The Hollywoodbets Sharks went down fighting against the Toyota Cheetahs in a week two EPCR Challenge Cup clash in Bloemfontein on Sunday afternoon, a narrow 32-29 victory going the way of the home side.
With the temperatures hovering in the 30s, this presented perfect conditions for playing attacking rugby and both sides prioritised a ball-in-hand approach in the tight, high-scoring clash that see-sawed as the game progressed.
It was a game of two halves, the home side playing all the rugby in the first half and enjoying an eight point lead at half-time, but the second half saw the Hollywoodbets Sharks striking back and putting themselves into a winning position before the home side took the win in the final minutes of the game.
Free State, knowledgeable of local conditions, did most of the early attacking, and it took until the 17th minute for the first score, a quick lineout throw-in for the home side and too close to stop as the hooker went over in the corner. The touchline conversion was on point for a 7-nil lead.
The second try also came from a lineout, but this time it was Eben Etzebeth who crashed over after a strong maul and there was no stopping the big man. Bosch converted to level matters after 23 minutes.
Having dominated possession and territory, with three quarters of the game played in the Hollywoodbets Sharks’ half, it was only a matter of time and patience before the home side struck again, a kick ahead and then failure to gather saw the Cheetahs earn a penalty, take a quick tap and then score their second try for a 12-7 lead on the half hour.
After having a try in the corner disallowed on TMO confirmation thanks to the heroics of Francois Venter on defence, the home side managed a penalty in the final play of the half, 39-year old Ruan Pienaar pushing his team into a 15-7 lead at half-time.
Having played most of the game on the back foot and in their territory, a strong showing in the second half was needed for the Hollywoodbets Sharks who had defended well, having limited the deficit to just eight points when poor defence would have been punished.
The second half could not have started on a happier note, Free State kicking off but not seeing the ball again until Venter had scored in the corner 45 seconds later thanks to a break out try that started in their 22, cutting the lead to three points.
The home side doubled the lead a few minutes later with a penalty but a good period of attack, cut short by some cynical play from the home side resulted in a penalty kicked to touch, a strong maul before Grant Williams showed clever footwork to dance through the defence and score his team’s third try, with Bosch pushing the Hollywoodbets Sharks into a 19-18 lead with 25 minutes remaining.
The Hollywoodbets Sharks’ flyhalf was back in kicking action a few moments later as he struck a monster 53m penalty from inside his own half that sailed through the posts to extend the lead to four points, the visitors having turned the game on its head, outscoring the hosts 15 points to three in the third quarter.
But having watched their lead getting overhauled, the Cheetahs struck back with their third try, failure to secure a loose ball in the 22 resulting in a turnover that the home side capitalised on to retake the lead, the clash back to a three-point game.
The joy was short-lived as Makazole Mapimpi ran in the bonus point try after a wonderful break from the ever-present and dangerous Phepsi Buthelezi who made the break that put his team right back in control. Bosch extended the lead to 29-25 with a quarter of an hour remaining.
The Hollywoodbets Sharks dominated five of the last 10 minutes, camping in the Cheetahs’ 22 but somehow being thwarted further and further away from the tryline until conceding a penalty which was kicked to touch and from the lineout, they went over for the try that saw them back in the lead, with Pienaar pushing his team into a 32-29 lead with less than five minutes remaining.
The game sadly fizzled out with the Cheetahs managing to hold on to their lead and coming away with the points.
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Quick Durban KwaZulu-Natal Fact: KwaZulu-Natal borders the following areas of Mozambique, Swaziland, and Lesotho: Maputo Province, Mozambique – far northeast; Lubombo District, Swaziland – northeast, east of Shiselweni; Shiselweni District, Swaziland – northeast, west of Lubombo; Mokhotlong District, Lesotho – southwest, north of Thaba-Tseka; Thaba-Tseka District, Lesotho – southwest, between Mokhotlong and Qacha’s Nek; Qacha’s Nek District, Lesotho – southwest, south of Thaba-Tseka. Domestically, it borders the following provinces: Mpumalanga – north; Free State – west; Eastern Cape – southwest.
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