By David Knowles.
A dominating first half followed by a gutsy second period saw the Cell C Sharks upset the unbeaten Airlink Pumas 19-12 in the fifth round of the Currie Cup at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on Saturday.
The odds were stacked against a Sharks side coming off a 22-34 defeat last week against the Lions in Johannesburg and perhaps it was the heartfelt tribute and minute’s silence to legendary Sharks coach and the father of rugby in KwaZulu-Natal, Ian McIntosh, who died earlier in the week, that spurred them on as they paid homage to his legacy.
From the kick-off, it was clear the Sharks had done their homework as they enjoyed territorial and possession advantage, pinning the Pumas in their half with long, deep kicks and driving forward play. There were early flurries from both sides but it was the Sharks who were first on the board when flyhalf Fred Zeilinga slotted a fourth-minute penalty for a 3-0 lead.
Five minutes later, another Sharks penalty saw Zeilinga set up a lineout close to the Pumas’ line and from the resulting maul, scrumhalf Tiaan Fourie burrowed through a mass of bodies to score the first try of the afternoon. Zeilinga added the extras and the Sharks enjoyed a handy 10-0 advantage.
Zeiling added a further three points in the 15th minute (13-0) and for the rest of the half, the Sharks followed their kick-and-chase option, denying the Pumas any attacking opportunities. The Sharks were strong in the scrums, enjoyed quick momentum and were inventive on attack, gleaning many penalties from the Pumas who, for the first time this season, were under constant pressure and looking for answers. Zelinga slotted another penalty in the 36th minute (16-0) and it was only in the 38th minute that the Pumas finally managed to take the ball up and run at the Sharks.
At the break, the Sharks enjoyed a 16-0 advantage, reflecting on the rare feat of keeping the Pumas scoreless for 40 minutes.
Coming out for the second half in dry shirts, the Pumas had it all to do, although the Sharks continued from where they left off, coming up quickly in defence and not allowing the Pumas any advantage or rhythm.
However, it went wrong for the Sharks in the 50th minute when referee Paul Mente awarded a penalty try to the Pumas (16-7) as the Sharks collapsed the maul. Having awarded the try, Mente then cited Sharks flanker Corne Rahl for foul play in head butting an opponent and the red card was shown. Then Mente issued yellow to Sharks prop Dian Bleuler as the guilty party in pulling down the maul and the high-flying Sharks had their wings severely clipped as they were reduced to 13 men.
Credit to the men in black and white who managed to hold out until they could at least have 14 players in the ranks as they added another three points, thanks to a Zeilinger penalty in the 58th minute (19-7). With the one-man advantage, the Pumas threw everything into attack and were rewarded with a try from hooker Llewellyn Classen in the 66th minute, who barged over the line after the Pumas had won a lineout and set up the maul (19-12).
Flyhalf Tinus de Beer hit the upright, meaning a converted try from the Pumas would lock the scores but the Sharks, sticking to their gameplan of keeping the ball and forcing mistakes from the Pumas with strong defence and pressure, managed to hold out for an important win.
Meanwhile Vodacom Blue Bulls broke a 10-match losing streak in all competitions as they gored the Windhoek Draught Griquas 40-3 in their Currie Cup clash at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Friday evening.
Elsewhere the DHL Stormers were already up against it after the logistical problems that saw them arrive in England later than they would have wanted to and their task of beating Exeter Chiefs in Saturday’s Heineken Champions Cup quarterfinal has been made even more difficult.
Of all the players that the Stormers could probably least do without, Deon Fourie is right up there. The Springbok has been ruled out of the quarterfinal at Sandy Park with a medial orbital wall fracture.
The flanker was the man of the match in the round-of-16 clash with Harlequins last week in Cape Town and several pundits singled out his absence in the last minutes after being replaced as the reason the Harlequins were able to score three late consolation tries.