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Final run should boost Sharks for 2013 8 views 0 Images
21 September 2012 by Englandfan
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Having finished third in the South African Conference, the Sharks’ end to the 2012 Super Rugby season will forever be a bittersweet memory.
In coming third, they scraped into the end-of-season play-off series, where they were not expected to make much of an impact, with fellow South African side Stormers fancied by many to win the Grand Final.
First up for Sharks in the play-offs were the Reds, who’d topped the Australian conference and finished an impressive third in the overall standings.
The South African side headed into the match as underdogs with many news sport network predictions but emerged victorious, establishing a healthy first-half lead and going on to take the game in a convincing manner.
It set up a clash in the semis with the table-topping Stormers.
Previews ahead of the match suggested that this would be merely a procession for the team from the nation’s capital, but the Sharks had other ideas.
And when Frederic Michalak booted over a crucial drop-goal with minutes remaining to seal victory, the team’s supporters finally started to believe that 2012 would be their year.
They would face the Chiefs in the final and headed into the game not only with wind behind their sails, but also with the confidence that they could upset the odds one last time and take the Super Rugby title.
The game started steadily enough, with Michalak’s early penalty giving Sharks the lead.
But the Chiefs’ strength would show over the 80 minutes and they eventually ran out 37-6 winners, though odds betting experts believe that the score perhaps flatters the Kiwi outfit somewhat.
Following the game, the Sharks players painted disconsolate image on Waikato Stadium field, but, subconsciously, they knew that they’d exceeded all expectations in the final chapter of the Super Rugby season.
And despite the season ending in a heartbreaking defeat, coach John Plumtree and his men can look ahead to 2013 with real optimism.
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