Player ratings: Travel bogey bites
The taxing travel factor ultimately took its toll on the Sharks and diluted their potency in Saturday’s decider in Hamilton.
The fatigue brought on by excessive travelling over the past three weeks was particularly noticeable in the big men up front, who ran on empty and failed to fire in the set pieces and tight loose.
Quintin van Jaarsveld rates the Sharks players.
15 Pat Lambie:
A brave, try-saving tackle on a barnstorming Ben Tameifuna was the highlight of an underwhelming, error-prone performance from Lambie. Was found out of position on a number of occasions and in hindsight, should have started on the bench.
4/10
14 Louis Ludik:
A faultless effort in terms of commitment from the underrated and in-form Ludik. Made little to no errors and was a key feature on defence.
7/10
13 JP Pietersen:
A brilliant touch-finder five metres from the Chiefs line allowed Ryan Kankowski to snatch one against the throw. Solid overall but failed to ignite the backline with a piece of individual brilliance as he did against the Reds and Stormers.
6/10
12 Paul Jordaan:
Marked Sonny Bill Williams for the most part and made an electrifying run in the 25th minute. Not a poor performance but the Sharks missed Tim Whitehead.
5.5/10
11 Lwazi Mvovo:
With no real opportunities on attack, Mvovo went missing in action. Needs to up his work rate if he is to become a world-class winger.
5/10
10 Frederic Michalak:
Not the Sharks swansong he would have envisioned. Couldn’t get his backline going, made some poor decisions at times – most notably kicking away possession through some aimless grubbers on attack – and generally lacked the spark he’s renowned for.
5/10
9 Charl McLeod:
Struggled to control the wet ball at the base, with a couple of little knock-ons robbing the Sharks of momentum.
4/10
8 Ryan Kankowski:
A shining light in a pack running on empty. His work rate was outstanding, he took full responsibility of the lineouts and did so as a real lineout general. Made a crucial lineout steal that led to the Sharks’ first points and got around the pitch.
7/10
7 Marcell Coetzee:
A typically industrious showing by the young Springbok back rower. Not quite as efficient with ball in hand against an aggressive Chiefs defensive line but tackled like a terrier.
6/10.
6 Keegan Daniel:
All guts but no glory for the diminutive Sharks skipper on the day. Never let up.
6/10
5 Anton Bresler:
Bit of a mare. Committed on defence but slipped a tackle on Sonny Bill Williams that led to a try and coughed up a simple lineout ball deep inside Sharks territory.
4/10
4 Willem Alberts:
Not the typically dominant Alberts in terms of crashing over the gain line. However, his size, power and aggression on defence in wet conditions should not be overlooked.
5.5/10
3 Jannie du Plessis:
The Sharks pack was unable to gain ascendency up front and a big part of the blame falls on Du Plessis. Slipped a tackle on a flying Tim Nanai-Williams that went on to score but to be fair he was not the main culprit in that sequence.
His indiscipline in reacting to a cleanout by Mahonri Schwalger that saw an initial Sharks penalty result in three points for the Chiefs, however harsh it may have been, was inexcusable for a player of his experience.
4/10
2 Bismarck du Plessis:
Abrasive in open play, reliable with his lineout throwing and managed the occasion turnover on the deck. Not the 100th game he had in mind though.
6/10
1 Tendai Mtawarira:
His defensive error cost the Sharks seven points when Nanai-Williams went over and he failed to dominate Ben Tameifuna at scrum time.
4/10
Replacements:
16 Craig Burden:
Not enough time to be rated.
17 Wiehahn Herbst: (on for Jannie du Plessis, 52nd minute)
Made no significant impact but held up his end in the scrums. The experience will serve him well.
4/10
18 Steven Sykes: (on for Willem Alberts, 52nd minute)
Was a solid alternative source in the lineout, something the Sharks lacked prior to his arrival and resulted in Kankowski doing most of the jumping.
6/10
19 Jacques Botes:
Not enough time to be rated.
20 Jean Deysel: (on for Willem Alberts, 52nd minute)
Much like Alberts, the man he replaced, Deysel couldn’t stamp his authority on the game.
21 Meyer Bosman:
Not enough time to be rated.
22 Riaan Viljoen:
Not enough time to be rated.
