(Foto: Twitter / Scarlets Rugby)
The Sharks are now in tomato trouble in the United Rugby Championship… and it’s no one’s fault but their own.
This followed after the Sharks, who had ten Springboks and an ex-Blitzbok in their starting team, with two more Boks and a Wallaby on the substitutes’ bench, could not get out of first gear in Saturday night’s clash against the Welsh Scarlets at Parc y Scarlets not in Llanelli.
The Scarlets, who before the game could only win five of their 15 games, shocked the Sharks with 32 – 20 (halftime 13 – 7) and moved up from their 14th position to 13th in the standings.
The Sharks are still eighth in the standings and will certainly need to pull up their socks in their remaining two games to finish in the top eight.
At least they play Benetton and Munster at home and all things considered, they should win at Kingspark, provided they don’t play like they did against the Scarlets.
The Sharks just idled around, played without passion and energy and apart from a monster scrum about 15 meters from the Scarlets’ goal line just before half-time, there were very few other highlights to be excited about.
????️ Match report from an awesome night at Parc y Scarlets!
A report from a night to remember in the Park
???? https://t.co/KRocX0jQTI#SCAvSHA #Still here pic.twitter.com/4P15EdttUq
— Scarlets Rugby (@scarlets_rugby) March 25, 2023
Their performance in the lineouts was not of quality and the backline, where scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse and flyhalf Curwin Bosch could not impose authority, barely got over the advantage line.
One freezes to think what they will do behind a losing pack.
On the contrary, the Scarlets, who are Wales’ second worst team, were more enterprising and this must be a big headache for the Sharks’ head coach, Neil Powell.
He relied on the physical attack that Thomas du Toit, Bongi Mbonambi, Ox Nche, Eben Etzebeth and Siya Kolisi would bring, but dates came from it.
Van die Bokke appeared tired and in the second half conceded a series of penalties at the breakdown points, which the Scarlets’ flyhalf Sam Costelow beat with regularity.
Just look at the scoreboard, the Sharks now have a negative point difference of -4.
Compare that with Leinster (269), the Stormers (126), Munster (111) and the Glasgow Warriors (90) and the question is answered.
Points: Scarlets 32 (13): Tries: Steff Evans (2). Goals: Sam Costelow (2). Penalty goals: Costelow (6).
Sharks 20 (7): Tries: Siya Kolisi, Bongi Mbonambi. Goals: Curwin Bosch (2). Penalty goals: Bosch (2).
