cyRil
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http://cyrilsplace.wordpress.com/2011/03/18/patient-chiefs-tame-stubborn-sharks/
written by cyRil
Chiefs 15-9 Sharks
Delany wins kicking duel in tight affair
The Chiefs inflicted the Sharks’ first defeat of the SupeRugby season with an effectively dogged display at Waikato Stadium on Friday night.
The hosts kicked 5 penalties to their opponents’ 3, in a nervy tussle where the better team just about came out on top, on a wet night not best suited for running rugby. The win, however, is only the Chiefs’ second of the season, and they remain bottom of the New Zealand conference despite having played more games than any other province.
The Sharks are left to lick their wounds from a game that could have gone either way, as they jet back to Natal in preparation for their historic encounter with the Crusaders at Twickenham next Sunday.
The match was a struggle from first minute to last
Despite a bright start from the Chiefs it was the visitors who took an early lead in the match with a penalty from tournament top-points-scorer Pat Lambie â€" after Tanerau Latimer failed to roll away at a ruck â€" to make it 3-0 to the visitors after 5 minutes.
The ensuing quarter of an hour involved a lot of time spent in Sharks’ territory as the Chiefs dominated play and possession, with honest forward work and direct running from the backs. But a disciplined and organised Sharks defence were not giving an inch, and time and again repelled the hosts back with no reward for their efforts â€" the result of unimaginative and predictable back-play from the Chiefs runners.
The hosts did finally manage to affect the scoreboard in the 20th minute, after the Sharks were caught offside deep in their own half. With usual goal-kicker Stephen Donald receiving treatment on the ground for a knock to the back, exciting young full-back Tim Nanai-Williams stepped up and slotted over to tie the scores at 3-3; the experienced Mike Delany replacing Donald soon after with the fly-half failing to recover sufficiently from his injury.
As the half progressed the Chiefs continued to apply pressure to the South Africans’ defensive line with blindside flanker, Scott Waldrom, a standout performer, carrying the ball well and competing admirably at the break-down by winning his side vital turn-overs at crucial points.
du Plessis (l) and Waldrom (r) were their sides' stand-out performers
But it was the Sharks who scored next. After Lwazi Mvovo was denied in the corner by a good covering tackle from opposite wing Lelia Masaga, a collapsed Chiefs scrum gave Lambie the perfect opportunity to regain his side the lead, which he duly took to put the Sharks 6-3 up with 10 minutes of the half to play.
With the Chiefs still applying good effort in their play but getting nowhere in terms of tangible results, an error-strewn first half was brought to an end with the men from Waikato camped on the Sharks’ line, yet unable to muster enough determination to force their way over the whitewash after 10 phases of trying; 6-3 to the Sharks at the interval.
With Head Coach Ian Foster’s half-time words of ‘patience’ and ‘composure’ still ringing in their ears, the Chiefs made their way back onto the pitch looking to play a more tempered and controlled game in the second period in order to overturn the narrow deficit.
A botched Delany kick-off was not the best of starts for the home side, but from the resulting scrum they won a penalty after incorrect binding from Sharks tight-head Jannie du Plessis. Delany’s 50m kick had both the legs and accuracy to sail through the posts as the Chiefs leveled the game once again at 6-6.
It was often turgid and attritional stuff from the Sharks, which was in stark contrast to how the Chiefs were looking to play the game â€" with speed and width. This sort of attractive play soon forced another Sharks error and Delany stepped once again to convert; 9-6 Chiefs.
Delany was off the mark with another long-range attempt minutes later â€" seemingly a penalty too far for the Sharks’ management who dragged the ineffectual and off-form Ryan Kankowski from the pitch, replacing him with Jacques Botes soon after.
Substitute Delany proved a controlling influence and contributed well from the tee
After the Chiefs were pinged for going in at the side of a ruck, Lambie nailed a 40m penalty goal to bring the score back to 9-9, with his side looking to push on further for an important away win as Louis Ludik and John Smit were taken off for the fresh and capable Adi Jacobs and Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira.
