Sharks bite back in Durban

Crunch Time: Michalak was at the heart of all that was good about the Sharks

The Sharks came from behind to beat the Stormers 12-10 in a thrilling Super 14 derby encounter in Durban on Saturday.

The home team made their visitors pay on four accounts of ill-discipline, which also resulted in the Stormers having to defend a Sharks fightback with 14 men down for twenty minutes of the match.

It wasn't a high scoring game - just a solitary try scored - but it certainly lived up to the physical spectacle you would come to expect from a South African derby.

It was a bad case of déjà vu for the Stormers who once again were guilty of allowing their opposition back into the match after going into the half-time sheds with a handy lead.

Very handy in fact - 10 points - but perhaps not entirely a true reflection of the first half as it was the Sharks who controlled the possesion and territory stakes.

It took the Stormers just over twenty minutes to make their way into the Sharks' 22, but made it count with a try by new recruit Ricky Januarie.

The wily Springbok scrum-half tapped back a quick line-out to hooker Tiaan Liebenberg who proceeded to make a bull-dozing run down the touchline.

Support followed suit and after failed attempts by flanker Francois Louw and Peter Grant to breach the Sharks' line, Januarie threw a dummy and dived over for a well-worked team try.

Grant made no mistake with the conversion and out of nowhere the Stormers were in a surprise lead.

The Sharks certainly had their chances to narrow the gap.

Two missed kicks at goal by Ruan Pienaar and Frans Sten, together with fumbled balls inches out from the Stormers' try-line gave the visitors some breathing space.

Hats off to the Stormers defence though which acted like Shark nets in keeping the dangermen at bay.

The most telling save came from a Sharks' five metre scrum. Steyn took the ball on the blindside but was met by a thundering tackle by former team-mate Gcobani Bobo who knocked the ball from his grasp.

Fijian Sireli Naqelevuki started a counter-attack and immediately Grant was put into space and charging 95 metres towards the Sharks' goal-line.

Cue Super 14 debutant Frédéric Michalak who showed he's way over his jet-lag with a tremendous try-saving tackle on his opposite number which saw Grant beaten for pace and strength as the ball and player went flying into touch. Welcome to the Super 14 Michalak!

Grant recovered to make a long range penalty shot between the sticks on the stroke of half-time after the Sharks' lock duo of Johann Muller and Johan Ackermann were blown up for entering from the side of a ruck.

It would also be the last time the Stormers would score any points in the match.

Some stern, meaningful words must have been spoken at half-time by Sharks coach Dick Muir as his team came out of the change-rooms a different side.

Suddenly things started going their way at the contest, and then there were some moments of indiscretion that would prove to be the visitors' downfall.

First Schalk Burger, and then Dylan Des Fountain - on for the injured Bobo - were given their marching orders in the 47th and 65th minute respectively, and the Stormers were forced to play a man down for 20 minutes of the half.

It was a telling blow.

The Sharks started stringing movements together and the Stormers gave away the penalties as the advantage in numbers forced their discipline to waiver.

Rory Kockott, on for Ruan Pienaar added three penalties to Pienaar's earlier one, and the Sharks suddenly found themselves ahead.

With the minutes ticking away and full-time looming, it was a tentative lead at best, but the Sharks dug deep, played positively and attacked instead of playing conservatively.

The Stormers, now under pressure and trailing for the first time in the match, failed to make any impression on the game towards the end.

With a final crack at glory, another Stormers infringement cancelled out the visitors efforts and typically summed up their downfall as referee Kelvin Deaker called it a night.

Man of the match: For the Stormers, Bobo seems to be in the form of his career since leaving the Sharks and was in his old team-mates' faces throughout the first half. One can only wonder what difference he would have made had he not left the field injured. For the Sharks, new boy Frédéric Michalak proved his switch from the Top 14 into the Super 14 was a successful one. A shame he wasn't allowed to finish the match. But our vote goes to a player that also didn't take part in the entire match, but certainly changed the course of it. Rory Kockott saved the day for the Sharks with three telling penalty kicks and spiced up the home team's attack the moment he came on for Ruan Pienaar. Another perfect example that the replacements in the team are just as important to a team's success as the starting line-up are.

Moment of the match: Michalak's try-saving tackle on Grant. The Frenchman won over the Durban crowd with that tackle and perhaps made a few enemies in the Cape in the process.

Villain of the match: Stormers replacement Dylan des Fountain didn't make an impact off the bench as Kockott did - a yellow card sending him right back to the lonely pine. But his sin-binning was nowhere near Schalk Burger's ten minute break. The blonde Hulk was given his marching orders after getting involved in a tussle with Sharks skipper Johann Muller. But instead of leaving quietly, the flanker threw plenty of abuse and hand gestures at touch judge Willie Roos and will no doubt end up in even more trouble than he was in before.

The scorers:

For Sharks:

Pens: Pienaar, Kockott 3

For Stormers:

Try: Januarie

Con: Grant

Pen: Grant

Yellow cards: Schalk Burger, punching (Stormers, 47 min); Dylan des Fountain, constant infringement (Stormers, 65 min)

Sharks: 15 François Steyn, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Waylon Murray, 12 Bradley Barritt, 11 JP Pietersen, 10 Frédéric Michalak, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 AJ Venter , 6 Jacques Botes, 5 Johann Muller (c), 4 Johan Ackermann, 3 BJ Botha, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.

Replacements: 16 Craig Burden, 17 Jannie du Plessis, 18 Albert van den Berg, 19 Keegan Daniel, 20 Rory Kockott, 21 Adrian Jacobs, 22 Stefan Terblanche.

Stormers: 15 Conrad Jantjes, 14 Tonderai Chavhanga, 13 Gcobani Bobo, 12 Jean de Villiers (c), 11 Sireli Naqelevuki, 10 Peter Grant, 9 Ricky Januarie, 8 Luke Watson, 7 Francois Louw, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Adriaan Fondse, 3 Brian Mujati, 2 Tiaan Liebenberg, 1 JD Moller.

Replacements: 16 Schalk Brits, 17 Brok Harris, 18 Francois van der Merwe, 19 Ross Skeate, 20 Bolla Conradie, 21 Gio Aplon, 22 Dylan des Fountain.

Referee: Kelvin Deaker (New Zealand)

Touch judges: Willie Roos (South Africa), Christie du Preez (South Africa)

Television match official: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)

Assessor: Dennis Immelman (South Africa)

By Dave Morris