Sharks Start Come Back as Smit Leaves Field | Thebigtip

The Sharks managed a miracle turn-around to scrape an unconvincing draw against the Lions in Johannesburg on Saturday evening. The Lions dominated the first half but looked absolutely shell-shcoked in the second, with the Sharks running in three converted tries to bring the final score to 30 points a piece. Jaco Taute and Jano Vermaak were impressive for the home side, while Pat Lambie had a few good moments for the Sharks which, perhaps unfairly for Taute, won him man of the match. Butch James was solid in the number 10 jumper and was striking the ball beautifully when kicking for goal.

In my article "A South African's Perspective on the Boks' Chances" I touch on how John Smit is actually a halt on attack for which ever team he is present for. This match proved me right quite beautifully. When Smit is on, he makes the game about either crashing up with the forwards or kicking away. When Smit left the field, the score was 23 - 9 and the Sharks were tryless. Suddenly he goes off and the Sharks get 3 tries and pull off a fantastic come back to save a draw. Surely none can find it to be a coincedence. How was it that Smit was so inspirational? How was it that he inspired his boys to victory? They sure seemed to be a lot better off when he was off the field.

The unfortunate reality that no South African wants to grasp is that Smit is done. He should no longer be playing proffessional rugby and the time has come for him to step down, for everyone's sake. His ridiculously conservative approach lead the Sharks to trail by 14 points to one of the poorest sides in the competition, where as the Sharks probably should've dominated from the word "go". The Lions are clearly clueless on attack and defence and more pressure should have been applied on such a weak team instead of always going for poles as a reflex. Instead of taking a kick at goal from 50 metres out, rather go for the line and apply pressure on one of the teams with notriously poor defence.

I challenge any reader that doesn't believe me to sit down with a notepad and count how often kicking for a line-out pays dividends. You score more often then you might think. But the odds of you making a kick from 50 metres out aren't even that high anyway. And even if you make the kick, then you're gonna be right back in your own 22 again anyway. It just seems more worth it to me to try go for more then double the amount of points instead of getting only 3, losing all your momentum and retreating to your own 22. I'm not saying you should never kick for goal, but you shouldn't just do it as an instant reaction to recieving a penalty. You need to read the situation more carefully, and it just seems like Smit will point to the posts almost no matter what the scenario.

How did he inspire his troops, like the general public says he does oh so well? At the half-time break we saw him screaming at the guys, which probably got people thinking what a great leader he is. Then they started the second half by conceding a penalty and a try. The Sharks' attacking prowess was so poor that after 50 minutes, JP Pietersen had only touched the ball 3 times. This clearly shows Smit's total disregard for playing expansive rugby and his total lack of attacking attitude. Then, once the unfit hooker left the field, the Sharks suddenly had a whole new attacking aspect about them, running in three tries in the last 26 minutes.

Sharks with Smit = no try for 46 minutes

Sharks without Smit = 3 tries in 34 minutes

John Smit, thank you for your services to South African rugby. But, you are no longer good enough and you have become a liability to any team that accomadates you. The time has come to step down. South Africa can't win this World Cup with you at the helm.