Pretoria - You would think that with Makazole Mapimpi, Aphelele Fassi and Lukhanyo Am in their backline, the Sharks would be high up on the attack rankings in the United Rugby Championship (URC).
Instead, it is their quarter-final opponents, the Bulls, who lead the way for the South African teams as they are ranked second overall on attack behind pace-setters Leinster.
But while the Bulls have broadened their horizons with ball-in-hand under Jake White, the Sharks have opted for the percentage game on Sean Everitt’s watch.
The Durbanites lead the overall kicking statistics on the official URC website. While they are known for ‘kicking the leather off the ball’, the number-crunching puts their reliance on the boot in real perspective: first in kick metres (14 947), second in kicks from hand (471), fourth in kicks retained (82), second in penalties scored/missed (32), and even first in drop goals scored/missed (four).
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In contrast, the Bulls are ranked 14th on the kicking list: 14th in kick metres (11 810), 13th in kicks from hand (397), 14th in kicks retained (52), eighth in penalties scored/missed (25), and sixth in drop goals scored/missed (zero).
But teams tend to tense up in playoffs, and while the Bulls will expect another aerial barrage from the Sharks at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday (1.45pm kickoff), can they handle it?
In the 30-16 Sharks victory over the Bulls in Durban last December, it was the Pretoria side’s scrum that disintegrated, which saw the home side attempt nine penalties at goal, and Boeta Chamberlain was successful with six.
In the second URC match in February at Loftus Versfeld, the Sharks triumphed 29-22 after Morné Steyn was red-carded for a dangerous tackle on Am after just 11 minutes.
The Bulls have a much better scrum now, though, while they hope that they don’t have a player sent off in the opening 40 minutes.
If you look at the personnel likely to be involved on Saturday, the Sharks have the better kickers.
Flyhalf Curwin Bosch has arguably the biggest boot in South Africa – although Frans Steyn is a serious contender as well – while scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse employs the box-kick tactic regularly.
Fassi is renowned for his running abilities, but he isn’t shy to throw in a well-weighted grubber, while he also looks for space in the opposition 22 with little chips.
And the Bulls will be a bit worried about fielding those kicks, especially if star fullback Kurt-Lee Arendse is not cleared to play due to a thumb injury. Canan Moodie has done an admirable job at No 15, but is still finding his feet in that position, which saw David Kriel slot in at right wing.
Kriel and Madosh Tambwe are, however, masters at plucking the ball out of the air, and will relish the opportunity to counter-attack from the back.
In the same breath, Bulls halfbacks Chris Smith and Zak Burger are excellent kickers too. What makes them a bit different from the Sharks is that they probe for space more often instead of hoisting up-and-unders, and Smith has regularly pulled off 50-22 kicks as well – and he will look to put former Blitzbok star Werner Kok under pressure in that regard.
Moodie and Arendse are not big kickers of the ball, but can clear their lines if needed, while Tambwe and Kriel are comfortable with finding touch.
So, the battle of the boots is sure to be an intriguing one on Saturday, and it will have a major influence on the outcome of the game.
IOL Sport