The Cell C Sharks got their Carling Currie Cup campaign off to an emphatic start with a well-deserved 45-10 victory over a game Phakisa Pumas side at Jonsson Kings Park on Friday evening.
The bonus point victory allowed them to take the lead on the competition log after the opening game of the tournament and while it was a pretty tight game, the scoreline emphasises the Cell C Sharks’ dominance in almost every facet against a Pumas side that never gave up but were ultimately outplayed.
An early possible try was referred to the TMO when Kerron van Vuuren was put in space by Curwin Bosch, but the pass was ruled forward. Although there was no score, it was a sign of how the team wanted to play, building good momentum and playing a high tempo style of rugby.
Not five minutes later the try stood when Jeremy Ward followed up a loose ball that the Pumas had failed to field and his charge down gifted him the five pointer under the posts with Bosch’s conversion making it seven.
There was always going to be a big battle between the forwards and scrum time was keenly contested. But the second try showed how hard the Cell C Sharks’ pack has worked on their mauling as they worked their way close to the tryline before Sanele Nohamba took the ball from the maul, dummied a pass and then sprinted through the defence to score the second try as the game approached the 20 minute mark. Bosch converted for a 14-nil lead.
Not five minutes later, captain Ward was back on the score sheet, putting immense pressure on the visitors’ last line of defence as they panicked under a physical onslaught and he managed to wrestle the ball away from the defender to score his second try and his team’s third. It was just reward – again – for his never-say-die attitude.
The Pumas managed their first score as the game approached the half hour mark, but their joy would have been short-lived after a strong 20m driving maul off an attacking lineout delivered the fourth try, hooker Kerron van Vuuren the man in possession with the centres adding their weight to the driving momentum that was built up.
The fifth try came just short of half-time, the Pumas conceding penalty after penalty and Bosch kicking to the corner to set up another attacking lineout. The throw was creative, sent to the front and the players managed to get over the line fairly effortlessly, Dylan Richardson the man in possession.
Bosch converted for a well-deserved 31-3 lead at the break and with a handy haul of five tries to none, the Cell C Sharks were well in command of the game. Although the half-time stats suggested that possession and territory were fairly evenly shared, it was the dominant Cell C Sharks forwards who had really impressed with their hard work and commitment and the gains they had made were deserved reward.
The opening 10 minutes of the second half proved scrappy, the Pumas having been read the riot act at the break and coming out the changerooms breathing fire. The fact that three penalties kicked to touch did not go out added to their frustration but they eventually came good with a pushover try.
Sbu Nkosi made his presence on the field and immediately had an impact, poaching the kick-off and scoring a try seconds later to cancel out the Pumas’ score to take the lead to 38-10 with 25 minutes of the game remaining.
The disjointed nature of the half continued with neither side really able to build momentum. The Pumas had a good period of attack where they were camped in the Cell C Sharks’ 22 but couldn’t make it count. They had an opportunity to send a quick attack out wide off a free kick, but a loose, long pass was well-read by man of the match Nkosi who made the interception and made a flambouyant dive over the tryline for his second and the team’s seventh. At 45-10 up, there was only going to be one winner.
Both sides gave the final minutes everything in their respective quests to score once more, but there was some determined and brave defence that prevented any further scoring.
Cell C Sharks captain Jeremy Ward said afterwards, “We wanted to come out of the blocks firing and we’re really happy to start the Carling Currie Cup with a bonus point win.”
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Carling Currie Cup action kicks off tonight with the Cell C Sharks hosting the Phakisa Pumas at Jonsson Kings Park in a match the home side will be looking to put in a proud performance to get their campaign off to a successful start.
Head coach Sean Everitt has had the good fortune to select a powerful side despite missing players to injury and Covid protocols and it’s vital that a commanding performance delivers the result tonight.
Rotation throughout the Vodacom Super Rugby Unlocked competition has put the Cell C Sharks in good stead going into the Currie Cup. The fact that not only are injuries and rest a real part of the game, but Covid-19 has also thrown a spanner in the works to further affect squad selection in recent weeks.
“These guys haven’t had much opportunity this season, but we have managed to grow the depth and give some youngsters senior rugby experience which was always part of our aim,” explains the Cell C Sharks coach.
“Rotation has helped us and the fact that Thomas du Toit has returned this week is, for us, a big boost. We struggled in our set pieces when he wasn’t there and although the other players were good, it’s great to have a Springbok back.”
A surprise selection has seen JJ van der Mescht named as a loose forward instead of his customary position in the second row and if it pays off, the talented young player could blossom in his new role.
“The idea of playing JJ early in the competition was to give him game time and match fitness. It’s also an experiment moving him from lock to blindside flank and if it works, then certainly it’s an option to keep him in that position.”
Casting his mind to the opposition, Everitt talks about the importance of this game and getting a result in this first game of the new tournament.
“Although we’re a performance-based side, the long term goal and the cherry on the top is to win trophies. But you can’t win trophies if you’re not performing so we concentrate on the job at hand and how we can improve each week.
“A home game against the Pumas is an opportunity for the team to perform at their optimum with no travel. The Cell C Sharks have done really well at home this year, we haven’t lost a game which is strong motivation for us.
“The Pumas ran the Bulls close last weekend, the kept the Bulls scoreless in the second half and scored a try of their own, so they did really well. There are no easy games, we saw this in Kimberley against Griquas a fortnight ago.
“It’s important for us to build log points, there are only six games and the Bulls are already four points ahead, so if we can get five log points out of this game, that would be great for us.”
One area of the game that will be fiercely contested is at the tackle area. The Pumas have one of the best records at the breakdown and it’s an area of not only poaching opposition ball (or earning penalties in trying), but also slowing their possession and attack down.
“We have focused on the breakdown,” Everitt admits. “When you play with a ball-in-hand approach like we did against Griquas, there are going to be opportunities for the opposition. It’s how quickly we react at the time. It’s something we will continue working on, we know we need to improve there.”
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