It took 99 minutes of a hugely competitive Carling Currie Cup Final before a winner emerged, and in the last play of extra-time, the Vodacom Blue Bulls scored the try that won them the title.
It was always going to be a game of pressure and that certainly played a role in the final outcome, although there was a stage when the Cell C Sharks, well ahead in the second half, looked like upsetting the apple-cart before eventually going down 26-19.
The Cell C Sharks forward pack has not always been given the credit they deserve, but for the second week in a row, must take a bow for the massive work rate on and off the ball as they delivered a composed, highly energetic performance that kept the home side under pressure.
They were immense.
A sixth minute penalty from Curwin Bosch got the scoreboard ticking over after both sides had look to test each other, mostly with high or long kicks, inviting a mistake that could be punished.
The Bulls’ Morne Steyn had an opportunity to square matters minutes later but somehow managed to push it wide and at the next scrum, the heavier Cell C Sharks pack earned a vital victory at the set-piece to strike a big psychological blow.
Steyn did come right with his second penalty to level the score just before the 15 minute mark and a further 10 minutes later saw Steyn successful with his second penalty to give his side a three point lead.
With that, the teams were forced to leave the field with the threat of lightening nearby and the game suspended.
When the action resumed, the Cell C Sharks looked to inject some energy into their attack but were thwarted by ill-discipline from the home side which afforded Bosch a difficult kick to level the scores, which he did beautifully with just over 10 minutes of the half remaining.
Steyn took his team into a 9-6 lead with his third successful penalty shortly afterwards but with less than two minutes of the half remaining, a set move off an attacking scrum saw the Cell C Sharks attack down the right, the ball went through the hands and out wide and there was no stopping the finishing of Sbu Nkosi who eluded his would-be tackler in the corner for the first try of the match. Bosch converted his most difficult effort of the day from the touchline to give his team a deserved 13-9 half-time lead.
Thomas du Toit won an early second half penalty – one of a number during the course of the game – as he successfully competed at the tackle and Bosch sent his team a converted try ahead with the three pointer, the visitors having scored 10 unanswered points either side of the break.
He made it 13 with a fourth successful penalty with 25 minutes remaining as the Cell C Sharks extended their lead to 10 points, but the Bulls’ fightback struck a bitter blow when a succession of driving mauls from close-quarters got them over the line for their first try, the conversion taking it back to a three point game.
With a minute of the game remaining, the Bulls pulled level with a late penalty and the game headed for extra time with the two teams locked on 19 points apiece. Extra time almost didn’t take place as the game went into injury time and the Bulls were given the chance to secure victory with a penalty, only for substitute flyhalf Chris Smith to push it wide.
The drama continued into extra time as both kickers missed their target, the pressure of the occasion clearly playing a role and there were no other scoring opportunities in the first 10 minutes.
With a minute left to play, the Bulls took the ball through a number of phases and penalty advantages before eventually scoring on the 20th phase of a patient build-up, wrapping up the title with the try that separated the two teams.
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Match Preview Cell C Sharks vs Vodacom Bulls:
The Cell C Sharks and Vodacom Bulls meet in tomorrow’s Carling Currie Cup Final in an epic conclusion to the most testing and frustrating rugby season in history.
For both sides, this is about a reward – for sheer hard work paying dividends against all odds and in a disruptive period that has tested players, teams and coaches’ fortitude. All the work in getting to this position now prepares the two finalists for the greatest show on the South African rugby calendar.
Cell C Sharks head coach Sean Everitt was thrilled to be able to announce the same squad, and continuity is the catch-word here as Everitt has been able to stick with the same team that fared so well in last weekend’s semi-final win.
“It was great for us to name the same 26 we had down in Cape Town,” he admitted. “It’s the first time we’ve been able to do that in the double round competition, so it does making planning and preparation a lot easier and smoother. It also builds confidence amongst the players and their team-mates, so we’re really grateful to have produced a clean set of Covid tests this week.”
Discussing the only change – a rotational switch with Jaden Hendrikse starting and Sanele Nohamba playing off the bench – Everitt explained that Hendrikse was originally pencilled in to start against Western Province in last week’s semi-final but for a stomach complaint that kept him away from training.
“We feel that Jaden is on top of his game at this stage,” said the Cell C Sharks coach. “He is a good decision-maker around the base of the scrum, he’s a good defender and even turned over some balls at the breakdown.”
As far as Nohamba goes, Everitt has lofty expectations of his young scrumhalf who has a big role to play.
“We expect him to bring a lot of tempo to the game, he does add something, although they are two different scrumhalves in how they play with different skill sets. One of his strengths is that he knows the plan really well, he has matured really nicely and with the most important part of a final probably the last 20 minutes, Sanele will play a huge role there.”
Given that the teams have played each other a number of times over the last couple of months, there isn’t much each doesn’t know about the other and Everitt said the game would most likely be won and lost in the discipline stakes.
“As finals go, we have to look at discipline. The Lions gave away 20 penalties last week and suffered because of that. We also put ourselves under a huge amount of pressure last week by giving away 20 penalties against Western Province, so discipline will be key.
“We know the ball flies a lot further in Pretoria and giving away penalties in the wrong areas of the field will cost either a three-pointer or an opportunity for the opposition to maul which is what the Bulls are good at.”
On the flip-side, any Bulls’ transgressions will equally be punished by the unerring and truly incredible boot of Curwin Bosch. At sea level he had no trouble converting from 60m out and up on the Highveld will probably fancy his chances from even further.
“The team has become used to Curwin kicking them from all over, although they also have good kickers. But if he can slot them from 70m, we’ll be very happy with that!”
Like Western Province, the Bulls have a formidable maul, but the Cell C Sharks successfully defended against this attacking option last week and will be called upon for more of the same on Saturday afternoonagainst a team that has forward domination in its DNA.
“We expect the Bulls to maul, they have done a good job of it, but we can go back to the game we played them in Durban where we managed to stop them and I thought our forward pack stood up to them really well. There’s no reason why we can’t do the same again this weekend.”
Given the nature of knock-out rugby, some might assume that there is a greater degree of pressure entering a final, but Everitt countered that.
“Semi-finals seem to come with more pressure because if you don’t win, there’s no final and you haven’t actually done all that well. When you’re part of the final I’d say there is less pressure, the focus is on performance and the Currie Cup trophy is the cherry on the top and what you’re playing for.
“Our focus is on the job at hand and the performance that we’re about to deliver.”
The post Match Preview Cell C Sharks vs Vodacom Bulls appeared first on The Sharks.
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Quick Durban KwaZulu-Natal Fact: KwaZulu-Natal Economy – Durban is a rapidly growing urban area and is by most measures the busiest port in Africa, with a good rail network linking into Southern Africa. Sugar refining is the main industry. Sheep, cattle, dairy, citrus fruits, corn, sorghum, cotton, bananas, and pineapples are also raised. There is an embryonic KwaZulu-Natal wine industry. In addition to sugar refining, industries (located mainly in and around Durban) include textile, clothing, chemicals, rubber, fertilizer, paper, vehicle assembly and food-processing plants, tanneries, and oil refineries. There are large aluminium-smelting plants at Richards Bay, on the north coast. The province produces considerable amounts of coal (especially coke) and timber. About 82% of the population is black. During apartheid, a large percentage were forced to live in Bantu homelands (Bantustans), which had a subsistence economy, based on cattle raising and corn growing. Wildlife and tourism is increasingly important to the economy of KwaZulu-Natal. Tourists pay up to $ 10,000 for safaris on which they might see lions, elephants and giraffes.
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