The Sharks have kept themselves in the Super Rugby finals race with a 16-point win over the Cheetahs on Saturday morning.
» Click here for the match report
Final score
Sharks 26
Cheetahs 10
The Sharks and the Cheetahs will meet in the penultimate round of this Super Rugby season. Join The Roar for live scores from the match and a blog of the game from 3:15am AEST.
The Sharks head into this matchup without two of their best and most influential, Pat Lambie and Willie le Roux. 24-year-old flyhalf Garth April will start due to Lambie’s continued absence, while Rhyno Smith takes up the duties at the back.
Sharks coach Gary Gold knows that this last spot for the playoffs is theirs to lose, and it’s not going to come easily against an unpredictable Cheetahs side.
“The Cheetahs are a difficult team to prepare against, there is no lack of intent from them and they use the full width of the field and they’re effective with their passing game, with a great backline. They’re a dangerous team and we’re going into this game showing them lot of respect,” Gold said.
“The Cheetahs are coming here to play, we have to have our wits about us.”
The Sharks’ hopes of making the play-offs may well depend on this match, though the game prior to this one between the Bulls and the Sunwolves will no doubt have some impact as well. If the Bulls get the win there, there’ll be a fair bit of pressure on the Sharks coming into this one.
Last weekend, the Cheetahs did have a rather tough outing against the Force and only came away with a one-point win against the strugglers of the Australian conference.
Coach Franco Smith has named one change in the starting lineup. Scrumhalf Tian Meyer is relegated to the bench in favour of Shaun Venter.
Prediction
Out of the last nine meetings between these two sides, the away team has won six of them. However, I’m sure that will mean very little in such an important match. The Sharks should still be too strong in the end.
Sharks by 7.
Join The Roar for live scores from the match and a blog of the game from 3:15am AEST.
Nathan Farebrother
Roar Guru
Of course handling errors aren't the sole factor of a lose, but depending on where these errors occur, they can cost a team significantly. As what happened with the Cheetahs, most of the handling errors were committed inside the Sharks 22. 13 was the number of handling errors they committed at a period during the match, not their final total. The amount of possession a team receives in a match is highly likely to increase the amount of handling errors they commit for sure - interesting stats, thanks man! You can pretty much argue that the Cheetahs lost the game.
ForceFan
Guest
Handling Errors are rarely the sole contributing factor in losing a game. Super Rugby teams have averaged 16 Handling Errors per game so far this season. At 19 the Cheetahs have the highest average - so 13 (Vodacom says 17) was one of their better games. The Sharks had only 7 - their lowest for the year. Teams which handle the ball a lot and score lots of points often have high numbers of Handling Errors: Top 6 Teams - Av Handling Errors per game: Lions - 16 (Range 12-25) Chiefs - 17 (12-22) Crusaders - 18 (9-26) Hurricanes - 16 (7-31) Stormers - 15 (9-27) Highlanders - 18 (10-24) Not a game I intend to watch but looking at all of the stats, I suggest that the Cheetahs were beaten all over the park despite having more Possession and Territory
Kuruki
Roar Guru
Is that the fourth NZ side to score a try in the first 90 seconds this weekend?
Nathan Farebrother
Roar Guru
» Click here for the match report FULLTIME Sharks - 26 Cheetahs - 10 The Sharks got away with a win this morning, as the Cheetahs failed to convert most of their chances with a string of handling errors. The first half was really poor, basically from both teams, and then the Sharks just ran away with it in the end, piling on some points and pressure in the second half. The Sharks still remain in the lead to fill that wildcard spot for the South African group. Hope you enjoyed the coverage!
