As it happened: Sharks v Reds

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Commentary by Sport24's Herman Mostert

Follow on@herman_mostert or send suggestions to: herman.mostert@sa.24.com

19:17 - PICTURE

Cobus Reinach beats Mike Harris to the ball... (Gallo Images)

19:02 - MAN-OF-THE-MATCH

Sharks flank Marcell Coetzee was awarded with the best player award.

18:57 - The Sharks are riding high at the top of the log!

They went asleep for much of the second half though but never looked in danger of losing. Pat Lambie's goal-kicking was deadly and the hosts used their chances - always a sign of a good side.

In next week's action, the Sharks travel to Pretoria to face the Bulls, while the Reds face the Lions in Johannesburg.

Be sure to keep following us for more interactive commentary during this year's Super Rugby competition!

18:57 - TWEET

SA teams unbeaten at home against Australasian opposition. Hurricanes & Blues beaten twice & the Reds once. Form in Antipodes the opposite - Gary Boruchowitz

18:52 - FULL-TIME: Sharks 35-20 Reds

18:52 - The Reds can't make much of it and that's the game...

18:50 - One last chance at another try for the Sharks as they set up an attacking lineout!

But they knock it on and the Reds run from their own line...

18:48 - Lambie CONVERTS from right next to the posts.

Sharks 35-20 Reds after 78 minutes.

18:47 - TRY! Replacement prop Dale Chadwick barges over for his first Super Rugby try!

18:45 - Sharks win a tighthead at the scrum!They win a penalty and opt for an attacking lineout!

18:42 - NO TRY. McLeod is ruled to have knocked it on. Scrum to the Reds five metres out.

Six minutes left.

18:39 - Oh no, Mvovo knocks the ball on with an open goal-line in front of him...

However, referee Lourens van der Merwe says he lost it backwards before McLeod picked it up to score.

He asks for the TMO to see if McLeod grounded it legally...

Replays show Mvovo lost it backwards (although the ball did roll forward after he dropped it behind him!), but McLeod also may have knocked it on...

18:38 - SECOND HALF TERRITORY

Sharks 19%

Reds 81%

18:36 - TWEETS

Clear as day says Bros ... Horse manure ... Clear as mud more like it ... Did Robertson really attack in the air? Not so sure ... - Front Row Grunt

 @FrontRowGrunt Lourens hasn't had the best game. Been ultra picky on everything even marginal like JP's "late hit" earlier - Just Sport

18:35 - Another Sharks replacement. Charl McLeod on for Jaco Reinach.

18:34 - The Sharks now guilty of not finding touch from penalties. Lambie and Steyn the culprits within a minute of each other. 10 minutes left...

18:34 - PICTURE

Quade Cooper tackled by Sibusiso Sithole (Gallo Images)

18:32 - SIN-BIN

Beau Robinson is sent off for 10 minutes after pulling Sharks lock Tera Mtembu down in a lineout.

His second penalty of that sort in a row which costs him. A bit unfair though. The Reds have done all the playing this half and hardly conceded prior to this last minute. Now they're minus a player.

18:31 - MORE SHARKS REPLACEMENTS

Tera Mtembu is on for Willem Alberts, Dale Chadwick on for Beast Mtawarira.

18:29 - Only one team on the park at the moment...

18:28 - Cooper CONVERTS.

Sharks 28-20 Reds after 64 minutes.

18:27 - TRY! A brilliant break from scrumhalf Will Genia sees him score right next to the posts...

He spotted a gap just outside the Sharks 22m line and took it. Pat Lambie too late to stop him.

18:25 - Etienne Oosthuizen is on at lock for Anton Bresler.

Mvovo is also back from the blood-bin, with Van Tonder off again.

18:23 - Lambie kicks the PENALTY. 

Sharks 28-13 Reds after 59 minutes.

18:22 - But just as I write, the Reds lose a lineout, and as the Sharks kick up field, Rod Davies is penalised for holding on.

Lambie to line up from about 40m out...

18:21 - James Horwill spotted bumping off Bismarck du Plessis! Captain against captain! The Reds look right back in this game now...

18:19 - The Sharks can't just defend this lead here, they have to keep attacking!

18:18 - CONVERSION by Cooper.

Sharks 25-13 Reds after 54 minutes.