As time ran down on both sides, the quality of rugby on show was not improving, and although the teams’ determination and effort was commendable â€" with the two sides imposing real pressure and aggression in defence, and encapsulated by the colossal Bismarck du Plessis â€" mistake after mistake made for a frustrating spectacle, with no one able to make the break-through required to pull clear on the scoreboard.
However, with the clock ticking down, Sharks scrum-half Charl McLeod reacted cynically at a Chiefs ruck, clearly kicking the ball away where he had no right to â€" an offence that should have been punished with the half-back seeing out the remainder of the game from the touchline.
Despite the lack of a yellow card, Delany once more applied the finish from the kicking tee to give his team a 12-9 lead with barely 10 minutes to play.
Although the Sharks fought admirably to get back in the game once more â€" destroying a Chiefs scrum completely in the 74th minute â€" it was the home side that was presented with the final chance of the game, when a lazy Sharks defender was penalised for not rolling away at ruck-time. Delany converted his fourth successful penalty of the night as the full-time hooter sounded, making it 15-9 as the whistle was blown and sending the brave Waikato crowd into raptures.
It was no less than the Chiefs deserved, as although mistakes had littered their performance, the brand of attacking rugby they tried to play warranted reward. They dug in, worked extremely hard for one another in defence and attack and were good for the 6-point win due to the more expansive and exciting game they employed.
For the Sharks, although a solid defence was enough of a foundation to work from and succeed against Western Force and Melbourne Rebels, it was too limited a game-plan for it to pay off against the Chiefs; and not one that befit a team top of the league standings coming into the fixture.
The Sharks could not build a move that consisted of five or more phases once in the entire 80 minutes of play, whereas their opponents managed that feat 12 times â€" and they now move on with renewed confidence to an all-New Zealand tie with the Blues, whilst the Sharks ready themselves for a mouth-watering showdown with the Crusaders in London on March 27.
Star Man: Scott Waldrom â€" Several good performances from the Chiefs, but the blindside played with heart and courage â€" a strong ball-carrier, supporting runner and tackler, whilst his turn-overs provided possession on more than one occasion.
5-metre flop: Lwazi Mvovo â€" Given few opportunities in attack to show what he could do and his poor aerial abilities were exploited time and again by Delany and co.
written by cyRil
Chiefs 15-9 Sharks
Delany wins kicking duel in tight affair
The Chiefs inflicted the Sharks’ first defeat of the SupeRugby season with an effectively dogged display at Waikato Stadium on Friday night.
The hosts kicked 5 penalties to their opponents’ 3, in a nervy tussle where the better team just about came out on top, on a wet night not best suited for running rugby. The win, however, is only the Chiefs’ second of the season, and they remain bottom of the New Zealand conference despite having played more games than any other province.
The Sharks are left to lick their wounds from a game that could have gone either way, as they jet back to Natal in preparation for their historic encounter with the Crusaders at Twickenham next Sunday.
The match was a struggle from first minute to last
Despite a bright start from the Chiefs it was the visitors who took an early lead in the match with a penalty from tournament top-points-scorer Pat Lambie â€" after Tanerau Latimer failed to roll away at a ruck â€" to make it 3-0 to the visitors after 5 minutes.
The ensuing quarter of an hour involved a lot of time spent in Sharks’ territory as the Chiefs dominated play and possession, with honest forward work and direct running from the backs. But a disciplined and organised Sharks defence were not giving an inch, and time and again repelled the hosts back with no reward for their efforts â€" the result of unimaginative and predictable back-play from the Chiefs runners.
The hosts did finally manage to affect the scoreboard in the 20th minute, after the Sharks were caught offside deep in their own half. With usual goal-kicker Stephen Donald receiving treatment on the ground for a knock to the back, exciting young full-back Tim Nanai-Williams stepped up and slotted over to tie the scores at 3-3; the experienced Mike Delany replacing Donald soon after with the fly-half failing to recover sufficiently from his injury.
As the half progressed the Chiefs continued to apply pressure to the South Africans’ defensive line with blindside flanker, Scott Waldrom, a standout performer, carrying the ball well and competing admirably at the break-down by winning his side vital turn-overs at crucial points.
du Plessis (l) and Waldrom (r) were their sides' stand-out performers
But it was the Sharks who scored next. After Lwazi Mvovo was denied in the corner by a good covering tackle from opposite wing Lelia Masaga, a collapsed Chiefs scrum gave Lambie the perfect opportunity to regain his side the lead, which he duly took to put the Sharks 6-3 up with 10 minutes of the half to play.
