By Gavin Rich.
The Hollywoodbets Sharks achieved what they set out to do as they ground their way to what can best be described as a workmanlike 38-7 bonus point win over Oyonnax in their EPCR Challenge Cup fixture in Durban on Saturday afternoon.
With Oyonnax at 12th on the Top 14 log and the Sharks listing at the bottom of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship table, you could say that this game delivered what was anticipated – even though there were so many tries scored, it wasn’t a great quality game or a great spectacle and you could argue that it was typical of this time of year in Durban.
The humidity in KZN in mid-January just isn’t great rugby winner and that did contribute to the stop start nature of the game, and what the slippery ball does to the handling might explain why the Sharks were solid but not quite as flashy or polished as some might have hoped for given their low ranking opposition, who were some way short of full-strength.
The Sharks will be happy to have banked a full house of log points though, particularly in this troubled season for them, with this being just their third win across all competitions since the new season started in October. And they won’t have to look too hard for their hero either. Apart from being a pivotal part of a superior scrum, Ox Nche was in the thick of it in the tight loose and the Springbok prop capped his performance by scoring the first two tries of the game.
The first came in the ninth minute, with another impressive Sharks player Aphelele Fassi kicking ahead and gathering himself on the full before transferring inside to the hard working and impressive young lock Corne Rahl, who in turn had the Ox up with him and the big man had no-one in front of him as he slid over to clinch he five pointer.
Onyonnax made a mistake straight after the restart when they dropped a ball that Curwin Bosch came through to grab and run half the length of the field for a try that was disallowed on the basis that Rahl had made contact with a player’s neck as the ball was being spilt. The English referee made the correct decision that it was not a yellow card offence, and was a rugby incident, but the Sharks were denied the extra seven points they thought they had accrued.
They weren’t denied though in the 21st minute when the Sharks worked the ball to the left initially playing off the back of an attacking lineout and then in a well worked set move the ball went in the other direction with some short, crisp passing and Nche powered over for his second try.
For all the expectations that the Sharks would swamp their opponents, and the end scoreline, the French team did fight tenaciously and they dominated territory for most of the first half while managing to force an even share of possession. The hosts certainly got a much bigger defensive workout than they might have expected.
The Sharks’ scrumming was strong and they managed to force two first half scrum penalties, but after showing big improvement last week, the Sharks’ lineout woes were back as three first half lineouts went against the throw.
Given the territorial advantage of the visitors the Sharks needed to be clinical when they got chances to transition and counter-attack, and it was a well directed field kick from a loose scrum well inside his own half from scrumhalf Grant Williams that sent Bok wing Makazole Mapimpi to his first of two tries six minutes before haltime. Bosch kicked his second conversion of the game to make it a comfortable 19-0 lead at the break.
Four minutes after that break Oyonnax struck with a try to their tighthead prop Thibault Berthaud driving over from close range and Justin Beraux kicking the conversion that took away some of the Sharks’ comfort by making it a 12 point game.
The Sharks’ confidence wasn’t dented by that score, however, and it took just four more minutes for them to clinch the bonus point as Werner Kok was held up on the line and the ball was dislodged but went backwards for the skipper Lukhanyo Am who was following up and was able to dot down.
The next try was scored by flanker Jeandre Labuschagne and the Sharks can feel a bit fortunate about that one as it was one of those where the referee seemed determined to have his initial call of an onfield try confirmed even though the TMO, in my view correctly, appeared to feel the ball had been dislodged forward in the act of scoring. There was no denying the next try though as Mapimpi completed his brace in the left corner, and that did serve to take a bit out of the spitefulness that had been injected into the game in an earlier mass brawl that developed when the Oyonnax players charged in following an illegal in the air tackle by Eben Etzebeth, who’d just come onto the field.
The penalty was reversed but there were no cards but Oyonnax did see a yellow card a short while later. That though was the last time the visitors were the undisciplined team, and the Sharks gave away enough penalties, and a yellow card to Kwezi Mona, to offset the earlier pleasure the coaching box might have felt about a perceived improvement in discipline.
Scores
Hollywoodbets Sharks 38 – Tries: Ox Nche 2, Makazole Mapimpi 2, Lukhanyo Am, Jeandre Labuschagne; Conversions: Curwin Bosch 4. Oyonnax 7 – Try: Thibault Berthaud; Conversion: Justin Beraux.