18:17 - TRY! Mike Harris bursts through the Sharks midfield to score under the posts. This time he holds onto the pass...

18:17 - TWEET

Sharks suddenly right off the pace - Reds have butchered so many chances. Need to score now to make a game of it - Dan Retief

18:16 - Jaco van Tonder is on at left wing for Lwazi Mvovo - only a blood replacement though...

18:15 - The humid conditions are definitely making the ball very slippery...

18:14 - Another knock-on by the Reds close to the tryline... They could have been back in the game by now, but for poor handling.

18:12 - Lourens Adriaanse is again on for Jannie du Plessis.

This time it will be for the rest of the match. Maybe Jake White was fed-up of Du Plessis' constant moaning with the referee?

18:12 - SP Marais, shaping to kick, drops the ball inside his own 22m area which gives the Reds another chance to attack. 

18:10 - Reds looking dangerous on attack but - AGAIN - a dropped ball halts them...

18:07 - Jannie du Plessis is having a heated discussion with referee Lourens van der Merwe about the way he is allowed to bind in the scrum...

He even says former IRB referees boss Paddy O'Brien said he could do it that way...

18:06 - The Reds swing it wide but the ball is dropped in midfield and the Sharks kick up-field to bring relief...

18:05 - JP Pietersen penalised for a late tackle, which gives the Reds a chance to set up an attacking lineout five metres out.

18:02 - HANDLING ERRORS

Sharks 1

Reds 5

This is a fantastic stat for the Sharks in these humid conditions!

18:02 - No changes to either team at the break...

18:01 - Cooper gets the second half underway...

18:00 - QUOTE

"We've done all the hard work. So stick to (doing) the same things," says Sharks coach Jake White.

17:55 - PICTURE

Stephan Lewies stepping up in place of Pieter-Steph du Toit (Gallo Images)

17:49 - HALF-TIME: Sharks 25-6 Reds

*Ignore the 26-6 scoreboard at the top. It's an automated one which is wrong. The score is 25-6!

17:48 - Inside centre Mike Harris drops the ball with an open tryline! That pretty much sums up the Reds' half.

17:47 - RAIN!

A slight drizzle has arrived at Kings Park...

17:46 - Reds get a rare chance to attack inside the Sharks 22m area with a minute to go before half-time...

They get a penalty as the Sharks go off-side. No use in opting for posts now, so a lineout five metres out is the option.

17:45 - PICTURE

We're having a "ball" woohoo! #Sharks - Natarah Nadesan

17:43 - PENALTY converted by Steyn. My word he has a monster boot. That sailed through the uprights!

Sharks 25-6 Reds after 37 minutes.

17:43 - ANOTHER Sharks penalty as the Reds hold on. Frans Steyn lines up from 55m out...

17:41 - Lambie kicks the PENALTY from close to the touchline.

Sharks 22-6 Reds after 34 minutes.

17:39 - Another Sharks penalty close to the Reds 22m area. Referee Lourens van der Merwe gives the Reds a warning...

However, replays show the Reds were unlucky not to get one themselves for a Ryan Kankowski high tackle.

17:38 - PICTURE

Sharks wing Lwazi Mvovo throws scrumhalf-like pass... (Gallo Images)

17:35 - Lambie CONVERTS about 20m out from touch.

Sharks 19-6 Reds after 27 minutes.

17:33 - TRY! Willem Alberts barges over for the Sharks!

A remarkable cross-kick from SP Marais to Sibusiso Sithole brought the Sharks into the Reds 22 before the Sharks forwards finished it off...

17:32 - Lambie kicks the PENALTY from just over 40m.

Sharks 12-6 Reds after 25 minutes.

17:30 - Another penalty in kickable range for the Sharks... It was set-up by a brilliant break from JP Pietersen. Also some good initial side-stepping from Reinach...

17:30 - Jannie du Plessis is now back on for Adriaanse. Looks like it was just a blood replacement.

17:29 - PENALTY converted by Lambie.

Sharks 9-6 Reds after 23 minutes.

17:27 - Sharks surge up close to the Reds 22m area and get a penalty when James Horwill puts in a high tackle on Lambie... 

Frans Steyn horribly miss-cues a drop attempt but they go back for the penalty close to the touchline...

