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As it happened: Crusaders v Sharks

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Commentary by Sport24's Garrin Lambley


KEY STATS

Metres run: Crusaders 304-187 Sharks
Carries: Crusaders 99-51 Sharks
Defenders beaten: Crusaders 11-10 Sharks
Clean breaks: Crusaders 2-2 Sharks
Tackles made: Crusaders 51-84 Sharks
Missed tackles: Crusaders 10-44 Sharks
Turnovers won: Crusaders 3-6 Sharks
Kicks in play: Crusaders 38-40 Sharks
Rucks won: Crusaders 66-32 Sharks
Rucks lost: Crusaders 6-1 Sharks
Mauls won: Crusaders 3-8 Sharks
Lineouts won: Crusaders 11-15 Sharks
Lineouts lost: Crusaders 1-1 Sharks
Scrums won: Crusaders 5-2 Sharks
Scrums lost: Crusaders 1-2 Sharks
Penalties conceded: Crusaders 9-15 Sharks


PICTURE


80' - In next weekend's Round 15 action, the Sharks play the Blues in North Harbour while the Crusaders tackle the Highlanders in Dunedin


80' - The Sharks picked up four points for their victory to extend their lead atop both the SA Conference and the Overall log.

The Crusaders picked up a single point for losing by seven or fewer points, but stayed third and fifth in the NZ Conference and Overall log, respectively.


80' - MATCH OVER!

Sharks win 30-25

Incredible stuff. Well played the Sharks!

History made in Christchurch


80' - Last chance saloon for the Crusaders as the hooter sounds.


78' - A night for history as the Sharks have never beaten the Crusaders in Christchurch


77' - Staggeringly the Sharks only need 1 more try to score a bonus point!


77' - Swiel adds the CONVERSION and the Sharks lead 30-25 after 77 minutes


76' - Fantastic stuff from the men from Durban. Poor stupidity from the Crusaders - but we don't care!


75' - INCREDIBLE scenes in Christchurch as KYLE COOPER scores!


75' - TRY to the Sharks!


74' - One day the NZ teams will learn they DON'T have to run every kick from inside their 22m and the Crusaders are trapped and forced to concede a lineout 


73' - This time Slade makes no mistake

Crusaders led 25-23 as Alberts rejoins the fray having spent his 10 minutes in the sin-bin


72' - BUT Slade will have ANOTHER chance to regain the lead from the restart as replacement prop for the Sharks, Lourens Adriaanse, is penalised


72' - Slade's kick is AWAY TO THE RIGHT!

Crazy stuff as the Sharks 'only' have 8 minutes to hold on for what would be a famous win


71' - Slade will have another shot at goal to regain the Crusaders the lead. Lost count of how many lead changes that would be...


70' - OH DEAR for the Crusaders as Fijian wing Nemani Nadolo butchers anotehr try for the Crusaders. Woeful play from their import


69' - Sharks BACK IN THE LEAD thanks to a penalty by replacement TIM SWIEL

Amazing stuff in Christchurch. Sharks have 10 minutes to survive - still down to 13 men!


PICTURE

Sharks No 9 Cobus Reinach clears under pressure (Twitter)


67' - Good old-fashioned dust-up the forwards - and a few backline players - as referee doesn't bother consulting his TMO


66' - Crusaders lead 22-20 after 66 minutes as the Crusaders and Sharks make a number of changes

Whole new front row for the Sharks



65' - Slade will have a chance to give the Crusaders the lead - AND HE DOES!




64' - Plenty of warnings for the Sharks and in the 'red zone' the referee finally losing his patience



64' - Willem Alberts sees yellow as the Sharks are reduced to 13 men for the next 10 minutes at least




64' - YELLOW CARD for the Sharks!




62' - But the Crusaders throw in skew and the Sharks escape again!

They elect - wisely - a lineout rather than a scrum and win a penalty!




61' - The Crusaders turn defence into attack in a blink of an eye as the Sharks are forced to concede a lineout inside their 22m




60' - Slade lands the PENALTY cutting the Sharks' lead to 20-19 after 60 minutes




59' - Sharks concede a penalty on their 5m line and the Crusaders elect to go for posts, giving up a prime try-scoring opportunity.

The Sharks certainly won't mind...




57' - Narrow escape by the Sharks as Crusaders flank Jordan Taufua fails to pick up the ball with the tryline beckoning...




56' - The Crusaders are under the pump and will have to get their proverbial A into G if they wish to win today




55' - The Sharks are actually dominating possession and territory this half - amazing!




54' - Steyn fails in his effort to increase the Sharks' lead as his effort falls short




PICTURE

Jean Deysel sees red... (
Twitter )





51' - Penalty to the Sharks at the lineout and Steyn lands the three-pointer as the Sharks stretch their lead!

Sharks 20-16 after 52 minutes




50' - Half an hour for the Sharks to hang on.

Can they do it? Would certainly be the most impressive of the year - perhaps the history of the tournament!




