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Sharks Vs Hurricanes: Whose Fans Will Be More Let Down If They Don't Finally Break Their Long Title Drought This Season?
Two footy teams whose fans have been waiting a very long time to win a title are well-poised to break their respective droughts this year. Jamie Wall compares the tortured histories of Super Rugby’s Hurricanes and the NRL’s Sharks.
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If there’s two sets of fans that may be feeling rather nervous at the rarefied air their teams are currently inhabiting, it’s the Hurricanes of Super Rugby and the Sharks of the NRL.
They’ve both been here before, seemingly waltzing their way to glory. Yet, following these two sides over the years has been an exercise in despair when it gets near the time to start spraying each other with champagne and engraving a new name onto a trophy.
The Hurricanes have been around for 20 years; the Sharks, 49. The total number of titles between them: 0.
So let’s weigh up the factors and determine whose fans will face the biggest let down if they come up short again in the 2016 postseason.
History
Hurricanes: They haven’t been around as long, but they’ve been stacked with enough All Blacks to win the damn thing a few times. Total grand final appearances: 2
Sharks: A sprinkling of good seasons separated by long stretches of of mediocrity in between. Total grand final appearances: 3
Verdict: Sharks. The Canes finally reached a final in 2006, but thick fog made it impossible to tell what was going on, but the Sharks managed to disappoint their fans in a completely separate competition in 1997.
Fanbase
Hurricanes: Represent most of the lower North Island of NZ, including eight provincial unions. That’s around 400,000 people who have lived without a title.
Sharks: Represents the Cronulla-Sutherland Shire of Sydney, with a population of 210,00.
Verdict: Hurricanes. The simple fact is the Canes have let more people down on an annual basis, plus it’s easier to move from Cronulla to Bondi or Kogarah if you really want to support an historically successful team.
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Greatest player never to win a title
Hurricanes: Tana Umaga (122 games)
Sharks: Andrew ‘E.T.’ Ettinghausen (328 games)
Verdict: Sharks. Both did everything BUT win a title, but Tana may yet achieve the feat as a coach. E.T. will not as the host of a fishing show.
2016 season so far
Hurricanes: Started off with a horrible loss to the Brumbies, but clawed their way back into contention via a stunning end of season run.
Sharks: Lost two of their first three, won their next 15. Could potentially go unbeaten for the rest of the regular season.
Verdict: Hurricanes. The NRL is looking decidedly top-heavy this season, so the Sharks have had more than a few gimme games. In contrast the Canes managed to top the Battle Royale that was the New Zealand Super Rugby conference.
Off-field drama redemption factor
Hurricanes: Alienated a great deal of their fanbase when former coach Mark Hammett showed All Blacks Ma’a Nonu and Andrew Hore the door.
Sharks: Had nine players banned for taking banned supplements. CEO quit in disgrace. Salary cap breaches. Todd Carney.
Verdict: Sharks. By a mile.
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Final verdict
The evidence stacks up pretty firmly in favour of Sharks fans as the greater candidates heartbreak if their team fails to bring home a trophy. Of course, that’ll be little consolation to Hurricanes fans, considering they went through all of this last season.
Comments on RugbyPass
🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
27 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
27 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
27 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
27 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
27 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to comments