Not Heineken Cup 23/24

[Torquemada 1420]

Safa lucky Mercer didn't make a meal of that.

[SaintK]

Safa lucky Mercer didn't make a meal of that.

Stone cold yellow

[Torquemada 1420]

Safa lucky Mercer didn't make a meal of that.

Stone cold yellow

Agreed. And possibly the pulling down the maul too.

[Tichtheid]

It's really difficult when the loosehead is so dominant, tighthead too, to be fair

[fishfoodie]

Nice Try !

What Bill would have called a Bullocking run.

[Torquemada 1420]

Glaws showing how to lose with 90% possession......

[Sards]

Masuka is class

[Torquemada 1420]

There's irony.

[JM2K6]

Fascinating watching Mercer in this half. He's practically the only person carrying regularly for Glaws, but he got smashed backwards a few times early on and he's given up on trying to carry directly into contact now. He's trying to step every time but just gets easily ankle tackled, and his pull backs are starting to become a bit obvious.

Needs to bite the bullet and try to smash over someone, because if everything is going to go through him then 15 carries for 20m isn't going to win this game.

[Tichtheid]

Fascinating watching Mercer in this half. He's practically the only person carrying regularly for Glaws, but he got smashed backwards a few times early on and he's given up on trying to carry directly into contact now. He's trying to step every time but just gets easily ankle tackled, and his pull backs are starting to become a bit obvious.

Needs to bite the bullet and try to smash over someone, because if everything is going to go through him then 15 carries for 20m isn't going to win this game.

There you go

[JM2K6]

There we go. Glaws with some early momentum in the sharks half and Mercer throws an obvious pullback instead of just carrying the fucking ball and the inevitable intercept means the sharks get a penalty 5m from the glaws line.

Edit: snap!

[Torquemada 1420]

Fascinating watching Mercer in this half. He's practically the only person carrying regularly for Glaws, but he got smashed backwards a few times early on and he's given up on trying to carry directly into contact now. He's trying to step every time but just gets easily ankle tackled, and his pull backs are starting to become a bit obvious.

Needs to bite the bullet and try to smash over someone, because if everything is going to go through him then 15 carries for 20m isn't going to win this game.

There you go

[Tichtheid]

That was a bit of a bollocks from the ref at that scrum

[JM2K6]

Unlucky there. Sharks tried to smash them on the hit in the first scrum and got away with it, and that penalty is a nonsense

[Waudbee]

Game over. Very disappointed with Glaws, haven't shown up.

[Torquemada 1420]

Game over. Very disappointed with Glaws, haven't shown up.

They've been sh*t all season. Miracle they made it here.

[Torquemada 1420]

Let's see how much spine there is left in Glaws. Could go past 50.

[Tichtheid]

Game over. Very disappointed with Glaws, haven't shown up.

They've been sh*t all season. Miracle they made it here.

Sharks have won four league games this season.

[Waudbee]

Let's see how much spine there is left in Glaws. Could go past 50.

My thoughts exactly.

[Tichtheid]

Goodnight Vienna

[JM2K6]

Think May should've gone to fullback ten minutes ago tbh. Oh well. Lovely kick for the try

[Torquemada 1420]

Game over. Very disappointed with Glaws, haven't shown up.

They've been sh*t all season. Miracle they made it here.

Sharks have won four league games this season.

Not sure how that contradicts my point.

[Tichtheid]

They've been sh*t all season. Miracle they made it here.

Sharks have won four league games this season.

Not sure how that contradicts my point.

It wasn't meant to, it makes an equivalence with Sharks and Glaws

[JM2K6]

Makes no difference but the glaws reserve front row is getting screwed by Reynal here

[Tichtheid]

Makes no difference but the glaws reserve front row is getting screwed by Reynal here

As a fan of scrummaging I hate how few refs have a bloody clue in that area

[Torquemada 1420]

Sharks have won four league games this season.

