The Cell C Sharks went to Pretoria full of purpose but it was the Bulls who prevailed, 37-14, in a tense and uncompromising Vodacom Super Rugby clash on Saturday.
The home side scored inside the opening five minutes following penalty advantage, Handré Pollard making no mistake with the three pointer. They would continue to exert pressure throughout. Although we played our best rugby in the final quarter, it was the Bulls who would finish stronger.
The Bulls flyhalf doubled the score with a second penalty just short of the 10 minute mark, the home side taking every opportunity for points rather than kicking to touch and looking to maul the ball from attacking lineouts.
The Bulls added a third score as the game approached the 20 minute mark, a slick move off a scrum with a three on two attacking move taking the ball all the way to the tryline for the opening try of the game. Pollard’s conversion pushed his team into a 13-0 lead.
The Bulls flyhalf kicked a scrum penalty on the half hour that extended his team’s score to 16 unanswered points, and followed that up with another scrum penalty with five minutes of the half remaining to push the lead to 19-0.
To their credit, the Bulls had capitalised off some polished work and the half-time score testified to this. A final scrum, where we were dominant but from which Duane Vermeulen was somehow able to rescue the ball, almost led to a second Bulls try but for a brave tackle just before our tryline that saw the ball lost forward.
At 19 points adrift, the Cell C Sharks had a mountain of work ahead in the second half and things couldn’t have started better with a penalty for an attempted steal which was kicked to touch. The forwards did their bit to put pressure on the Bulls before Jeremy Ward crashed over for a converted try.
The Bulls struck back immediately, sucking in the defence to score out wide and although Pollard missed his first shot at goals, at 24-7, the home side still held the upper hand. A fifth penalty took the Bulls to a 20 point lead, but a strong build-up, resilience and commitment on attack first from the forwards then Andre Esterhuizen before he fed Dan du Preez who wasn’t going to stand back for anyone as he crashed through for our second try. His brother Robert converted to reduce the lead to 13 points.
There was a strong shift in momentum as we injected energy and determination into the attack, enjoying the lion’s share of possession over the course of the final quarter, but all credit to the Bulls who managed to absorb the pressure and withstand everything we threw at them.
On penalty advantage with just on two minutes of the game, Pollard kicked the only drop-goal of the match and it was the Bulls who would have the last say, attacking off a turnover and Rosko Specman too quick on the outside as he scored his team’s third try and seal the result for the home side.
Cell C Sharks captain Louis Schreuder said afterwards, “Once again discipline cost us, it was very disappointing for us, we didn’t achieve what we set out to, We’ll have a hard look at ourselves.”
The post Loftus Disappointment appeared first on Sharks Rugby.
Should he make his Vodacom Super Rugby debut off the bench against the Vodacom Bulls on Saturday, Fezokhule Mbatha’s appearance will mark a fairytale start to his senior career with the Cell C Sharks.
A key member of the Cell C Sharks Under 19 success story last year in which the hooker played an integral role in the teams unbeaten run en-route to the SA Rugby Under 19 Championship title, he will look to impress off the bench.
There have been several young players who have recently come through The Sharks system, with last year’s Under 19 captain Phepsi Buthelezi featuring in each of the Cell C Sharks Super Rugby clashes to date (and is once more named in the match 23).
Others include Aphelele Fassi, Khutha Mchunu and the man he replaces – Kerron van Vuuren – himself a locally schooled (Glenwood High) junior player, now making a name for himself at a senior level.
Mbatha who hails from Empangeni in Zululand was spotted playing in the KZNRU Talent Identification Tournament in 2011, which is supported by the Department of Sport and Recreation, and promptly offered a bursary at Pietermartizburg’s prestigious rugby school, Maritzburg College (which boasts Sharks/Springboks like Butch James and Joel Stransky amongst their old boys).
He excelled for his school and was selected to represent KZN at Craven Week and went on to play SA Schools before being named in the SA Under 20 training squad.
His selection for the senior team speaks of the success of The Sharks development structures as well as our commitment to nurturing homegrown talent and from the player’s point of view, testimony to his sheer hard work and determination to play at the highest level for his province.
His is a real success story for himself, the province and the Cell C Sharks who have watched with pride how this young man has conducted himself on the rugby pitch and has now reached the stage where he can be proud to wear the Black and White jersey of the Cell C Sharks.
With Mbatha, Buthelezi, Mchunu and van Vuuren coming through the provincial ranks and performing with distinction, it bodes well for the Cell C Sharks’ succession plan going forward.
The post Homegrown Talent on the Rise appeared first on Sharks Rugby.
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