British & Irish Lions Sport Report

OK, so you may know that I often host a radio show on the local community radio station Highway Radio every Saturday. Well, Thursday morning the 11th of June, I was scheduled to do the Breakfast Show, where the sport is required to be compiled by the presenter. I capitalized and put together a fun article about the dismal showing of the Sharks on Wednesday night. If you're a sport lover, enjoy...

Sharks Mauled by Lions:

After the first 40 minutes looked so promising, the Sharks capitulated in the most dramatic fashion as they crashed against the touring powerhouse of the British and Irish Lions to a score of 39-3. And when one thinks that the half time points tally was 7 points to 3, one gets an idea of how dramatic that 2nd half was. Whether it was a case of the Lions upping the ante to a point of no possible way out, or the Sharks losing their gusto, no one will really know. But one thing was evident, last night the Sharks looked like sardines being picked at will rather than giant heavyweights of the water. And the British and Irish Lions were picking everything they could. And it was a lot.

In a match played at a cold ABSA Stadium, Durban last night in front of a respectable crowd of 23000, the Sharks came out with all guns blazing. But it was the defensive walls that were required instead. The Sharks repelled wave after wave of Lions attack for the full 40 minutes of the first half, and miraculously only conceded one converted try, a worked score by Lions forward Lee Mears. While the Sharks could only muster one penalty from Rory Kockott. Sadly, it would be the only points the Sharks scored all night. The highlight of the half would be centre replacement Lwazi Mvovo hunting down Brian O’Driscoll who had intercepted a shocker of a pass from Monty Dumond 70 metres from the Lion’s tryline. Mvovo, who had just come on as a replacement for injured Riaan Swanepoel, was 10 metres behind O’Driscoll when he had to turn around and make the chase. With 2 metres before the try-line the great outside centre was brought down like a Zebra succumbing to the powerful claws of a Lion. Only this was a Sharks doing the hunting.

The 2nd half was a different kettle of fish altogether. Rather than fried Shark fin, the Lions were gorging themselves on free sardines and scoring what looked to be at will.

With 6 tries, it was a score every 8 minutes. The Sharks looked like a 2nd team schoolboy outfit, not a Super 14 title contender. And perhaps this exposed the true reason they limply conceded games away to the Reds and the Cheetahs earlier in the season.

All in all, with the Lions cantering home at 39-3, the bottomline is that R230 for a ticket to such a slaughter could only be described as a rip off. Perhaps R100 a ticket could have produced a full house crowd, and a bit more oomph for the Durban Banana Boys. Because they certainly weren’t Sharks last night.