17:24 - PENALTY converted by Lambie.

Sharks 6-6 Reds after 18 minutes.

17:23 - Sharks immediately back on attack and win a penalty right in front when Saia Fainga'a is penalised for 'hands in the ruck'.

17:22 - Lourens Adriaanse has replaced Jannie du Plessis at prop for the hosts. Not sure what the issue...

17:21 - Cooper kicks the PENALTY. Sharks 3-6 Reds after 15 minutes.

17:20 - The Reds, back on the attack, win a penalty after Frans Steyn fails to roll away from a tackle. Cooper lines up on the Sharks 22m line, just to the right of the posts...

Easy kick. Go to the bank on this one!

17:18 - TIGHT-FIVE WEIGHTS

Reds 572kg

Sharks 570kg

Not much in it then, right!?

17:16 - Steyn easily has the distance and converts the PENALTY to level matters.

Sharks 3-3 Reds after 10 minutes.

17:15 - Reds prop James Slipper pulls Jannie du Plessis back in a lineout and is penalised. It's just inside the Reds half and cannon-boot Frans Steyn will line up...

17:12 - Reds win a penalty just inside their own half. Genia takes a quick tap and then kicks it deep into Sharks territory...

17:11 - A good kick by SP Marias drives the Reds back deep into their own 22m area...But the Reds win the lineout and Will Genia clears...

17:08 - PENALTY converted by Cooper. 

Sharks 0-3 Reds after 3 minutes.

17:07 - Early kickable penalty for the Reds as the Sharks go off-side.

Quade Cooper lines up from 42m out, 15m in-field...

17:07 - An early mistake as Cobus Reinach kicks a ball out directly into touch...

17:05 - Pat Lambie gets play underway...

17:04 - Very warm and humid conditions in Durban. So expect a few handling errors perhaps...

17:02 - Etienne Oosthuizen is the lock who comes in on the Sharks bench after Stephan Lewies was drafted into the starting team following Pieter-Steph du Toit's knee injury.

Du Toit will be out for the whole year.

16:59 - QUOTE

"The Sharks are much stronger and if they dominate up front, they'll win easily," says Nick Mallett.

14:42 - VIDEO

Watch myself and our chief writer Rob Houwing give our weekend predictions.

We both went SHARKS!

CLICK HERE to watch the video.

CHECK OUR SPORT24'S WEEKEND PREDICTIONS

Sport24 chief writer Rob Houwing expects the Sharks to win...

Click HERE to see by how many...

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OFFICIALS

Referee: Lourens van der Merwe (South Africa)

Assistant referees: Jaco van Heerden (South Africa), Stefan Breytenbach (South Africa)

TMO: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)

RECENT RESULTS

2013: Reds won 32-17, Brisbane
2012: Sharks won 30-17, Brisbane (preliminary play-off)
2012: Sharks 27-22, Durban
2010: Sharks won 30-28, Durban
2009: Reds won 25-13, Brisbane
2008: Sharks won 22-10, Durban

TEAMS:

Sharks

15 SP Marais, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Sibusiso Sithole, 12 Frans Steyn, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Patrick Lambie, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Stephan Lewies, 4 Anton Bresler, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis (captain), 1 Tendai Mtawarira

Substitutes:16 Kyle Cooper, 17 Dale Chadwick, 18 Lourens Adriaanse, 19 Etienne Oosthuizen, 20 Tera Mtembu, 21 Charl McLeod, 22 Heimar Williams, 23 Jaco van Tonder

Reds

15 Aidan Toua, 14 Rod Davies, 13 Chris Feauai-Sautia, 12 Mike Harris, 11 Lachie Turner, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Jake Schatz, 7 Liam Gill, 6 Eddie Quirk, 5 James Horwill (captain), 4 Rob Simmons, 3 Greg Holmes, 2 Saia Fainga'a, 1 James Slipper

Substitutes: 16 James Hanson, 17 Ben Daley, 18 Jono Owen, 19 Ed O'Donoghue, 20 Beau Robinson, 21 Nick Frisby, 22 Ben Tapuai, 23 Dom Shipperley

Welcome to Sport24's LIVE scoring and interactive commentary on today's Super Rugby match between the Sharks and Reds at Kings Park in Durban!