Ken Borland

They say a week is a long time in rugby but the Sharks proved – at least in the first half – that a couple of days can also bring a massive change in fortunes as they matched the British and Irish Lions blow-for-blow until the red card to scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse knocked the stuffing out of them.

Having been hammered 54-7 by the touring Lions at Ellis Park in midweek, the Sharks fielded a new-look team for their hastily-arranged rematch at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday and produced a tremendous first-half display as they held the Lions to 26-26 at the break. The physicality and intensity of the Sharks was at a whole new level, and they managed to create the first cracks we have seen in the touring team, who conceded four tries under the pressure.

And then Hendrikse was red-carded five minutes into the second half for elbowing an opponent in the head, and the wheels fell off as the Sharks succumbed to a 71-31 thrashing.

“In terms of intensity, we were matching the Lions but then the red card obviously didn’t help. We knew we had to come out firing in the second half as well, we had to keep that intensity after the break. For our young team, with lots of 21-year-olds, to put them under pressure was fantastic. The loose trio, especially, they all played for the U21s last year and they certainly matched the Lions’ physicality.

“In the first half we managed the game well and the defence was outstanding, we certainly put pressure on them. That’s a really important aspect because it complements your attack and you can use that turnover possession. I think the Springboks would have seen that with a good kicking game and strong defence, there will definitely be opportunities to force the Lions into mistakes,” Sharks coach Sean Everitt said.

Everitt added that he had sympathy for Hendrikse, a 21-year-old who had a moment of stupidity broadcast around the world.

“Jaden is not a malicious player but there was a bit of niggle in the game and it was a tough contest. He’s a youngster who did something stupid and he’ll get to know where to draw the line, he will learn from it. We have to respect the opposition and we will have a chat.

“Off the field Jaden is totally the opposite, he’s actually very quiet. I feel for the guy, he’s very remorseful and I’m sure it won’t happen again,” Everitt said.

The frustration of red cards ruining thrilling rugby matches was once again to the fore as the British and Irish Lions hammered the Sharks 71-31 at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday night, the match turning into a one-sided affair after Sharks scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse was sent off for a moment of madness.

The Sharks had produced a ferocious response to their drubbing in midweek in their first meeting with the Lions, and at 26-26 after a dazzling first half, the stage was set for a marvellous second half.

But then five minutes after the break, Hendrikse, who is generally an infuriatingly niggly scrumhalf to play against, crossed the line by hitting a Lions player on the back of the head with his elbow. Referee Wayne Barnes quite rightly red-carded him and that was the end of the contest.

The Sharks, so valiant and determined in the first 40 minutes, had the stuffing knocked out of them as the Lions roared their way to seven more tries in the second half. Hooker Jamie George, flank Tadhg Beirne and wing Anthony Watson, who showed why everyone in the UK raves about him, all came away with braces.

In the first half, the Sharks had rebounded from their mauling in midweek with a superb display of scrambling defence and they were extremely stingy with the amount of space and time they gave the Lions. The tourists, under such determined pressure, showed that they are human as well and the mistakes came.

Wings Anthony Volmink, who scored twice, and Thaakir Abrahams showed their ace finishing skills, while Hendrikse scored a fine intercept try inI the 24^th minute and lock Reniel Hugo charged down a kick for outside centre Werner Kok, who again played with great fervour, to score.

The loose trio of Phepsi Buthelezi, Celimpilo Gumede and Dylan Richardson were outstanding for the Sharks.

The second half promised so much but true rugby fans will have hated the mismatch it became. On the bright side, the Sharks showed in the first half that the dominance of the Lions and the shackles they impose can be broken.

Scorers

Sharks – Tries: Anthony Volmink (2), Thaakir Abrahams, Jaden Hendrikse, Werner Kok. Conversions: Lionel Cronje (3).

British & Irish Lions – Tries: Chris Harris, Jamie George (2), Duhan van der Merwe, Tadhg Beirne (2), Jack Conan, Elliot Daly, Anthony Watson (2), Tom Curry. Conversions: Dan Biggar (8).

South Africa are currently bottom of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League and obviously have a ton of work to do on their ODI game, but the good news is the sands of time are not running out on them because they have until March 2023 to finish in the top seven and qualify for the World Cup later that year.

India, as hosts, qualify automatically for that World Cup, so in all probability the Proteas have to finish in the top eight. They are 13th at the moment with just nine points, while the Netherlands are ninth with 20 points. But if South Africa beat Ireland 3-0, as expected, in the ODI series that starts on Sunday then they will earn 30 points and leap to fifth in the standings.

