Wayward Sharks put away ruthlessly by Crusaders

It was always going to be a tough day for the Sharks in Christchurch as they tackled the Crusaders in their Super Rugby quarterfinal on Saturday, but the outcome was even worse than expected as they went down 40-10 to the ruthless defending champions.

At no time did the Sharks look likely to beat the Crusaders, despite having enough ball, a horror start in which they suffered a set-piece meltdown and conceded 13 points in as many minutes meaning they were chasing the game from the outset.

Who was the star in this match?

While it is tempting to give New Zealand referee Mike Fraser the man of the match award because his calls at the breakdowns and driving mauls massively favoured the Crusaders, it was centre Ryan Crotty who set the tone for a dominant display by the home side. He twice broke through the hesitant Sharks midfield defence to set up the opening tries by scrumhalf Bryn Hall and outside centre David Havili. Crotty was just the sort of hard man one needs to call on when confronted by a hugely physical centre like Andre Esterhuizen, who did not do much to convince Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus that he should get the number 12 jersey in Green and Gold.

Key moments and themes

• The Sharks conceded more than 20 turnovers, which will always be fatal in a knockout match. Many were due to their own mistakes in the face of the enveloping Crusaders defence, but the home side also flooded the breakdowns with numbers and, helped by poor cleaning and referee Fraser’s one-eyed officiating, they were able to make it a free-for-all. The Sharks also did not get much reward from their lineout drive.
• After such an awful start, which included basic errors like losing scrums and lineouts, not kicking penalties to touch, dropping the ball with an open tryline in front of the player, and an easy penalty coming off the post, the Sharks did well to settle into the game in the second quarter and would have been reasonably content to go into the break 7-16 down. Kobus van Wyk sparked the comeback when Crusaders eighthman Kieran Read tried to be too clever with an overhead pass down the blindside and the Sharks wing snaffled the ball, and then rounded off the move after good interplay between forwards and backs and running off the ball.
• The Crusaders were in full control in the second half, scoring a try through flank Matt Todd in the first two minutes after an aimless Sharks kick had resulted in a lineout on their own 22, from which wing George Bridge, full of running, burst straight through. The home side added two more tries through replacements Braydon Ennor and Peter Samu in the last 13 minutes.
• As much as the quarterfinal was marred by questionable refereeing, the Sharks have to address the number of basic errors they make. They show glimpses of quality and certainly have the potential to be top contenders, but their errors stymie their momentum and allow ruthless teams like the Crusaders to land killer blows with regularity.

Scorers

Crusaders – Tries: Bryn Hall, David Havili, Matt Todd, Braydon Ennor, Peter Samu. Conversions: Richie Mounga (3). Penalties: Mounga (3).

Sharks – Try: Kobus van Wyk. Conversion: Robert du Preez. Penalty: Du Preez.

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