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Sharks bully the Lions in Durban

By PA
(Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

The Sharks produced a statement performance against the Lions as their 37-10 victory lifted them to sixth in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship.

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The home side engineered four tries as their outmuscled South African rivals were put to the sword in Durban.

Gerbrandt Grobler and Phepsi Buthelezi crossed in the first 10 minutes and even at that early stage there appeared to be no way back for the Lions, who were bullied up front.

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The best evidence of the Sharks’ forward dominance was Bongi Mbonambi’s 60th minute try which came after an unstoppable line-out maul that travelled 20 metres.

Sikhumbuzo Notshe registered the bonus point when he drove over from close range, with the victory elevating them above the Bulls into second in the South African Shield.

It also brought to an end the Lions’ run of four successive wins, although a late touchdown by Henco van Wyk at least ensured they did not finish tryless.

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cw 4 hours ago
The coaching conundrum part one: Is there a crisis Down Under?

Thanks JW for clarifying your point and totally agree. The ABs are still trying to find their mojo” - that spark of power that binds and defines them. Man the Boks certainly found theirs in Wellington! But I think it cannot be far off for ABs - my comment about two coaches was a bit glib. The key point for me is that they need first a coach or coaches that can unlock that power and for me that starts at getting the set piece right and especially the scrum and second a coach that can simplify the game plans. I am fortified in this view by NBs comment that most of the ABs tries come from the scrum or lineout - this is the structured power game we have been seeing all year. But it cannot work while the scrum is backpeddling. That has to be fixed ASAP if Robertson is going to stick to this formula. I also think it is too late in the cycle to reverse course and revert to a game based on speed and continuity. The second is just as important - keep it simple! Complex movements that require 196 cm 144 kg props to run around like 95kg flankers is never going to work over a sustained period. The 2024 Blues showed what a powerful yet simple formula can do. The 2025 Blues, with Beauden at 10 tried to be more expansive / complicated - and struggled for most of the season.

I also think that the split bench needs to reflect the game they “want” to play not follow some rote formula. For example the ABs impact bench has the biggest front row in the World with two props 195cm / 140 kg plus. But that bulk cannot succeed without the right power based second row (7, 4, 5, 6). That bulk becomes a disadvantage if they don’t have a rock solid base behind them - as both Boks showed at Eden Park and the English in London. Fresh powerful legs need to come on with them - thats why we need a 6-2 bench. And teams with this split can have players focused only on 40 minutes max of super high intensity play. Hence Robertson needs to design his team to accord with these basic physics.



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