The Cell C Sharks earned a well-deserved 37-10 Vodacom United Rugby Championship victory over the Emirates Lions at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on Saturday as they continued their march on the competition.
The bonus point, four-try-to-one defeat over the visitors pushed the Cell C Sharks higher on the log as they leapfrogged the Vodacom Bulls (who lost to the DHL Stormers in the earlier match) and Edinburgh into sixth position on the overall table and second on the South African Shield.
With the Lions never able to build scoreboard pressure, or even lead at any point in the game, the Cell C Sharks managed to maintain their proud record at home.
With the pack once again dominating at scrum time, it was only fitting that one of the forwards would benefit from their dominance, a scrum penalty and subsequent lineout and quickly recycled ball led to a lovely try for Gerbrandt Grobler in the opening 10 minutes, converted by Curwin Bosch. The visitors also lost Jannie du Plessis to the sin bin for an off the ball tackle in the lead-up to the try to further compound their early woes.
Moments later, another penalty from the Lions allowed the Cell C Sharks to attack from deep in enemy territory, the pack earning plenty of metres with a well-executed driving maul before penalty advantage was unnecessary as Jaden Hendrikse chipped over the defence, Marius Louw took the ball at pace before feeding Phepsi Buthelezi and there was no stopping his athleticism as he ran in his team’s second try, with Bosch adding the extras from right in front.
With precious little opportunity for the Lions, battling against a dominant scrum and ball-handling made difficult in the wet, they eventually earned their first score, a penalty after the end of the first quarter to finally get on the scoreboard.
A first penalty for Bosch following an indiscretion at the tackle area pushed the hosts into a 17-3 lead and although the Lions worked hard in the remaining minutes of the first half, the defence from the Cell C Sharks was simply too determined and accurate to see any addition to the scoreboard before the hosts took a 17-3 lead into the half-time break.
Bosch kicked a second penalty, this one from inside his own half with just over half an hour remaining to put the first score on the board and push his team’s lead to 17 points.
Just before the game hit the final quarter, a massive 50-22 kick from Bosch set up an attacking lineout and then a perfectly-executed 20m maul with Bongi Mbonambi taking the ball over the tryline in a collective forward effort with Bosch maintaining his 100% kicking rate to push the Cell C Sharks into an unassailable 27-3 lead.
With 10 minutes of the game remaining, the physically dominant Cell C Sharks forwards were justly rewarded for their relentless play before Sikhumbuzo Notshe rounded off a close-quarter attack to seal the victory and add the bonus point, Bosch converting well for a 34-3 lead.
The Lions scored their only try of the game with five minutes to go but it was scant reward against the dominance of the Cell C Sharks who never looked in trouble of losing this match.
A scrum penalty, in the final action of the game, underlined the Cell C Sharks superiority and Bosch added the three for a hugely impressive seven from seven to close out an 80 minute performance from his side.
A deserved Vodacom Man of the Match Award winner Phepsi Buthelezi said afterwards, “This was a very important game for us, we made sure we didn’t make the same mistakes that we did against Edinburgh and it was a great performance from the boys. We placed big emphasis on finishing off our opportunities and we did that pretty well.”
The post Moving Up the Log appeared first on The Sharks.
Click here to submit your News – free.
Have you tried: Videos From PE?
Quick Durban KwaZulu-Natal Fact: Durban’s not known as Surf City for nothing – it’s one of the county’s top surfing spots, so if you’re keen to catch some waves, head on over to Dairy Beach, North Pier, and the Bay of Plenty. Unlike surf hotspots down the Cape coast where full-body wetsuits are required, the warm ocean temperature means surf shorts are in fashion all year round. Durban is also where surf legend – and one of the 10 greatest surfers of all time – Shaun Thomson, was born and bred.
Watch a Video:
MyPR’S Newest Internationally Inclusive Addition.