49' - I feel like a bit of a genius... as the Crusaders make that change!

Off goes Heinz, on comes Andy Ellis




TWEET

It would kind of sum up SA luck in Super Rugby 2014 if Sharks hang in heroically here and go down by eight! - Rob Houwing




48' - Sharks 'D' remains good but the Crusaders chossing wrong option after wrong option, as the Sharks commit a professional foul, get a talking to, and Colin Slade adds a penalty.

Sharks lead 17-16 after 48 minutes




47' - Crusaders fairly hopeless at present. Willie Heinz comfortably the slowest clearer of ruck ball in the game!




46' - SURELY the Crusaders should be keeping it tight?

Sharks debunking the notion it's a disadvantage with 14 men at present!




45' - Sharks defence fanning out and the Crusaders playing into their hands by swinging it left and right rather than targeting their advantage in the forwards?




43' - Steyn CONVERSION is OVER!

Sharks lead 17-13 after 43 minutes!




42' - Scrumhalf COBUS REINACH the man with the five-pointer as the Sharks take the lead with the conversion to come...




42' - TMO gives the thumbs-up and whatever coach Jake White said at half-time has clearly worked!




41' - Good grief! 14 man Sharks take the lead - or have they... TMO consulted




41' - TRY to the Sharks!




41' - BACK UNDER WAY IN CHRISTCHURCH!




PICTURE

Ok, so not Vodacom Super Rugby but a quick look at next weekend's Heineken Cup final 'SA' representation in the squads of the finalists...





KEY STATS

Metres run: Crusaders 151-83 Sharks
Carries: Crusaders 46-24 Sharks
Defenders beaten: Crusaders 4-5 Sharks
Clean breaks: Crusaders 2-1 Sharks
Tackles made: Crusaders 24-38 Sharks
Missed tackles: Crusaders 4-5 Sharks
Turnovers won: Crusaders 0-3 Sharks
Kicks in play: Crusaders 19-21 Sharks
Rucks won: Crusaders 28-16 Sharks
Rucks lost: Crusaders 4-1 Sharks
Mauls won: Crusaders 2-4 Sharks
Lineouts won: Crusaders 4-10 Sharks
Lineouts lost: Crusaders 0-1 Sharks
Scrums won: Crusaders 4-2 Sharks
Scrums lost: Crusaders 0-2 Sharks
Penalties conceded: Crusaders 5-7 Sharks




40' - Top effort by the 14-man Sharks side




40' - And Frans Steyn does just that!

Crusaders lead 13-10 at HALF-TIME as the hooter sounds




39' - Amazing as the Sharks win a penalty and can close the gap!




36' - But Slade keeps the Sharks within a converted try as he misses the kick...




35' - The Crusaders will have a chance to extend their lead through Slade after the Sharks steal the ball illegally at ruck time




STAT

Last 10 minutes have seen 81% possession for the Crusaders. Not sure the Sharks had 19%...




34' - The Sharks' gameplan predictably gone to pot.

Just kicking everything in hope at the moment as they inch towards a half-time chat with Jake White #funtimes




TWEET

Steyn clearly has not been keeping an eye on the big boys when they hit the scrum machine! - Front Row Grunt (and I on the same wave-length...)




31' - Wise decision by the Crusaders. The win still needs to be secured as the Sharks restart and get into the Crusaders' half for the first time in ages




30' - Steyn's weight adds nothing and the Crusaders monster them and win a penalty.

Slade adds the three-pointer and the Crusaders lead 13-7 after 30 minutes



TWEET

Red card. He deserved that. Idiotic. That’s the Sharks dead in this match. And he’ll get a long ban - Kevin McCallum




29' - But a 5m defensive scrum for the Sharks... with flyhalf Frans Steyn adding his considerable weight at flank




26' - And from the next scrum Slade puts in a kick - for some odd reason - and the ball in knocked in-goal by Ryan Crotty.

Little patience shown by the Crusaders which is surprising. Coach Todd Blackadder must be annoyed




26' - Crusaders butcher another 5m scrum but thanks to a Reinach knock-on they get another chance...




25' - My oath this is a complete mess for the Sharks!

Literally everything going wrong now!

Stolen lineout... knock-on behind their own tryline. If the Crusaders keep patience, this could get UGLY for the men from Durban




22' - But the Sharks fail to find great distance and from the resultant lineout Reinach's clearance is charged down 




21' - Penalty to the Sharks as the Crusaders are penalised for not scrumming straight. In on the angle fron Wyatt Crockett




21' - Tremendous defence from the Sharks as they hold out the Crusaders.

But can they do it for another 60 minutes?

First scrum with 7 men. Should be interesting...




19' - Going to be a L-O-N-G night for the Sharks as the Crusaders step up the pressure and opt for a lineout rather than a shot at goal.

