Michalak sparks Sharks as Bulls go out

Posted June 19, 2011 06:14:00

French international Frederic Michalak played a key role as the Sharks earned a place in the Super Rugby play-offs with a shock 26-23 win over defending champions Northern Bulls at Loftus Versfeld.

Michalak was selected at fly half ahead of in-form Patrick Lambie, who moved to full-back as the Sharks rung the changes after showing mediocre form in recent weeks.

Michalak's quick passing and unpredictability and Lambie's incursions from the back kept Bulls under pressure and the home team were never in front in what was effectively a knock-out game for the sixth and final play-off place.

For Bulls it could be the end of an era.

Captain Victor Matfield thanked supporters in the 50,000 crowd for what he said had been a "fantastic 10 years" as he and fellow stars Bakkies Botha and Fourie du Preez may have played their last games for the Pretoria franchise.

The loss ended a six-match winning streak by Bulls, who have won three of the last four Super Rugby titles

Not even a laser-wielding Bulls fan could stop the Sharks.

Lambie said he had noticed a laser being shone into his eyes as he lined up place kicks but said the distraction was not to blame for him missing three out of six kicks, which resulted in Michalak taking over the kicking in the final quarter.

Both teams scored two tries, and the Bulls struck back twice within three minutes of the Sharks crossing their line.

Sharks went into a 16-6 lead three minutes before half-time when JP Pietersen came in from the blindside wing and made a searing break which led to a try by Sharks captain Stefan Terblanche.

But the Bulls pulled it back to 16-13 when right wing Gerhard van den Heever went over in the corner after the half-time hooter and fly half Morne Steyn converted.

Bulls threatened to take a familiar ascendancy early in the second half but the Sharks tackled ferociously and made probing attacks when in possession.

They seemed to have wrapped up the points when Lambie came into the line from full-back and the ball was fed to left wing Lwazi Mvovo, who dived over in the corner.

Michalak landed the conversion to put the Sharks 26-16 ahead with six minutes left.

Once again the Bulls came straight back. Francois Hougaard, who had started at scrum half but moved to wing when Du Preez came on, scored and Steyn's conversion reduced the margin to three points.

It set up a tense finish to a bruising match because the Bulls would have reached the play-offs had the match been drawn, so they only needed a penalty or a drop goal to squeeze past their rivals.

But the Sharks held on to earn an away match against the Canterbury Crusaders.

- AFP

Tags: sport, rugby-union, super-14, south-africa

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Carter sparks Crusaders to victory

Posted May 21, 2011 19:55:00

Dan Carter celebrated his new contract by kicking 20 points as the Crusaders stifled the Chiefs 25-19 in their Super Rugby clash in Napier.

The fly half, who this week signed a deal to stay with the All Blacks and Crusaders after this year's World Cup, notched up five penalties, a conversion of Luke Romano's try and a cheeky drop goal as well as the best line break of the game.

The injury-hit Crusaders were upset by the Cheetahs last time out on a bruising tour of South Africa but moved to within six points of the table-topping Queensland Reds, who they meet next weekend in Brisbane.

The Chiefs were kept in the game by Stephen Donald's four penalties but only threatened the Crusaders line when it was too late, flanker Liam Messam forcing his way over for a consolation try.

The first 40 minutes were a tight, tense affair with Carter and his sometimes All Blacks understudy Donald slotting two penalties apiece, Carter's second tying the score up at 6-6 with the last kick of the half.

Lock Romano broke the deadlock with a rampaging run soon after the break, coming into the Crusaders back line at an angle and crashing through a couple of Chiefs' tacklers to touch down.

Carter added the conversion and another penalty minutes later to give the Crusaders a 10-point lead which they never looked like relinquishing.

"A few of us were running on empty in that first half," Crusaders skipper Richie McCaw said.

"We knew we had to put them under pressure straight after half-time and we got pressure in the first 10 minutes and got the points.

"From there it felt like we were in control."

The Chiefs lacked the invention to breach the Crusaders defence despite a backline sprinkled with All Blacks, and Carter punished them with his boot every time they infringed.

Donald at least converted Messam's try with the last kick of the game to ensure they got a bonus point, but their chances of making the play-offs are slim at best.

"We controlled a lot of the pill in the first half but in the second half we gave a way a few soft penalties and the score got away with us," skipper Mils Muliaina said.

"When the Crusaders have got their tails up it's difficult to get them down."

Crusaders: 25 (L Romano try; D Carter conversion, 5 penalties, drop goal)

Chiefs: 19 (L Messam try; S Donald conversion, 4 penalties)

-Reuters

Tags: sport, rugby-union, super-14, new-zealand

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