Nathan Farebrother
Roar Guru
13 handling errors from the Cheetahs pretty much says it all
Nathan Farebrother
Roar Guru
'68 - Keegan Daniel, 2m out from the tryline, ball on the ground and no one in front of him fails to pick it up to put it over under the posts. The try would have put the game beyond doubt. Probably will go down as one of the misses of the season for the flanker. Regardless, the Sharks get a penalty deep in Cheetahs territory and April is able to convert. Sharks - 26 Cheetahs - 10
Nathan Farebrother
Roar Guru
'64 - TRY! After leading by 3 at halftime, the Sharks have been able to blow this leading margin out to 13 points following an intercept try from Ungerer. There was a bit of contention with the intercept conceded by the Cheetahs in Sharks territory, given the fact that an advantage to the Cheetahs was pretty much ended whilst the pass was in the air but the call stands. April converts. Sharks - 23 Cheetahs - 10
Nathan Farebrother
Roar Guru
'60 - Garth April takes the Sharks out to a six-point lead. Sharks - 16 Cheetahs - 10
Nathan Farebrother
Roar Guru
'52 - The Sharks have stepped up their work at scrumtime and have really come out in the second half to rattle the Cheetahs in this area. They gain another scrum penalty inside the territory of the Cheetahs and April happily converts it to put the Sharks in front by 3. Sharks - 13 Cheetahs - 10
Nathan Farebrother
Roar Guru
'46 - Zeilinga tries to convert a penalty from a long way out, but it's skewed wide and likely wouldn't have had the distance either. Score remains.
Nathan Farebrother
Roar Guru
'43 - The Cheetahs with an early penalty to start the second half. Great work and just what they needed to boost their confidence after a poor first-half, one where they hardly took any of their opportunities. Sharks - 10 Cheetahs - 10
Nathan Farebrother
Roar Guru
Second half is underway!
Nathan Farebrother
Roar Guru
HALFTIME Sharks - 10 Cheetahs - 7 If anyone has been watching this game so far, you'd expect the Cheetahs to be up by about 20. Poor finishing from the Cheetahs, rather disappointing for them, so the first half has been an absolute win for the Sharks, particularly after their last minute try. To put it bluntly, the Sharks shouldn't be ahead with the amount of possession and territory the Cheetahs had in the first 25-30 minutes, including the fact that the Sharks were playing with only 14 men for 10 minutes as well.
Nathan Farebrother
Roar Guru
'35 - TRY! One of the first opportunities the Sharks receive and they capitalise through JP Pietersen. The Sharks have a scrum around halfway and get a free-kick for a Cheetahs earlier engagement. Van der Walt takes it quickly and gains a cheap 10m, is brought down and the Sharks just spread it. Conversion successful. Sharks - 10 Cheetahs - 7
Nathan Farebrother
Roar Guru
'32 - The Sharks are presented with the opportunity to clear the ball out of their territory via a 22m restart. However, Garth April floats the kick out on the full to put some icing on a rather disappointing half for the South African wildcard team. Scrum to the Cheetahs - who butcher it AGAIN! All going wrong for the Cheetahs inside the Sharks 22. They just can't finish anything off.
Nathan Farebrother
Roar Guru
'29 - Continued silly penalties being given away by the Sharks at crucial times of the match. Esterhuizen this time jumping over the ruck for no reason, giving away the penalty allowing the Cheetahs to kick it deep into the corner. Only, a few phases later the Sharks hooker Franco Marais turns the ball over at the breakdown and the Sharks get it away downfield.
Nathan Farebrother
Roar Guru
'27 - Is that the turning point in the match? The Cheetahs butcher another opportunity to score points. Zeilinga with a poor pass a few phases following the scrum, the ball goes to ground and it toed through by the Sharks. The ball rolls out of play right on halfway.
Nathan Farebrother
Roar Guru
'26 - The Cheetahs, with about the fourth penalty they've received at the scrum in the same spot, have elected to go for another one. Mtawarira has returned to the field after spending 10 minutes off the field. Can the Cheetahs finally get some points on the board having been camped down here for at least 5 minutes?
Alex L
Roar Rookie
I was more implying that the next bloke can't scrum either.
Nathan Farebrother
Roar Guru
'25 - Multiple scrum resets for the Cheetahs, they're dominating and receiving penalty after penalty, if the Sharks give away one more they could be significant trouble. Scrum is struggling with 'The Beast' off the field, the Cheetahs forwards are having a field-day.