8 Crusaders forwards v 7 Sharks...




TWEET

Can just imagine judicial officers licking his lips ... South African stomping on a head ... That could be months out the game! - Front Row Grunt




18' - Twitter going crazy over the decision but 100% correct in my book




17' - Slade adds the resultant penalty and the Crusaders open up a 10-7 lead after 17 minutes




17' - Sharks down to 14 men for the remainder of the match - AND RIGHTLY SO!

Disgusting by Deysel who will hoping cop a lengthy ban for his actions




17' - RED CARD!



17' - Could be a HUGE moment here as Jean Deysel stamps on Crusaders flank Jordan Taufua head




16' - OH DEAR!




15' - The Crusaders sudden catch fire and set up a rolling maul which looks imposing but the Sharks are awarded a penalty




14' - Slade back on song and adds the CONVERSION as the scores are now level at 7-all after 14 minutes




12' - BIG hand-off by Slade after a shocker by Cobus Reinach and Frans Steyn results in the Crusaders' first try of the match




12' - TRY to the Crusaders!




12' - Slade's kick is short and the Sharks clear, BUT the Crusaders counter and SLADE scores!




11' - High tackle by Bismarck du Plessis on Willie Heinz will see Colin Slade take aim at goal from 48m out...




9' - Steyn steps up to add the CONVERSION and the Sharks lead 7-0 after 9 minutes




7' - Magnificent break by Sharks flyhalf Frans Steyn who busts through the Crusaders' defence before offloading out the back of the hand to S'BURA SITHOLE who scores!




7' - TRY to the Sharks!




TWEET

Crockett's arse straight out toward the sideline ... Hoffman gets it right this time - Front Row Grunt




5' - And just to even out matters, the second scrum results in a penalty to the Sharks...




3' - Poor hands from the Crusaders in the early stages as the Sharks are let off the hook on two occasions




1' - First scrum DOESN'T result in a reset (shock, shock, horror) but rather a penalty to the Crusaders who kick for touch




0' - Colin Slade gets the match started for the Crusaders who are playing from right to left




0' - AND WE'RE UNDER WAY!




DID YOU KNOW?

The Crusaders have scored 18 tries in their last 5 matches.

The Sharks have scored 3...




LOG STANDINGS

As we head into today's match, the Sharks currently top both the SA Conference and the Overall standings, while the Crusaders are third in the New Zealand Conference and fifth in the Overall log.

BUT!

A victory for the Crusaders would put them top of the NZ Conference and a bonus-point win could see them sup



10:07

plant the Sharks atop the Overall log



JAKE NO FAN OF SUPER 18

Sharks Director of Rugby Jake White is no fan of the new Super Rugby format to take effect from 2016... and neither are we!

Click HERE to read Jake's views...


100-UP FOR BEAST AND JANNIE

Sharks front row stars Beast Mtawarira and Jannie du Plessis will both play their 100th Vodacom Super Rugby matches today!

Tweet Beast at @Beast_TM


SPORT24 'EXPERT' PICKS

Sport24's self-proclaimed experts - Editor Garrin Lambley and chief writer Rob Houwing - give you their thoughts on today's match.

Click HERE for our match predictions...


ARE YOU AT THE GAME?

If so, then send us your pictures and we'll hit the publish button!

Send to: mysport@sport24.co.za


RECENT RESULTS

2013: Sharks won 21-17, Durban
2011: Crusaders won 36-8, Nelson (preliminary play-offs)
2011: Crusaders won 44-28, Twickenham
2010: Crusaders won 35-6, Christchurch
2009: Crusaders won 13-10, Durban
2008: Crusaders won 18-10, Christchurch


TEAMS

Crusaders

15 Tom Taylor, 14 Johnny McNicholl, 13 Rey Lee-Lo, 12 Ryan Crotty (captain), 11 Nemani Nadolo, 10 Colin Slade, 9 Willie Heinz, 8 Luke Whitelock, 7 Richie McCaw, 6 Jordan Taufua, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Dominic Bird, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Corey Flynn, 1 Wyatt Crockett

Substitutes: 16 Ben Funnell, 17 Tim Perry, 18 Nepo Laulala, 19 Jimmy Tupou, 20 George Whitelock, 21 Andy Ellis, 22 Tyler Bleyendaal, 23 Nafi Tuitavake

Sharks:

15 SP Marais, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 S'bura Sithole, 12 Paul Jordaan, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Francois Steyn, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Willem Alberts, 7 Jean Deysel, 6 Lubabalo Mtembu, 5 Stephan Lewies, 4 Etienne Oosthuizen, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis (captain), 1 Tendai Mtawarira

Substitutes: 16 Kyle Cooper, 17 Dale Chadwick, 18 Lourens Adriaanse, 19 Ryan Kankowski, 20 Keegan Daniel, 21 Charl McLeod, 22 Tim Swiel, 23 Heimar Williams


Welcome to Sport24's LIVE scoring and interactive commentary on today's Super Rugby match between the Crusaders and Sharks in Christchurch!



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