Hungry Sharks boost play-off hopes

Updated July 07, 2012 09:11:37

The Sharks are one bonus-point victory away from the Super Rugby play-offs after defeating fellow South Africans Northern Bulls 32-10 at Kings Park.

They host Central Cheetahs next Saturday in another South African derby and another bonus-point triumph will assure them of place in the knockout phase, possibly at the expense of title holders Queensland Reds from Australia.

Bulls can also qualify with a bonus-point home win over bottom-of-the-table Golden Lions while Western Stormers are set to top the South African conference and secure a bye into the semi-finals.

Sharks had to win the penultimate-round match to have any hope of finishing among the top six after the league phase of the southern hemisphere provincial championship and laid their victory foundations during the opening half.

Gaining the upper hand from the kick-off through their rampant pack, the Durban franchise scored two tries via Springboks Bismarck du Plessis (hooker) and JP Pietersen (right wing) to turn over 20-3 ahead.

A further try from flank and captain Keegan Daniel four minutes into the second half stretched the advantage to 22 points before three-time champions Bulls hit back with a try from full-back Zane Kirchner.

Fly half Morne Steyn converted to cut the deficit to 25-10 and the home team had to withstand wave after wave of attacks from the Pretoria franchise before breaking out to score the bonus-point fourth try two minutes from time.

Sharks won a line-out deep in Bulls territory and after several attempts to score were repulsed, scrum-half Charl McLeod threw a long pass to full-back Louis Ludik and he dived over for a try replacement back Meyer Bosman converted.

France fly half Frederic Michalak kicked two conversions and a penalty before retiring with an injured right shoulder on 73 minutes and inside centre Francois Steyn planted a 55-metre first-half penalty between the posts.

Sharks showed no ill effects of not having played since June 2 with the Durban team having a bye last weekend after a three-week break for the traditional mid-year Tests.

They won without several injured stars, including fly half Patrick Lambie, lock Steven Sykes and tearaway flank Willem Alberts, one of the stars when South Africa defeated England 2-0 in a three-Test series last month.

Daniel heaped special praise on Japan-bound number eight Ryan Kankowski, whose herculean efforts in a brutal physical battle earned him the the man of the match award.

"I am so proud of the boys - especially Ryan - and we are going to miss him when he goes overseas. This performance demonstrated that we have strength in depth," said an exhausted but smiling skipper.

Bulls captain and number eight Pierre Spies had no excuses: "We could never get going and the better team won. The Sharks were hungrier than us and we battled to get out of our half during the opening 40 minutes."

Sharks: 32 - Tries: B du Plessis, JP Pietersen, K Daniel, L Ludik. Cons: F Michalak 2, M Bosman. Pens: F Steyn, Michalak

Bulls: 10 - Try: Z Kirchner. Cons: M Steyn. Pen: Steyn

AFP

Tags: sport, rugby-union, super-rugby, south-africa

First posted July 07, 2012 09:07:17

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Reds' play-off push gathers speed

Updated May 19, 2012 22:16:02

Super Rugby champion Queensland gave its hopes of a title defence another boost with a 34-20 bonus-point win over the Lions in front of 31,118 fans at Lang Park on Saturday night.

After the Australian conference-leading Brumbies took five competition points from their win over the Hurricanes on Friday night, the Reds needed to respond in kind to stay in touch in the hope of securing a wildcard berth in the play-offs.

They did so despite a sluggish start, scoring four unanswered tries to clinch the crucial bonus point and build some much-needed momentum ahead of their showdown with the Brumbies in Canberra next round.

It was Queensland's second win on the trot while the Lions registered losses to the Chiefs, Blues and Reds on their three-match Australasian road trip.

Ewen McKenzie's side moves to 36 points, still trailing the Brumbies (44) but within sight of the top six.

Wallabies fly half Quade Cooper made an encouraging return for the Reds after being sidelined with a knee injury sustained in the Rugby World Cup bronze medal play-off against Wales last year.

Cooper started at number 10 and played the full first half before being substituted, but by the time he went off he had shown glimpses of his dynamic old form with halves partner Will Genia.

"I got through the half good, I had a 40-minute target there then ease up and let the boys take over," Cooper told Grandstand.

"That was always the plan, to get through as much as I could and after 40 minutes I thought that was enough.

"The other boys on the field have been doing a great job all year and they deserve to be out there."

Cooper finally got himself in the game in the 18th minute when he spotted a slight gap between two forwards and while his sidestep was less exaggerated than it was pre-injury, he accelerated through the gap and found his runner inside to set up an attacking ruck.

