Rhyno Smith scored a 76th-minute try as the Sharks completed a comeback 27-25 win over the Pumas in Nelspruit on Friday evening. CRAIG LEWIS reports.
The Sharks will breathe a considerable sigh of relief after battling their way past a passionate Pumas side to claim all five log points and extend their lead at the top of the Currie Cup standings to an emphatic nine points.
The discipline of the Durban-based side certainly proved costly as two players were sent to the sin bin just before half-time, but two late tries enabled them to overturn a 10-point deficit during the final 15 minutes.
The Pumas started this clash in fine fashion as they scored early on through winger Ruwellyn Isbell, although the Sharks gradually worked their way into the clash as they began to assert some of their superiority up front.
Besides the Sharks’ ascendancy at scrum time, star winger S’bu Nkosi was once again prominent throughout proceedings in the opening half, with the youngster also going over to score in the 22nd minute after a beautiful pass from returning Springbok Curwin Bosch.
The Sharks moved into a 15-8 lead after Jeremy Ward finished off a well-worked try, but the visitors’ discipline then let them down towards the end of the half as Akker van der Merwe and Tyler Paul were both yellow-carded for cynical offences.
Although the Pumas initially failed to capitalise on that numerical advantage, JP Lewis and Hennie Skorbinski were both put away to score early in the second half, which came just before the Sharks were restored to a full complement of players.
To make matters worse for the Sharks, Keegan Daniel was penalised for a dangerous tackle on Skorbinski in the act of scoring his try, with flyhalf Kobus Marais slotting a 50m penalty from the restart mark as the Pumas suddenly surged into a 25-15 lead.
The Sharks battled back into the clash though, when replacement Wian Vosloo went over to score from the back of a driving maul in the 68th minute as the Durbanites once again turned to their big men up front to do the damage.
A beautiful piece of play then set up Smith to run in unopposed for the final match-winning try that enabled the Sharks to come away with a rather fortuitous victory, albeit their seventh in a row.
Pumas – Tries: Ruwellyn Isbell, JP Lewis, Hennie Skorbinski. Conversions: Kobus Marais (2). Penalties: Marais (2).
Sharks – Tries: S’bu Nkosi, Jeremy Ward, Wian Vosloo, Rhyno Smith. Conversions: Curwin Bosch, Garth April. Penalties: Bosch.
Pumas – 15 Justin van Staden, 14 JP Lewis, 13 Jerome Pretorius, 12 Hennie Skorbinski (c), 11 Ruwellyn Isbell, 10 Kobus Marais, 9 Reynier van Rooyen, 8 Willie Engelbrecht, 7 Thembelani Bholi, 6 Chris Cloete, 5 Cameron Lindsay, 4 Stefan Willemse, 3 Pieter Scholtz, 2 Mark Pretorius, 1 De-Jay Terblanche.
Subs: 16 Frank Herne, 17 Khwezi Mona, 18 Hugo Kloppers, 19 Brian Shabangu, 20 Theo Maré, 21 Sias Ebersohn, 22 Devon Williams.
Sharks – 15 Garth April, 14 Tythan Adams, 13 Jeremy Ward, 12 Lukhanyo Am, 11 Sibusiso Nkosi, 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Tera Mtembu, 7 Jacques Vermeulen, 6 Keegan Daniel, 5 Ruan Botha (c), 4 Tyler Paul, 3 Ross Geldenhuys, 2 Armand van der Merwe, 1 Thomas du Toit.
Subs: 16 Franco Marais, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 Jean Droste, 19 Wian Vosloo, 20 Michael Claassens, 21 Marius Louw, 22 Rhyno Smith.
Photo: Dirk Kotze/Gallo Images
