Crusaders smash indisciplined Sharks

The Sharks were given a real lesson , and a hiding, by the Crusaders - who won their spiteful Super Rugby encounter 52-10.

The visitor from New Zealand - who at one stage of Saturday's encounter in Durban had three players in the sin bin - outscored the home team by eight tries to one.

However, the spotlight will be firmly on a Sharks team devoid of a game plan and seemingly only able to resort to foul play to impose themselves on the opposition.

Sharks now have three red cards for the season - Bismark du Plessis (banned for four weeks for kicking an opponent in the head), Frans Steyn (banned for five weeks for a spear tackle) and now Deysel - facing lengthy ban himself for dropping a knee onto the head of a prone opponent.

The Crusaders will face a few enquiries of their own - with Nepo Laulala and Kieron Fonotia both spending 10 minutes in the sin bin for ugly no-arms, shoulder charged. Nemani Nadolo did not endear himself to the referee with the professional foul that earned him a period in the sin bin.

South African referee Stuart Berry - a late replacement for ill compatriot Marius van der Westhuizen - yellow-carded three New Zealanders within four minutes approaching half-time.

He then red-carded Sharks loose forward Jean Deysel, leaving the home team to play the entire second half with 14 men after trailing 3-28 at the break.

Kings Park is becoming synonymous with red and yellow cards as two Sharks and one player from another New Zealand outfit, Chiefs, were sent off there two weeks ago.

A Crusaders team dominant in all facets throughout were ahead within three minutes and secured a bonus-point fourth try with five minutes left of the opening half.

The record seven-time Super Rugby champions cruised to victory despite starting without two All Blacks icons - flyhalf Dan Carter and loose forward Richie McCaw.

Playmaker Carter left South Africa last weekend after a cruel loss to the Bulls in Pretoria to be with his wife, who is expecting their second child.

And All Blacks skipper McCaw was rested, coming off the bench only after 52 minutes when virtually all the damage had been inflicted.       

As if a humiliating defeat in the Indian Ocean city was not bad enough for the Sharks, flyhalf and skipper Patrick Lambie retired injured early in the second half.

Despite the walloping, the South Africans remained third on the combined Southern Hemisphere competition standings while Crusaders climbed four places to sixth, the last play-offs spot.

A try feast started by scrumhalf Andy Ellis and completed by replacement back Tom Taylor was overshadowed by all the crazy acts of ill discipline.

Crusaders tighthead prop Nepo Laulala was first to be sin-binned after his shoulders-only tackle injured fullback SP Marais.

Outside centre Kieron Fonotia joined him in the sin-bin a couple of minutes later for a no-arms challenge on Deysel.         

Giant Fijian wing Nemani Nadolo became the third Crusader to be yellow carded within four minutes when he committed a professional foul.

Deysel got a red card for a deliberate knee into the head of a fallen opponent as the first half drifted into a second minute of stoppage time.

Ellis, fullback Israel Dagg, Fonotia, inside centre Ryan Crotty, flyhalf Colin Slade, right wing David Havili, loose forward Matt Todd and Taylor crossed the tryline for the New Zealanders.

Slade slotted five conversions from seven attempts and Taylor converted his own try with the final kick of the match.  

Victory confirmed the superiority of the Crusaders over the Sharks with 16 victories and a draw from 22 Super Rugby meetings.

Right wing Odwa Ndungane was the lone Sharks try scorer and replacement flyhalf Fred Zeilinga converted from the touchline.

Lambie kicked a first-half penalty for the Durban outfit as a three-match winning streak came to an abrupt end.

Man of the match: Nothing worth writing about from the Sharks, unless you want to speak about the amateur hour they dished up. All the skills and class came from a Crusaders team that ran the home team ragged. You can mention almost every player in the team for their impressive display. However, our award goes to Crusaders fullback Isreal Dagg, who could do no wrong and was central to the expansive display that resulted in a flood of tries.

The scorers:

For the Sharks:

Try: Ndungane

Con: Zeilinga

Pen: Lambie

For the Crusaders:

Tries: Ellis, Dagg, Fonotia, Crotty, Slade, Havilli, Todd, Taylor

Cons: Slade 5, Taylor

Yellow cards: Nepo Laulala (Crusaders, 36 - foul play, no arms in tackle), Kieron Fonotia (Crusaders, 38 - foul play, no arms in tackle), Nemani Nadolo (Crusaders, 40 - professional foul, kicking the ball away)

Red card: Jean Deysel (Sharks, 40 - foul play, knee to the head of an opponent)

Teams:

Sharks: 15 SP Marais, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Waylon Murray, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Patrick Lambie (captain), 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Jean Deysel, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Marco Wentzel, 4 Mouritz Botha, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Kyle Cooper, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.

Replacements: 16 Franco Marais, 17 Thomas du Toit, 18 Matt Stevens, 19 Lubabalo Mtyanda, 20 Renaldo Bothma, 21 Conrad Hoffmann, 22 Fred Zeilinga, 23 Jack Wilson.

Crusaders: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 David Havili, 13 Kieron Fonotia, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 Nemani Nadolo, 10 Colin Slade, 9 Andy Ellis, 8 Kieran Read (captain), 7 Matt Todd, 6 Jordan Taufua, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Luke Romano, 3 Nepo Laulala, 2 Ben Funnell, 1 Wyatt Crockett.

Replacements: 16 Codie Taylor, 17 Joe Moody, 18 Owen Franks, 19 Jimmy Tupou, 20 Richie McCaw, 21 Mitchell Drummond, 22 Tom Taylor, 23 Nafi Tuitavake.

Referee: Stuart Berry

Assistant referees: Ben Crouse, Rodney Boneparte

TMO: Willie Vos