He then handled at least three other times as the Reds hammered away at the line before openside flanker Liam Gill crashed over and with Mike Harris converting, the Reds took the lead they never relinquished.

Harris added two penalties in the first half to give the Reds a 13-6 lead which they built on without Cooper after the break.

The Reds forwards continued to lay the platform with hooker Saia Faingaa crashing over early in the second half, while Genia was given quality possession and time to unleash players outside him.

Genia linked with replacement Chris Feauai-Sautia to set up the teenage centre for his first Super Rugby try, about 90 seconds into his debut, then sprinted 60 metres for a brilliant individual try to give the Reds their bonus point.

Cooper had trotted on to Lang Park behind his team with a noticeable limp.

The strapping on his right leg emphasised the fact he was playing his first match in seven months since he destroyed the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee last October.

The 24-year-old appeared tentative in the opening exchanges, as did the Reds, with the Lions making most of the play and being rewarded with two penalties to Elton Jantjies.

But Cooper said he did not feel his confidence had taken a hit despite being sidelined for so long.

"[I was] trying to get into the game as quickly as possible and not hold back," he said.

"But it was a good game, the Lions were really fired up and gave it to us."

Cooper anticipates a tough encounter in the nation's capital against Jake White's conference-leading Brumbies side.

"It's going to be a massive game, there's a lot riding on that and it's a massive opportunity for us to gain some headway and gain some points off them," he said.

"It's going to be a big test and surely the boys will be up to it."

Reds full-back Ben Lucas came off late in the second half with a hip flexor niggle in a precautionary measure ahead of their crucial showdown with the Brumbies next weekend.

The Lions will head back to South Africa counting the cost of the loss, with promising back row prospect Grant Hattingh suffering a leg injury in the second half and being medi-cabbed off the paddock.

The injury came shortly after Martin Bezuidenhout with about 20 minutes to play to add some respectability to the visitors' scoreline.

The South Africans maintained some late pressure and crossed for a second converted try through Jaco Kriel with five minutes to play.

Reds: 34 (L Gill, S Faingaa, C Feauai-Sautia, W Genia tries; M Harris 4/4 conversions, 2/2 penalty goals)

Sharks: 20 (M Bezuidenhout, J Kriel tries; E Jantjies 2/2 conversions, 2/2 penalty goals)

ABC/Reuters

Tags: super-rugby, rugby-union, sport, brisbane-4000, qld, australia, south-africa

First posted May 19, 2012 21:23:42

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Bulls edge Waratahs to boost play-off hopes

Posted June 4, 2011 07:29:00

The defending champion Bulls kept their Super rugby playoff hopes alive by edging out the NSW Waratahs 23-17 at Loftus Versfeld on Friday.

The home team outscored its opponents by two tries to one as they vaulted from seventh to fifth place in the table on 49 points with a fifth consecutive victory.

The Waratahs picked up a bonus point for losing by less than seven points, keeping the Australian team in sixth spot and in the last playoff position.

"We are starting to get momentum now," Bulls skipper Victor Matfield said.

"It's nice to be in the top six but we need to win our next two matches."

The teams were locked at 6-6 just before half-time thanks to two penalties apiece from Bulls fly half Morne Steyn and opposite number Kurtley Beale.

Then, with seconds remaining in the half, the hosts went ahead through a well-worked try from inside centre Wynand Olivier.

The Bulls won a lineout on the half-way line before Gerhard van der Heever came off the right wing and drew the last defender to set up Olivier for a converted try.

Four minutes after the restart they extended their lead thanks to a breathtaking try which started inside their own 22 metres.

The ball was thrown along the backline before centre Jaco Pretorius made a 30-metre run and set up wing Bjorn Basson for his ninth try of the season.

The Waratahs staged a fightback with Beale booting his third penalty and replacement wing Afa Pakalani diving over in the corner to reduce the deficit to six points.

Beale then kicked another penalty before Waratahs replacement forward Pat O'Conner was red-carded for head-butting an opponent and Steyn kicked the resulting penalty.

"At half-time we felt we were very much in the match," Waratahs captain Dean Mumm said.

"We felt that possession would come our way, and it did, but we let ourselves down, made some mistakes and gave away some turnovers."

Bulls: 23 (W Olivier, B Basson tries; M Steyn 2 cons, 3 pens)

Waratahs: 17 (A Pakalani try; K Beale 4 pens)

- Reuters

Tags: sport, rugby-union, super-14, australia, nsw, sydney-2000, south-africa

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