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Two try burst kills Sharks’ quest

rugby11 May 2019 09:33| © Cycle Lab
By:JJ Harmse
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Lukhanyo Am © Gallo Images

A two try burst from the Chiefs within the space of as many minutes late in the game secured the hosts a 29-23 win that killed off the Sharks’ brave quest to complete a rare unbeaten tour in Hamilton on Saturday.

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A four try to two tally in favour of the hosts is an indication that they did deserve to win against a team that again defended with strong physicality but which just made crucial mistakes that let the opposition in. Two of those mistakes were the ones that led to the two line-breaks that buried the Sharks when they were heading into the crucial last 10 minute period with a six point lead.

The first came with 11 minutes to go and led to a multi-phase attack which led to a period of sustained pick-and-go drives at the Sharks line from the Chiefs forwards before the ball was released to the left to centre Anton Lienert-Brown who weaved through for the try.

It was at a bit too much of an angle for Chiefs flyhalf Marty McKenzie, who isn’t in the same league as a place-kicker as his injured brother Damian, and the missed conversion attempt meant the Sharks still held a slender one point lead.

That changed though with the very next play. Replacement back Alex Nankinvell caught the ball at the kick-off and ran through a gap as wide as the Tasman Sea before linking up with fullback Solomon Alaimalo who sent in captain and scrumhalf Brad Weber for a try that was almost a carbon copy of the Chiefs’ first try.

The Sharks never looked the same attacking threat as the Chiefs but they did have a final chance to win it off the last move of the game after they turned over the Chiefs inside their own 22 as the Chiefs were trying to run down the clock. If anyone questions the Sharks’ heart and determination they need to watch those final 2 minutes after the hooter when the tired tourists threw everything into a last gasp attempt to win.

It was though a performance that was in many ways a microcosm of the Sharks’ season - with the team starting off in a fashion that suggested that this might be one of their non-effort days before being galvanised first by some brilliant touches from flyhalf Curwin Bosch and then by a fight that broke out just after the Chiefs had gone ahead by 10 points on the half hour mark.

The reason the Sharks have been better on tour than they were before they left South African shores has a lot to do with the fact that Bosch has been wearing the No 10. That they haven’t gotten over the line as winners in the last two games when they have had the opportunity to do so may indeed have something to do with coach Robert du Preez’s confounding decision to bring his son of the same name on at flyhalf and switch Bosch to fullback in the second half of each game.

Having Bosch at No 10 has transformed the Sharks since they were on tour. In this game they were drifting at one point and then Bosch got in a few runs and suddenly the players around him were energised. His attacking plays got the Sharks into the game and like the two previous games on tour, against the Waratahs and the Crusaders, his game management was good.

Considering that he had’t played his preferred position for so long his performances on tour have been outstanding and the New Zealand commentators again concurred after Hamilton that Bosch was the best Sharks player. Why oh why then does Du Preez senior persist in changing it up?

There was nothing wrong with Aphelele Fassi at fullback this week or last week, and while Robert Junior didn’t produce the comedy of errors he did when he first came on against Crusaders, he doesn’t bring the X-factor at flyhalf, the position occupied by the team’s game driver, that Bosch does.

For the record Bosch was switched after an hour in Sydney, after 56 minutes in Christchurch and 49 minutes into this latest game. Perhaps Du Preez senior has his reasons but from the outside looking in it makes absolutely no sense and certainly vindicates those who are calling for an inquisition when the team gets home.

Make no mistake, Bosch did make mistakes in the game, like all players do, but most of his contributions were positive, and in this game like the previous two it was the fact that he was playing pivot that made the Sharks look like a better and more competitive unit than they were when they lost four matches at home.

The fight that also played a role in switching the Sharks on happened after half an hour. The Chiefs had just scored the first Weber try to go with an earlier McKenzie penalty when the two teams got stuck into each other. The commentators described it as “handbags” but it looked much worse than that. Sometimes a brawl like that can switch a team on, and it did that to the Sharks.

Almost immediately they scored their first try, with a well targeted box kick being contested by Sbu Nkosi, who created the pressure that saw a Chiefs player deflect the ball into the hands of Hyron Andrews. The lock isn’t the most physical second row forward on the planet but what he lacks in bulk he makes up for with a high work-rate. On this occasion he showed his pace as he outstripped any semblance of a Chiefs cover defence to score the try.

If the Sharks players were guilty of any major weakness on the day it was the soft moments that led to some of the Chiefs scores. Almost immediately after helping set up his team’s try Nkosi rather stupidly tried to sweep a ball back on the ground. It was right in front of the referee, it helped the Chiefs set up the attacking line out from which their flank Matt Karpik scored his team’s second try to secure a 17-13 halftime advantage.

McKenzie missed a sitter of a penalty two minutes into the second half and then for most of the rest of the third quarter it was all the Sharks, with the impressive Ruan Botha scoring the try that gave them the lead for the first time after 56 minutes. Bosch then added another penalty to make it a six point lead and at that stage they had all the momentum.

However, Kiwi teams have long been renowned for their ability to turn on the burners in the last quarter, and that, coupled with some errors from the Sharks, decided the game in the home team’s favour.

It wasn't all negative for the Sharks though as they did pick up a losing bonus point that is enough to ensure they will end the weekend on top of the South African conference by one point from the Bulls.

SCORERS:

Chiefs 29 - Tries: Brad Weber 2 and Mitch Karpik and Anton Leonart-Brown; Conversions: Marty McKenzie 3; Penalty: Marty McKenzie.

Cell C Sharks 23 - Try: Hyron Andrews and Ruan Botha; Conversions: Curwin Bosch 2.

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