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Sharks down Blues, Stormers clinch it at the last

Robert du Preez of the Sharks

The Sharks made it two wins from two in Super Rugby with a convincing 26-7 beating of the Blues, while the Stormers got up and running with a dramatic late twist against the Lions.

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After routing Sunwolves a week ago, the Sharks coped better than the Lions in the humid Durban conditions in a match strewn with errors.

It was essentially game over by half-time when Aphelele Fassi, Akker van der Merwe and Robert du Preez tries helped the home side to a 19-0 lead.

Tanielu Tele’a found a gap with 17 minutes left to briefly threaten a Blues fightback, but Curwin Bosch’s 80-metre interception try in the closing seconds completed the Sharks’ win.

The Stormers suffered a hammering by the Bulls last weekend, but Herschel Jantjies’ jinking try in the fifth added minute tied up their South African derby with the Lions in Cape Town.

SP Marais added the extras to seal a 19-17 triumph for a Stormers side that had trailed since the sixth minute to Kwagga Smith’s try. 

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Nickers 37 minutes ago
Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

I thought we made a lot of progress against that type of defence by the WC last year. Lots of direct running and punching holes rather than using width. Against that type of defence I think you have to be looking to kick on first phase when you have front foot ball which we did relatively successfully. We are playing a lot of rugby behind the gain line at the moment. They are looking for those little interchanges for soft shoulders and fast ball or off loads but it regularly turns into them battering away with slow ball and going backwards, then putting in a very rushed kick under huge pressure.


JB brought that dimension when he first moved into 12 a couple of years ago but he's definitely not been at his best this year. I don't know if it is because he is being asked to play a narrow role, or carrying a niggle or two, but he does not look confident to me. He had that clean break on the weekend and stood there like he was a prop who found himself in open space and didn't know what to do with the ball. He is still a good first phase ball carrier though, they use him a lot off the line out to set up fast clean ball, but I don't think anyone is particularly clear on what they are supposed to do at that point. He was used really successfully as a second playmaker last year but I don't think he's been at that role once this year. He is a triple threat player but playing a very 1 dimensional role at the moment. He and Reiko have been absolutely rock solid on defence which is why I don't think there will be too much experimentation or changes there.

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