Highlanders smash sloppy Sharks

The Highlanders handed the hapless Sharks another lesson, beating the troubled South African team 48-15 in Dunedin on Friday.

They outscored a sloppy Sharks team by seven tries to two in an entertaining encounter – if you were a Highlanders supporter.

For the Sharks and their dwindling band of supporters it was another dark day, their fourth consecutive defeat in what is a nightmare season for the Springbok-laded team.

It is the third time this season the Sharks have conceded more than 40 points and follows the equally dreadful 10-52 loss to the Crusaders last month.

The Highlanders showed why they are rated as one of the most dangerous teams from turnovers, while the Sharks' most effective form of attack was using their bruising big forwards to bash it up around the fringes and also some mauling.

However, the Sharks were let down by a shockingly high error count and some stodgy, predictable play – with some of their plays best described as 'amateur hour'.

The Highlanders, in stark contrast, were all enthusiasm and inventiveness – looking to speed up the game and expose the Sharks' porous defence.

The Highlanders got off a perfect start – exploiting a rash of early errors by the Sharks, with Gareth Evans easily brushing off a half-hearted attempted tackle by Odwa Ndungane to get the opening try of the match. Lima Sopoaga's conversion made it 7-0 after five minutes.

Sopoaga made it 10-0 after 21 minutes with a penalty, as the Sharks continued to pay a dear price for their high error count.

The Sharks eventually got on the board in the 25th minute, Fred Zeilinga slotting a rare penalty awarded to the visitors.

That gave the visitors the momentum and belief they wanted.

They pinned the Highlanders in their own half, even though some of the kicking was rather aimless. And the pressure started to tell when Tendai Mtawarira barged over from close range after a line-out maul became a ruck and then a few quick phases. Zeilinga levelled the scores at 10-all.

That didn't last long.

A two-try blitz in as many minutes saw the Highlanders take a 14-point (24-10) lead into the half-time break.

First Waisake Naholo went over in the right corner from a pin-point chip-kick by Sopoaga, before a blistering counter attack – in the wake of another Sharks turnover and a few sloppy tackles – allowed Patrick Osborne to show his finishing ability in the left corner. Sopoaga's trusted boot added both conversions.

The Sharks started the second half with some urgency, but their execution let them down. In the early  stages after the break they went through 20 phases, twice being held up over the line by some determined Highlanders defence, and then conceding a penalty.

Any hope of a comeback was quickly dashed.

Two tries – by Mark Reddish and Aaron Smith, both coming after the Highlanders pounced on sloppy play by the Sharks – saw the score race out to 31-10 before the final quarter arrived.

Brendon Edmonds added further insult to injury when he went over under the uprights in the 64th minute – coming from some sublime interplay by the Highlanders. Sopoaga kicked two of the three conversions top make it 36-10.

Bismarck du Plessis got a consolation score in the 70th minute, as the Sharks' maul finally produced some dividends, but replacement Lionel Cronjé's conversion attempt hit the upright – an epitome of the Sharks' game, wasted opportunities.

The rout was completed when Elliot Dixon flopped over to make the final score 48-15.

Man of the match: Willem Alberts was as brutal as ever, while Bismarck du Plessis worked hard on his return from a four-match ban to redeem himself. Nasi Manu lead the forwards in impressive fashion, while Mark Reddish was also an influential figure. Waisake Naholo and Patrick Osborne again showed their finishing ability, while Ben Smith was as devastating as ever with ball in hand. Aaron Smith also exposed the Sharks defence with some sniping runs. However, our award goes to Highlanders flyhalf Lima Sopoaga, who could do no wrong – from sublime chip-kicks to pin-point offloads and near flawless goal-kicking.

The scorers:

For the Highlanders:

Tries: Evans, Naholo, Osborne, Reddish, A Smith, Edmonds, Dixon

Cons: Sopoaga 5

Pen: Sopoaga

For the Sharks:

Tries: Mtawarira, Du Plessis

Con: Zeilinga

Pen: Zeilinga

Teams:

Highlanders: 15 Ben Smith (co-captain), 14 Waisake Naholo, 13 Malakai Fekitoa, 12 Richard Buckman, 11 Patrick Osborne, 10 Lima Sopoaga, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Nasi Manu (co-captain), 7 Dan Pryor, 6 Gareth Evans, 5 Mark Reddish, 4 Tom Franklin, 3 Josh Hohneck, 2 Liam Coltman, 1 Kane Hames.

Replacements: 16 Ash Dixon, 17 Brendon Edmonds, 18 Pingi Tala'apitaga, 19 Joe Latta, 20 Elliot Dixon, 21 Fumiaki Tanaka, 22 Marty Banks, 23 Jason Emery.

Sharks: 15 Odwa Ndungane, 14 Sibusiso Sithole, 13 JP Pietersen, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Fred Zeilinga, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Willem Alberts, 7 Etienne Oosthuizen, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Marco Wentzel (captain), 4 Stephan Lewies, 3 Lourens Adriaanse, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.

Replacements: 16 Franco Marais, 17 Dale Chadwick, 18 Matt Stevens, 19 Mouritz Botha, 20 Renaldo Bothma, 21 Conrad Hoffmann, 22 Lionel Cronje, 23 Waylon Murray.

Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)

Assistant referees: Kane McBride, Mike Lash

TMO: Vinny Munro