preez; Conversions: Robert du Preez and Curwin Bosch.