Limping Nathan Sharpe will be fit for Bok battle

[travelling_gerry]

Limping Nathan Sharpe will be fit for Bok battle

• Jim Tucker
• From: The Daily Telegraph
• August 31, 2010 12:00AM

Certain starter ... Nathan Sharpe. Source: Getty Images



WALLABY lineout leader Nathan Sharpe is determined not to let South Africa off the hook again after scoffing at claims that the Springboks were in "complete control" of last weekend's near-miss Test.

Lock Sharpe's confidence that he is certain to play in Bloemfontein on Sunday morning is welcome news as the Australians get to work on improving their lineout, scrums and kick-offs when fatigue bites. Sharpe's twisted left ankle is mending but his emotions are still raw from the loss in Pretoria, where a strong 21-7 start was wasted in a 44-31 defeat.

Limping off for the final 16 minutes and watching two key attacking lineouts fail stung him.

"It was gut-wrenching not to be out there and seeing the pill we coughed up in that last 15 minutes, which is an area every player has to take responsibility for improving in Bloemfontein," said the nine-season Wallaby who has never won a Test on South African soil.



"We scored good tries from clean breaks and one or two-phase attacks but we didn't allow ourselves to really build pressure by retaining the ball because of errors."

Post-Test, South African coach Peter de Villiers crowed that his experienced Boks were "completely in control" as they gathered in the deficit and iced the win with a late try.

"We threatened often and that Test was only a try away from going the other way into the last minutes so I'm pretty sure his players didn't feel that way," Sharpe said.

"Frustrated, dirty ... we're feeling all of that. The goal of winning on the highveldt [for the first time since 1963] is very achievable and that big disappointment of last weekend is going to be working for us."

Coach Robbie Deans yesterday led the team to their Durban training base where South African goalkicking coach Braam van Straaten will work with the place-kickers again.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/spo...-1225912033055

[CunnamullaFulla]

The Aussies were a little unlucky. Apart from the last 15 minutes, they were the better side. Mitchell was robbed a try and AAC was unlucky to lose the pill on the way to the line. It was a sensational tackle by the Bok 9. His mullet trim made the aerodynamics possible

[TOCC]

it was a good tackle by hougaard, however it was also lazy play by AAC IMO, when you are on the right wing you do not hold the ball in your left hand, you leave your left hand free to fend off the player, this is the reason the ball popped out on AAC.

Additionally 4 min later when there was a semi-break down the left hand side of the field, AAC was running level with JOC and maybe even a little bit in front, hence when JOC passed to AAC the pass behind him.... You do not run level the player you are supporting, you sit back a bit, this is basic knowledge as well. The only reason you would ever do this would be if the plan was to kick through, but going on the body language afterwards it didn't look as though that was the plan.

[BeeJay]

His mullet trim made the aerodynamics possible

That's it then. Cummins MUST be in the side!!

[zimeric]

it was a good tackle by hougaard, however it was also lazy play by AAC IMO, when you are on the right wing you do not hold the ball in your left hand, you leave your left hand free to fend off the player, this is the reason the ball popped out on AAC.

Additionally 4 min later when there was a semi-break down the left hand side of the field, AAC was running level with JOC and maybe even a little bit in front, hence when JOC passed to AAC the pass behind him.... You do not run level the player you are supporting, you sit back a bit, this is basic knowledge as well. The only reason you would ever do this would be if the plan was to kick through, but going on the body language afterwards it didn't look as though that was the plan.

yeah i thought AAC had a shocker for a change.. both incidents you mention nearly made me throw the remote at the screen!!... he is usually so clinical..
that being said Habana had just as poor a game as AAC lol,,, three serious mistakes in a very short time all three resulting in points on the board for the aussies..

[Burgs]

Agreed TOCC, but even if waiting for a kick you wouldn't (well, shouldn't...) risk being called offside by being level either. Have noticed a few times over the last two seasons that our wingers are either too far forward or don't switch back in to make room, just allowing themselves to be bundled into touch.

[TOCC]

yeah i thought AAC had a shocker for a change.. both incidents you mention nearly made me throw the remote at the screen!!... he is usually so clinical..
that being said Habana had just as poor a game as AAC lol,,, three serious mistakes in a very short time all three resulting in points on the board for the aussies..

well at least he recognises he fucked up, you can be assured he will never make that mistake again

"I can safely say that had a direct result on the match and that just comes down to doing the basics well and I didn't do it at the time," Ashley-Cooper said.

"It was probably a wrong-sided ball carry and it probably would have been a different result if I'd carried it in my right hand."

"I obviously give respect to Hougaard, he did very well to make that tackle.

"It popped out of my hand and I was very disappointed with that because I know that that's a non-negotiable for me and the other nine times out of 10 I would have kept that ball."