Stale Sharks concede an unwanted record against rampant Rebels

The Sharks set the unwanted record of gifting the Rebels their biggest victory in Super Rugby as they slumped to a 14-46 defeat in Melbourne on Friday.

Against an organised and well-drilled home side – coached by Capetonian Dave Wessels – the margin was nothing less than deserved for the Durbanites, who delivered one of their poorest performances in recent memory.

Their handling was appalling, they had precious little momentum upfront and slipped far too many tackles.

A season that was filled with promise is rapidly unravelling.

Who was the star in this match?

The Rebels had quite a few stars among the backs in this game but inside centre Billy Meakes deserves mention. Despite some inaccuracies in the first half, he never let his standards slipped and eventually made mince meat of the Sharks’ defence. He broke the line three times, beat eight defenders and generally caused havoc.

Key moments and themes

• Despite the one-sided scoreline, this is a major result for the Rebels. They’ve started their campaign superbly with four wins from five but for the first time in 2018 they pulled away and consolidated their dominance. It’s important for a winning side to be ruthless and they were.
• The Sharks had a shocking night on defence, raising questions on the wisdom of letting Ryan Strudwick go last season. The Durbanites had one of the better defensive systems in the tournament last year but that seems to have been undone. The Rebels consistently found space in the wider channels and the Sharks eventually missed 31 of their 132 tackles.
• The hyped influence of backline coach Dick Muir was a myth. The Sharks only made 240 running metres in the entire game and looked pretty stale on attack except for Lwazi Mvovo’s try, which was neatly started by Lukhanyo Am’s jinking run and nifty hands.

Point scorers:

Rebels – Tries: Anaru Rangi (2), Will Genia, Billy Meakes, Ross Haylet-Petty, Fereti Sa’aga. Conversions: Jack Debreczeni (4), Reece Hodge. Penalties: Hodge, Debreczeni.

Sharks – Tries: Lwazi Mvovo, Marius Louw. Conversions: Robert du Preez, Curwin Bosch.