Toyota Free State proved to be a hard nut to crack and underlined their unbeaten status in the Carling Currie Cup with a 29-15 victory over the Cell C Sharks at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on Wednesday evening.
Following a hot late summer’s day, the rain started to fall as the match kicked off and both sides appeared intent on playing a safe game, not wanting to play too much in their own half and giving the ball plenty of air in an attempt to force a mistake.
The wet would bedevil both sides throughout and the persistently bad weather certainly played a role in preventing open and entertaining running rugby
Free State came to Durban filled with a hunger that has provided their top of the table status and were rewarded with two early penalties in the opening quarter hour to open up a six point lead.
With both sides gaining advantage on their scrum put-ins, Frans Steyn kicked his second from long range following a dominant scrum and then moments later, Free State fielded a kick deep and ran the ball hard down the wing from their 22 to score the game’s opening try, with Ruan Pienaar converting for a 16-nil lead after 24 minutes.
The Cell C Sharks were on the scoreboard on the half hour following a dominant scrum effort that heralded a penalty right in front and Tito Bonilla made no mistake. It was the start of a strong fightback at a crucial time in the game.
With Free State’s kicking game letting them down, the action returned deep into their half and a slew of penalties against them afforded the Cell C Sharks the opportunity to make possession and territory count.
They achieved just that from a dominant maul from a lineout penalty with Fez Mbatha the man at the back, with Bonilla adding the extras from out wide to cut the lead to 16-10 and that’s how the half ended moments later.
The Cheetahs enjoyed early territorial advantage in the second half, but their discipline eased all kinds of pressure and the penalty count against them continued to mount. The visitors found themselves on a warning for repeated infringements and their fifth penalty of the second half within the opening 10 minutes earned the ire of the referee who sent a man to the sin bin.
From the ensuing lineout and maul, an almost carbon copy of the first half try, Dan Jooste was at the back of a relentless effort, with the backs getting involved to add to the momentum and force the second try and cut the lead to 16-15.
Free State got their own back when the Cell C Sharks were penalised for bringing down a maul and Pienaar, had no hesitation in pointing to the posts and converting to push his team into a 19-15 lead with 25 minutes remaining.
As the game hit the final quarter hour, Free State scored their second try with a rumbling rolling maul that just built up too much momentum to stop, pushing them into a nine point lead.
A handful of moments later, a fumble in the 22 led to a loose ball which was then kicked ahead and bobbled over the tryline, Free State winning the foot race to the ball to score their third try, taking a 29-15 lead into the final 10 minutes of the game.
Both sides fought hard for a score, but the wet ball continued to plague any efforts at building momentum and the final whistle beat any further score.
The post Free State Remain Top appeared first on The Sharks.
Cell C Sharks vs Toyota Cheetahs:
An action-packed, exciting Carling Currie Cup clash awaits Hollywoodbets Kings Park this evening when the Cell C Sharks host Toyota Free State in an eagerly-anticipated clash between two of the top teams in the tournament.
Back at home against the table-topping Cheetahs, and following their loss to the Blue Bulls at Loftus last week, Cell C Sharks head coach Etienne Fynn feels it unnecessary to place any pressure on the fixture against their unbeaten opposition by suggesting they have their backs against the wall this week.
“I’m hesitant to call this match a must-win, every match is to be taken on its merits and you want to come out with a positive result at the end of it. We go out to win and there are opportunities with Free State and if we take them, we should have a positive result.”
With the Bulls having loaded their team with URC players last week and identifying playing top opposition as must-win games in the Currie Cup, the Cell C Sharks coach felt that his side needs no propping up with players in the URC team.
“I told the pack of forwards after captain’s practice that there’s not one of them who couldn’t be picked for URC this Saturday, so we have a decent side with quality individuals. It doesn’t matter the opposition, what does matter is the intent of these individuals.
“Guys like Fez Mbatha, Dian Bleuler, Hyron Andres, James Venter, they’ve all played at the highest [franchise] level , they’re proper rugby players.
“Concerning URC versus Currie Cup, The Sharks approach is trying to put the most competitive teams on the field every time. The fact that we’re playing two games in a week makes it tough and there’s a balancing act with some guys having to double up. But that’s just the nature of the situation we’re in.”
Having retained the same pack with backline changes, Tito Bonilla missed last week’s game due to a stomach complaint, but returns with big expectations.
“Tito is a test player, he’s played for his country, he’s played in the premiership in England and he’s a quality individual,” Fynn pointed out. “We’re expecting a quality, polished performance from him, driving the game.”
With Dylan Richardson back in action, Fynn also believes his loose forward will make an important contribution this week after missing out for some time.
“Dylan is itching to go, he’s been out for a while with a succession of unfortunate injuries and he’s chomping at the bit to get stuck in.”
The Cheetahs boast two stand-out players in South African rugby, Frans Steyn and captain Ruan Pienaar who both came through the Cell C Sharks and emerged as real stars before embarking on overseas careers and then returning to the province of their birth.
But Fynn pointed out that the duo aren’t their team’s only strengths.
“Free State are privileged in terms of the consistency of their selection which is why we’ve started with the same pack, which builds confidence,” he explained.
“What they also have is quality individuals which they rely on to drive their came. They’ve also gone with an interesting selection and I think they’re going to try move us around.
“We expect a traditional Free State approach of a free-flowing game. They’re polished and that comes from training and playing consistently together.”
The post Cell C Sharks vs Toyota Cheetahs appeared first on The Sharks.
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