The Hollywoodbets Sharks will contest the semi-finals of the EPCR Challenge Cup following their 36-30 quarter-final victory over Edinburgh Rugby at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on Saturday afternoon.
It was a game of two halves, a tight first half that favoured Edinburgh despite the tight scoreline, but the Hollywoodbets Sharks came out of the changerooms breathing fire in a rampant second half performance, sheer domination that blew the Scots away.
Although there were only six points separating the two teams when the referee blew for full time, a late charge from Edinburgh when they were 17 points behind and the result wrapped up masked what was a dominant performance from the Hollywoodbets Sharks.
First blood went the way of Edinburgh with a penalty earned on attack in the opening five minutes and they doubled it with a second penalty on the quarter hour, this time the jackal claiming the outcome of the breakdown.
The visitors’ joy was short-lived as they scored soon after the restart, regaining possession from a high kick and then sending the ball out wide where Makazole Mapimpi beat the first defender, chipped ahead, chased and regathered before feeding captain Lukhanyo Am to run in under the posts for a converted try and the lead.
Edinburgh tried to smash their way through the Hollywoodbets Sharks’ defence for a sustained period of attack, but could not add to their score, only to concede a second try before the half hour, James Venter scoring in the corner after a great effort from forwards and backs in combination, with Masuku pushing his team into a 14-6 lead.
Unfortunately, a litany of penalties for the visitors kept them perched on the Hollywoodbets Sharks goal-line before they eventually drove the ball over for their first try of the game in the 32nd minute, the conversion making it a one point game.
With time almost up in the first half, another penalty for Edinburgh got them back in front and the teams headed for the changerooms with the Scots leading 16-14.
Masuku kicked the Hollywoodbets Sharks back into the lead inside the opening 10 minutes of the second half after a healthy and sustained period of attack when Edinburgh were content to concede one penalty after another on defence, before making it a four point game, 20-16, on the other side of the last remaining half hour when the visitors once again infringed on defence in their 22.
With nearly 25 minutes remaining, hooker Bongi Mbonambi burst through a driving maul set up after another penalty was kicked to touch and try number three pushed the Hollywoodbets Sharks into an 11 point lead with the successful conversion as they led 27-16 after 57 minutes.
Masuku’s boot continued to plague Edinburgh, as was the case with their indiscipline as he continued to heap pain on their semi-final aspirations, kicking another penalty with 15 minutes remaining to push the Hollywoodbets Sharks into a 30-16 lead.
The flyhalf added a further penalty nine minutes from time for an unassailable 17 point lead, Edinburgh having failed to score a single point in the second half.
That stat changed five minutes from time when they drove over from an attacking lineout, but by then, it was too late to chase the leaders, the conversion from Man of the Match Siya Masuku making it a 10 point game.
Curwin Bosch, on for his 100th game, kicked the Hollywoodbets Sharks into a match-winning 36-23 lead with a minute remaining, before a second push-over try from Edinburgh closed out the game.
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Today’s clash between the Hollywoodbets Sharks and Edinburgh Rugby in the EPCR Challenge Cup quarter-final at Hollywoodbets Kings Park is shaping to be a game of epic proportions.
The two teams met recently and emotions will be running high, helped by the fact that this is a knock-out game. Edinburgh lost that game but will return to Durban boosted by a few internationals and determined to reverse that result while the Hollywoodbets Sharks have plans of their own while riding a wave of confidence and continuity in team selection.
Talking about this momentum, Hollywoodbets Sharks Director of Rugby Neil Powell explains, “We’ve struggled a bit with confidence this season, but the three wins in a row has been a confidence-builder for us. Sport is all about confidence, if you go into a game lacking confidence, it shows in the playing arena. It’s good for us to get the confidence back.
“We know this will be a different game to the one we played two weeks ago.”
Playing in front of the home crowd brings a mix of pressure, but also motivation, particularly as this is a knock-out game. The motivation is there, Powell explains, not so much the pressure.
“It’s a really good opportunity for us. After the Lions’ game when we had a three week break, we set goals for ourselves and one of them was to get to the final of the EPCR Challenge Cup. That makes this game all the more important.
“Home ground advantage in knock-out games is real, but it’s only an advantage if you make use of it by pitching up on the day and play to the best of your abilities.
“We don’t see this as extra pressure, we see it as a great opportunity to show what we’re capable of.”
Looking at the combinations, he acknowledges the role of synergy and cohesion in team selection, particularly as the squad is close to full-strength.
“The team we’ve selected is the one we believe gives us the best opportunity to win this game. It’s not just the starting 15, it’s also the guys who come off the bench. It’s important for us to make sure we have leadership on the bench if they replace the strong leaders starting. It’s not just the physical performance of the team, but also about the combinations, experience versus youth and also the leadership.
“The combinations we’ve selected have done well for us in the last few games and we feel that looking at the 23, this is the best possible side we could put out to make us successful today.”
The last few weeks have seen the emergence of flyhalf Siya Masuku as a real threat, a valuable player who has taken his opportunities with enthusiasm.
“He is someone we saw last year when he was playing for the Cheetahs and liked his attributes,” Powell explains.
“He’s an all-round good flyhalf who defends well, takes the ball to the line, distributes nicely and has a good kicking game.
“There are still areas of his game we are developing, but he’s done really well to push us in the right direction and he’s a good general for the team. We expect more of that in the game.”
Today’s quarter-final between the Hollywoodbets Sharks and Edinburgh kicks off at 1.30pm.
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Quick Durban KwaZulu-Natal Fact: Midlands – The KwaZulu-Natal Midlands is an inland area of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, that lies around Pietermaritzburg, and includes the Drakensberg mountain range. There are several small towns located in the Midlands, including: Howick, Balgowan, Nottingham Road, Rosetta, Estcourt, Mooi-River, Greytown, Richmond and Ixopo. Drakensberg towns of Underberg, Himeville, Winterton and Bergville are included. The Midlands Meander consists of several tourism routes, that include accommodation, art and crafts and restaurant stops.
