In their final Carling Currie Cup match of the pool stages, the Cell C Sharks went down to DHL Western Province 35-24 at Jonsson Kings Park on Saturday evening.
It was always going to be a potentially difficult game given that the Cell C Sharks had already secured a home semi-final, while Province came to Durban needing a five-pointer so slip into the top four – achieving exactly that.
The visitors were first to get on the scoreboard, managing to put the Cell C Sharks under pressure early and while they were repelled for a period, finally managed to break the defence for the first try in the seventh minute.
Curwin Bosch cut the lead to four points following a scrum and then off-sides penalty, but Province took advantage of a loose ball off a high kick to score their second try, this one in the corner as they were halfway to their aim of scoring a bonus point win to finish in the top four after languishing outside the semi-finals. The conversion took them into a 14-3 lead inside the opening 15 minutes.
Then came the try of the match, Sanele Nohamba making the initial break after powerful work from Werner Kok, Curwin Bosch and Phepsi Buthelezi combining before Yaw Penxe closed off well in the corner, with Bosch converting to bring his team right back into the game.
The Cell C Sharks took the lead on the half hour with the DHS combination of Sanele Nohamba taking a quick tap penalty and then feeding his captain Phepsi Buthelezi who did well to fend off the defence to score the second try, with Bosch adding the extras for a 17-14 lead.
Two converted tries apiece and just a penalty separating the teams was the difference, but it was clear that both sides were going to play positive, energetic rugby and the tempo did not let up.
Province enjoyed a purple patch in the early stages of the second half and the Cell C Sharks barely got a touch of the ball before the Cape side scored their third try, the conversion taking them into a 21-17 lead.
The game became fairly scrappy in the middle part of the second half, neither side managing to capitalise off some enterprising efforts. It took until the game hit the final 10 minutes when the Cell C Sharks retook the lead, a lovely break from Lionel Cronje out of nothing and then the chip and chase, finished off by a racing Yaw Penxe for his second try of the game, with Bosch adding the conversion to push his team into a 24-21 lead.
Two minutes later Province had the bonus point try that sent them into the top four and a four point lead with the conversion and with time running away from them, they couldn’t overhaul the score with one of their own.
They played nearly two minutes of extra time in search of that fourth try, but an intercept try put paid to the result and Province will contest the semi-finals next weekend, with the Cell C Sharks hosting Tafel Lager Griquas at Jonsson Kings Park with Province travelling to Pretoria in the other semi.
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Cell C Sharks vs DHL Western Province Preview Article:
With a place in the Carling Currie Cup play-offs guaranteed, it would be easy for the Cell C Sharks to take the pressure off in their match against DHL Western Province, given that they have already booked a home semi-final with the final round of pool games left to play.
But in professional sport, the easy route is a recipe for disaster and if DHL Western Province come to Jonsson Kings Park hoping for an easy win in which to elevate themselves into the top four, they might not find the going that hospitable.
With Province coming to Durban as a team desperate to perform and rise above their position of fifth on the log to secure a place in the semis, Everitt won’t be drawn into Province’s current situation, explaining that if they shift focus off themselves and onto their opposition, they sew the seeds of their own destruction.
“This game is about us,” he said, “we’re preparing for things a lot bigger than this Saturday – the play-offs and the URC – and there are individuals desperate for selection in the match 23 for the semi-final game next week as well as to be on the plane to go on tour. So it’s an opportunity for them to put their hands up as form players to make selection for both those squads.
“At the same time, I believe that we’re on an upward curve, we’ve gained momentum over the last three weeks with wins over the Bulls, Cheetahs and Lions so we’d like to keep that form going forward.
“Regardless of where we are on the log and the position we hold, we want to continue performing consistently. We’ve had a few ups and down since I’ve been in charge of the team and for us that’s unacceptable. I think our will to perform is what motivates us for Saturday.”
Defence wins games and the fact that the Cell C Sharks have the best defensive record speaks volumes about how the team is evolving into a complete, well-balanced side. Once again they will be looking to maintain this effort against Province who are the joint top try-scoring team in the competition.
“We’re really happy with where we’ve come from to where we are and to keep the Lions down to only two tries was a magnificent effort from the team last week,” Everitt admitted, “and hopefully we’ll just grow from strength to strength in this department.”
Aside from their do-or-die approach to this game, Western Province are always up for matches against the Cell C Sharks.
“We’ve mixed the team up a bit, there are combinations we’d like to retain going into the semi-finals and final, but there are certain guys who were out with Covid protocols and we’ve brought them back into the fold to give them game time,” Everitt explained of his team selection which was more about them and less about the opposition, although some consideration was made in this regard.
“We know Western Province have a formidable front row and the rotation in the tight five is to try negate that strength of theirs.
“Province are a proud franchise, they won’t be happy with where they are and they’ll see an opportunity to get five points out of this game to knock either the Pumas or Griquas out of the competition.
“I’m sure they’re going to come here and give it their all and maybe play a bit more rugby than they’re used to in the quest for the bonus point.”
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