South Africa’s Coastal Sharks maintained their unbeaten record in the Super 14 with an efficient 35-31 four tries to three win over the Auckland Blues yesterday.
The scoreline flattered the Blues, who spent much of the match on the back foot because of a much higher error rate than the visitors.
The Sharks defense was solid against the flair of the Blues, their execution was far superior at the breakdown and they held on to more of their passes.
The match was the first home appearance for Auckland this season after winning two of three away games, but it was not a day for their fans to remember.
Sharks captain Johann Muller praised the performance of his team, but warned better is yet to come.
“All credit to the boys, they were outstanding today, but I still think we can probably play 30 percent better than that,” Muller said.
Playing into the breeze in the first spell, the Sharks’ quality showed as they ran in two tries to one in a tight spell.
Winger J.P. Pietersen scored the first try after eight minutes, following a big break by center Adrian Jacobs, who put the winger into a big gap in the Blues’ 22.
The Blues hit back after 26 minutes through full-back Isaia Toeava, in a set move featuring a pinpoint cutout pass by fly-half Jimmy Gopperth, who scored 21 of his team’s points through a try, two conversions and four penalties.
Jacques Botes broke a 13-13 deadlock after a big bomb from Sharks full-back Stefan Terblanche was spilled by the Blues’ Jerome Kaino.
The big flanker scooped up the loose ball to charge away for a try converted by Rory Kockott, who finished with 15 points from the boot.
The South Africans grabbed the match by the throat in the early minutes of the second spell with Kockott’s second penalty and a try from lock Steven Sykes.
Sykes forced his way over with both packs camped on the Blues try line after the Auckland team again put themselves under pressure because of a loose pass.
The outcome was sealed when Blues winger Joe Rokocoko spilled the ball on the Sharks try line in the 68th minute — after being tackled by a clearly offside Muller — and Sharks replacement John Smit went over at the other end a minute later.
Rokocoko made partial amends with a consolation try right at the end to give the Aucklanders a bonus point.
Also See: Favorites all progress to quarters
‘SOURCE OF PRIDE’: Newspapers rushed out special editions and the government sent their congratulations as Shohei Ohtani became the first player to enter the 50-50 club Japan reacted with incredulity and pride yesterday after Shohei Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. The Los Angeles Dodgers star from Japan made history with a seventh-inning homer in a 20-4 victory over the Marlins in Miami. “We would like to congratulate him from the bottom of our heart,” top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo. “We sincerely hope Mr Ohtani, who has already accomplished feat after feat and carved out a new era, will thrive further,” he added. The landmark achievement dominated Japanese morning news
When Wang Tao ran away from home aged 17 to become a professional wrestler, he knew it would be a hard slog to succeed in China’s passionate but underdeveloped scene. Years later, he has endured family disapproval, countless side gigs and thousands of hours of brutal training to become China’s “Belt and Road Champion” — but the struggle is far from over. Despite a promising potential domestic market, the Chinese pro wrestling community has been battling for recognition and financial stability for decades. “I have done all kinds of jobs [on the side]... Because in the end, it is very
No team in the CPBL can surpass the Taipei Dome attendance record set by the CTBC Brothers, except when the Brothers team up with Taiwanese rock band Mayday. A record-high 40,000 fans turned out at the indoor baseball venue on Saturday for Brothers veteran Chou Szu-chi’s first farewell game, which was followed by a mini post-game concert featuring Mayday. This broke the previous CPBL record of 34,506 set by the Brothers in early last month, when K-pop singer Hyuna performed after the game, and the dome’s overall record of 37,890 set in early March, which featured the Brothers and the
With a quivering finger, England Subbuteo veteran Rudi Peterschinigg conceded the free-kick that sent his country’s World Cup quarter-final into extra-time before smashing his plastic goalkeeper on the floor in frustration. In the genteel southern English town of Tunbridge Wells, 300 elite players have gathered to play the game they love. “I won’t say this is the best weekend I’ve ever had in my life, but it’s certainly in the top two,” said Hughie Best, 58, who flew in from Perth, Australia, to compete and commentate at the event. Tunbridge Wells is the “spiritual home” of Subbuteo, which was invented there in 1946