With the Chiefs still applying good effort in their play but getting nowhere in terms of tangible results, an error-strewn first half was brought to an end with the men from Waikato camped on the Sharks’ line, yet unable to muster enough determination to force their way over the whitewash after 10 phases of trying; 6-3 to the Sharks at the interval.
With Head Coach Ian Foster’s half-time words of ‘patience’ and ‘composure’ still ringing in their ears, the Chiefs made their way back onto the pitch looking to play a more tempered and controlled game in the second period in order to overturn the narrow deficit.
A botched Delany kick-off was not the best of starts for the home side, but from the resulting scrum they won a penalty after incorrect binding from Sharks tight-head Jannie du Plessis. Delany’s 50m kick had both the legs and accuracy to sail through the posts as the Chiefs leveled the game once again at 6-6.
It was often turgid and attritional stuff from the Sharks, which was in stark contrast to how the Chiefs were looking to play the game â€" with speed and width. This sort of attractive play soon forced another Sharks error and Delany stepped once again to convert; 9-6 Chiefs.
Delany was off the mark with another long-range attempt minutes later â€" seemingly a penalty too far for the Sharks’ management who dragged the ineffectual and off-form Ryan Kankowski from the pitch, replacing him with Jacques Botes soon after.
Substitute Delany proved a controlling influence and contributed well from the tee
After the Chiefs were pinged for going in at the side of a ruck, Lambie nailed a 40m penalty goal to bring the score back to 9-9, with his side looking to push on further for an important away win as Louis Ludik and John Smit were taken off for the fresh and capable Adi Jacobs and Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira.
As time ran down on both sides, the quality of rugby on show was not improving, and although the teams’ determination and effort was commendable â€" with the two sides imposing real pressure and aggression in defence, and encapsulated by the colossal Bismarck du Plessis â€" mistake after mistake made for a frustrating spectacle, with no one able to make the break-through required to pull clear on the scoreboard.
However, with the clock ticking down, Sharks scrum-half Charl McLeod reacted cynically at a Chiefs ruck, clearly kicking the ball away where he had no right to â€" an offence that should have been punished with the half-back seeing out the remainder of the game from the touchline.
Despite the lack of a yellow card, Delany once more applied the finish from the kicking tee to give his team a 12-9 lead with barely 10 minutes to play.
Although the Sharks fought admirably to get back in the game once more â€" destroying a Chiefs scrum completely in the 74th minute â€" it was the home side that was presented with the final chance of the game, when a lazy Sharks defender was penalised for not rolling away at ruck-time. Delany converted his fourth successful penalty of the night as the full-time hooter sounded, making it 15-9 as the whistle was blown and sending the brave Waikato crowd into raptures.
It was no less than the Chiefs deserved, as although mistakes had littered their performance, the brand of attacking rugby they tried to play warranted reward. They dug in, worked extremely hard for one another in defence and attack and were good for the 6-point win due to the more expansive and exciting game they employed.
For the Sharks, although a solid defence was enough of a foundation to work from and succeed against Western Force and Melbourne Rebels, it was too limited a game-plan for it to pay off against the Chiefs; and not one that befit a team top of the league standings coming into the fixture.
The Sharks could not build a move that consisted of five or more phases once in the entire 80 minutes of play, whereas their opponents managed that feat 12 times â€" and they now move on with renewed confidence to an all-New Zealand tie with the Blues, whilst the Sharks ready themselves for a mouth-watering showdown with the Crusaders in London on March 27.
Star Man: Scott Waldrom â€" Several good performances from the Chiefs, but the blindside played with heart and courage â€" a strong ball-carrier, supporting runner and tackler, whilst his turn-overs provided possession on more than one occasion.
5-metre flop: Lwazi Mvovo â€" Given few opportunities in attack to show what he could do and his poor aerial abilities were exploited time and again by Delany and co.