Not sure how that contradicts my point.

It wasn't meant to, it makes an equivalence with Sharks and Glaws

[JM2K6]

Mercer finally decides to try and run straight, Glaws get momentum, Glaws score. Funny that

[JM2K6]

Good spot by Austin and the TMO tbf

[Torquemada 1420]

Mercer finally decides to try and run straight, Glaws get momentum, Glaws score. Funny that

Or not?

[Tichtheid]

Koch gets player of the match, I thought it was Nche.

All three of them should have got it

[JM2K6]

Mercer gets ragdolled in contact and coughs it up for a near try. Fair fucks to Austin for calling a spade a spade though.

Akkerman's anger at being substituted is related, I suspect.

Very fun end to this game mind

[JM2K6]

Mercer throws a dreadful offload and Sharks nearly score again. Game over.

I simply do not understand Gloucester's strategy today.

[Sandstorm]

Congrats Sharks. 8 successful kicks by Masuka
.

[Tichtheid]

Well done Sharks, dominant performance

[OomStruisbaai]

Well done Sharks. Keep the Cups in the URC brotherhood. Tomorrow we support Leinster.

[Sards]

I knew we had that game with our starting 15. First 10 minutes had me very worried. They really threw everything and the sink at the Sharks then. Credit to the Sharks defense. Although there waa just no penetration from the backline on attack so that skews perception. Fassi's card would normally have been the breaking point for most teams after so much pressure. And then Masuka introduced himself to the world. Did anyone notice he changes his kicking style depending on the kick. Wtf.....Manie is still struggling to nail down a style just to get it through the posts. Such maturity from Masuka. Such a calming influence. He is like Pollard and Libbok rolled up in one. I am sure he is going to start receiving some impressive offers. As you can tell from the gushing I am a huge fan.
Eben, Eben, Eben.........
Yeah he spent a long time injured and frustrated the vok out of me. Both him, Koch and a few others. But he really is a giant amongst men. Our future Springbok captain. I said it before. He needed to do something that showed him as a worthy Springbok captain. Well he delivered. And you can be sure the Sharks marketing department are going to abuse this opportunity. Eben is of course the brand manager of the Sharks.
With Trevor joining us next season that would have to be the world's premier front row. Pleased that they took a scrum from the free kick. Just to show world rugby what they are vokking with. Sharks are seriously in a good position going forward. I am sure Esterhuizen will feel a lot better returning to a happy environment.

Well done Sharks. See you in the Cup next year in a far stronger position.

[TheNatalShark]

I must say I hate sitting behind the posts, but the Tottenham stadium is actually pretty good.

Good to get that back door qualification, and of course a first international trophy.

[robmatic]

Digging out my old black and red Embra top to support Blair Kinghorn's Toulouse today.

[_Os_]

Match was decided in that opening 20 minutes. Gloucester came out very strong. Sharks defended their line well with no possession, Etzebeth stopping the try on the line was ridiculous and the type of thing he seems to always do in big matches. Gloucester didn't score through that opening period and they went into their shells a bit afterwards, only came back when they had lost.

Other aspects to the match, but it maybe would've been different if the Sharks hadn't kept Gloucester to zero at the start.

[Tichtheid]

Match was decided in that opening 20 minutes. Gloucester came out very strong. Sharks defended their line well with no possession, Etzebeth stopping the try on the line was ridiculous and the type of thing he seems to always do in big matches. Gloucester didn't score through that opening period and they went into their shells a bit afterwards, only came back when they had lost.

Other aspects to the match, but it maybe would've been different if the Sharks hadn't kept Gloucester to zero at the start.

I agree with that assessment but Ugo Monye made the point that Etzebeth slide in with his knees on the field of play, knocking the ball out of Harris’ hands so in fact Etzebath should have been carded and a minimum of a penalty given against him, possibly a penalty try. He said the ref missed it because he was preoccupied with the grounding

These things happen, but it might have been a turning point