The Cell C Sharks secured a bonus point victory over the Pumas in a competitive clash at Growthpoint KINGS PARK in week two of the Currie Cup. The denied the visitors any points from the match and were victorious by 29-0.
The Cell C Sharks put the disappointments of the first half behind us – when we enjoyed the lion’s share of possession and territory but couldn’t convert pressure into points – with a convincing second half performance.
The Cell C Sharks showed our intentions to dominate the Pumas early on, as we shoved the visitors off their own scrum ball at the first two set-pieces, the second, in the opening five minutes, leading to a penalty which Curwin Bosch had no trouble converting.
The third scrum went the same way following a powerful drive, but this one, not in a kickable position, was sent to touch. Although the attack broke down, it was a demonstration of the pack’s dominance.
Despite all the advantage in territory and possession, and all the pressure exerted on attack, we were unable to close out the many incursions into the Pumas danger area. It wasn’t from lack of trying, but our best intentions came to nothing.
There was a TMO referral for a possible try, but it was denied while the near-scorer, Hyron Andrews, left the field having been injured in the process.
It was a frustrating half in which numerous opportunities couldn’t be finished off and we held a slender 3-nil lead at the break, with the Pumas having to do all the defending, but admittedly with a lot of credit.
Not much more would be needed from the Cell C Sharks in the second period from what they had done in the first, except to be more accurate. To the players’ credit, they had created numerous opportunities, which is a fair sight better than creating none.
Accuracy was exactly what was shown in the second half as Curwin Bosch showed some outstanding skills to get us into the danger zone, and when the ball was recycled out wide, there was no problem for the impressive Lukhanyo Am who went over in the corner for the first try of the match. Bosch converted from out wide for a healthier look about the scoreboard.
Not three minutes later, an outstanding break from Jeremy Ward along the touchline set up the second try, with Garth April then combining well with Sbu Nkosi and there was no stopping the speedy wing.
Bosch made it a seven-pointer for a 17-nil lead and dominance on the field had turned into dominance on the scoreboard with all first half frustrations put firmly behind us.
A raft of substitutions were made and that had the effect of injecting some energy following a brief lull in action, and attacking off turnover ball, Keegan Daniel made the initial break and sent a long pass to the deadly finisher Kobus van Wyk who added to his substantial tally this season.
With just less than 15 minutes to go, the result was put out of any doubt as a quick throw in from our 22 saw Sb Nkosi outstripping the defence as he raced down the touchline, before offloading perfectly to Jeremy Ward for the fourth try. Bosch converted for a convincing 29-0 lead and crucially, the bonus point was secured.
To their credit, the Pumas never gave up their search for a try of their own, but credit too must go to the Cell C Sharks who stood resolute on defence when the game was theirs anyway.
We are back at Growthpoint KINGS PARK next Friday as we host Griquas in week three Currie Cup action.
The post Bonus point victory appeared first on Sharks Rugby.
Fill in the form below to have your blog featured on MyDurban – we will post a snippet and title link to your new blog posts.
Submit and get free press releases here: MyPR Free Press Release | Meet the Durban Bloggers.