So for captain Temba Bavuma the focus is more on the short-term goal of continuing the polishing up of their game that started in the West Indies.

“We are chasing results because obviously it’s a priority to start racking up points and qualify for the World Cup, but we know there is a process that we need to master and that’s where our main focus is. This series is another chance to really get to terms with how we want to go about playing our cricket. We are seen as favourites, but the focus is not on results but on mastering our process.

“We did fairly well in the West Indies, albeit in T20 cricket, but that does flow into the ODIs. There definitely are similarities between the two formats, our style, philosophy and thinking is the same. We want to carry on the same language and feel throughout both formats and fortunately the majority of our players are in both the 50-over and T20 squads,” Bavuma said from Dublin on Saturday.

Depending on the weather, conditions could be testing for batsmen and Bavuma said there is the possibility of the Proteas boosting the batting line-up by playing an extra all-rounder instead of one specialist bowler.

Which automatically brings Andile Phehlukwayo, a mainstay of 61 ODIs, into the conversation. But the 25-year-old has been terribly inconsistent in the last couple of years.

“Due to the conditions, maybe we’ll bring in an extra all-rounder so we have an extra cushion in the batting line-up. But we still want the batsmen to take ownership of what they need to do and the bowlers too. It’s not about experimenting but we might try out different options and allow guys to show what they can do.

“I definitely see Andile playing a big part in the team, he’s an integral member of the squad because he’s one of the few who has considerable games and experience behind him. He can’t just be thrown in the wayside, he still plays a massive role, but confidence is such a volatile thing. Some days you wake up feeling top of the world, on other days you don’t know what end of the bat to hold,” Bavuma said.

Even though the British and Irish Lions are a ruthless, top-class outfit that inflicted plenty of pain on them in midweek, Sharks coach Sean Everitt said on Friday that his team is delighted to get a second chance against them when they meet in a hastily arranged rematch at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

With the Bulls having to postpone their scheduled match against the tourists on Saturday due to Covid cases in their squad, and the Sharks having been in a bio-bubble in Johannesburg since last Friday, the KwaZulu-Natalians have agreed to step up again and ensure the Lions don’t miss out on valuable game-time before their Test series against the Springboks.

Having been hammered 54-7 at Ellis Park, the Sharks are hopeful of putting on a better show, with Everitt naming a vastly-changed side thanks to them having 36 players up on the Highveld due to Covid precautions.

“There’s massive excitement in the team, we’ve only been playing against South African teams so it’s great to have fresh opposition, even though they are a world-class outfit. It’s an opportunity for us to learn from our mistakes and rectify those. When we did the review, we saw the opportunities we created, but also the errors and soft moments that ruined those,” Everitt said.

Many of the Lions players who were left to rue their late omission from the first match against the Sharks have now been cleared as close contacts because one of the players’ positive tests has turned out to be a false positive. That means Anthony Watson makes his first start on the wing and the intended halfback pairing of Dan Biggar and Gareth Davies will also take the field.

The Lions have also chosen what many consider to be their first-choice props in Rory Sutherland and Tadhg Furlong, and a strong showing by them could mean the hopes of Mako Vunipola and Zander Fagerson of playing in the first Test could be in the bin.

The Sharks’ breakdown work in the first game was a pig sty, and a fresh Lions loose trio of the highly-rated Tadhg Beirne, the impressive Hamish Watson and a go-forward eighthman in Jack Conan will have them under pressure again in that department.

Interestingly, tour captain Conor Murray is once again in amongst the replacements, having yet to start a game in South Africa.

Sharks: Anthony Volmink, Marnus Potgieter, Werner Kok, Murray Koster, Thaakir Abrahams, Lionel Cronje, Jaden Hendrikse, Phepsi Buthelezi (c), Mpilo Gumede, Dylan Richardson, Reniel Hugo, Le Roux Roets, Wiehahn Herbst, Kerron van Vuuren, Ntuthuko Mchunu. Bench – Dan Jooste, Mzamo Majola, Khutha Mchunu, Thembelani Bholi, Juandre Labuschagne, Cameron Wright, Boeta Chamberlain, Jeremy Ward.

British and Irish Lions: Liam Williams, Anthony Watson, Elliot Daly, Chris Harris, Duhan van der Merwe, Dan Biggar, Gareth Davies, Jack Conan, Hamish Watson, Tadhg Beirne, Jonny Hill, Maro Itoje, Tadhg Furlong, Jamie George – captain, Rory Sutherland. Bench – Ken Owens, Wyn Jones, Kyle Sinckler, Courtney Lawes, Sam Simmonds, Tom Curry, Conor Murray, Finn Russell.