The Cell C Sharks went to Pretoria with high hopes against the Vodacom Bulls, but the Vodacom Super Rugby Unlocked match ended in disappointment with the home side emerging 41-14 victors.
It was a match billing the power of the Bulls against the speed of the Cell C Sharks, but the very first scrum of the game, a Bulls put-in, saw the home side conceding the first penalty of the game. The second scrum of the match also went the way of the Cell C Sharks when Ox Nche showed his scrumming prowess to earn a kickable penalty which Curwin Bosch converted cleanly in the 10th minute to open the scoring.
The urgency and commitment on defence put pressure on a Bulls side generally enjoying the lion’s share of early territory and possession. The home side finally got on the scoreboard with the game approaching the second quarter when Morne Steyn converted a penalty, having missed an earlier opportunity to level matters.
Dylan Richardson’s second penalty for poaching gave Bosch the chance to push the Cell C Sharks ahead for the second time and he made no mistake with the long distance effort, but the Bulls managed to score the first try of the match with a strong build-up with close on half an hour of the match played and the conversion took their lead to four points.
The Bulls doubled their try tally a few minutes later with some enterprising play on attack and the conversion from in front pushed their lead to 17-6 with half-time approaching, although Bosch added a third penalty a few minutes later to cut the lead to eight points.
Steyn had a late penalty to push the Bulls further ahead just before half-time but pushed it wide, having uncharacteristically missed two penalties and two drop attempts. For the Cell C Sharks, the second half would have to bring greater territory and possession to overturn the 17-9 deficit.
The Bulls scored soon after the break, a successful lineout driven over the tryline with the conversion taking the home side to a 24-9 lead but for the next ten minutes the Cell C Sharks would press hard for a score of their own and after a good period of attack, finally pressed home the advantage when Dylan Richardson managed to barge over the tryline to score the visitors’ first try.
However, the Bulls were stung into reaction and quickly cancelled out the try with one of their own as the game approached the final quarter.
The last 20 minutes were characterised by scrums and scrum penalties, with the pouring rain not making matters any easier. A try to the Bulls off a succession of scrums and then one off the last movement of the match brought an end to a game filled with frustration.
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Quick Durban KwaZulu-Natal Fact: Rugby – The Sharks, who compete in the Super 14 with four other South African teams, four teams from Australia, and five from New Zealand. Natal Sharks (closely connected to, but not to be confused with the Super 14 team), who compete in South Africa’s domestic competition, the Currie Cup.
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