The Cell C Sharks went down to the Xerox Lions at Emirates Airline Park in a tough Carling Currie Cup match on Saturday evening, the home side running out 27-12 victors.
In a game that seemed to lack flow, very little went the way of a Cell C Sharks that tried but battled to launch against a confident Lions side who boast the best defensive record in the tournament and it showed as they kept the visiting Durban side from crossing the whitewash.
Elton Jantjies converted an early penalty to get the home team on the board and they continued to enjoy the majority of possession before closing out a TMO-referred try in the corner as the game approached the quarter hour. Jantjies’ effort from the touchline went wide but the home side had the early advantage.
Curwin Bosch was handed the huge responsibility of a 60m penalty kick from wide out in his half and the in-off flyhalf converted to cut the deficit with a quarter of the match played. He was on the money a few minutes later from almost the exact same spot after a lovely smother tackle from Sbu Nkosi and good work from Sikhumbuzo Notshe in competing for the ball.
The penalties continued as the Lions earned one at the lineout and regained the five point lead with just over 10 minutes of the half remaining. The home side added another three when the Cell C Sharks slowed down attacking ball as the penalty count in the game continued to climb.
There were few opportunities for attacking play in a tight first half dominated by defence and aside from a lovely take from a kick-off by Sbu Nkosi and good inroads, there was very little to cheer the sides on aside from all the penalties, with the home side taking a 14-6 lead into the break.
Bosch drew first blood in the second half with his easiest penalty after a good period of pressure on the Lions to reinstate the five point gap but it took until almost the final quarter before the next points were scored, the Lions cancelling the early penalty out with one of their own.
Another penalty conceded on defence saw the Lions pull perilously ahead, with an 11 point lead although Bosch continued his outstanding kicking with a fourth penalty to reduce the lead to 20-12 with just over 10 minutes remaining
The Lions sealed the victory minutes later when they attacked off a scrum, sent the ball out wide and beat the defence with too many numbers as they managed to score their second try and push their lead into an unassailable position, the conversion taking them 27-12 ahead with five minutes of the game left to play.
Bitterly disappointed Cell C Sharks captain Lukhanyo Am admitted after the match that, “The Lions played really well and managed to put us under set-piece and scoreboard pressure. We were always on the back foot chasing the game, forcing the situations. We will regroup on Monday and work on our errors.”
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The Cell C Sharks will head up to Emirates Airline Park for Saturday evening’s Carling Currie Cup clash with the Xerox Lions with confidence and a measure of certainty that only a strong performance will win the day.
Defeating the Vodacom Bulls last Saturday at Jonsson Kings Park was morale-boosting and the team will take great confidence from their performance and ability to beat the log leaders, but they know the Lions are deserving of healthy doses of respect.
There have been some disruptions to the team, forcing head coach Sean Everitt into making a number of changes to the tight five for this match.
Dan Jooste and Ruben van Heerden are out due to Covid protocols and Thomas du Toit’s rib injury hasn’t healed, while Hyron Andrews has travelled home due to a family bereavement.
“It’s always going to be a disruption when you lose players like that,” said Everitt. “Ruben was playing really good rugby along with Hyron and Dan, and I thought Thomas was outstanding on Saturday. But it’s exciting for the guys coming in.
“So, while we would have liked those players who are missing out to have played, it’s an exciting opportunity for the guys coming through.”
There is another 6-2 split on the bench after Everitt loaded it with forwards last weekend and while he has a healthy respect for the Lions, this is more about continuity.
“The Lions are on fire at the moment, but in going 6-2 on the bench for us, I was trying to reward the team for a good performance against the Bulls. It’s also good for continuity that we continue on the road we are.”
Much has been made of the Cell C Sharks ‘performance-driven’ ethos. Their’s is not a win-at-all-costs attitude but rather one that embraces good performances that lead to victory.
“When we say we’re driving performances, we want this team to play their absolute best every weekend,” Everitt explained. “We’re driving consistency in our performance, but we need to face reality here, this is a vital game as far as log points are concerned. The challenge for the team is that we have three very tough games coming up over a difficult period, the first time our guys will be playing over the festive Christmas season.
“From a log perspective, the Bulls game this weekend has been called off so they’ll get two points, but we are focused on our game knowing that this is a crucial match for us.”
Much has been made of the Cell C Sharks’ successful home record, but playing away has its advantages too and the team are excited about the opportunity to get away from the Durban humidity and play some running rugby.
“Our guys enjoy playing with ball in hand,” said Everitt. “We played some of our best rugby early in the year when we were away from home and scored some great tries, so the guys are looking forward to hopefully have a dry ball to play with.”
There was a mix of the good and not so bad as far as injury news goes, with the coach confirming that prop du Toit has a rib cartilage injury and that his return to play will be determined by his comfort levels in training which could be anywhere between two and four weeks.
“As far as Aphelele Fassi goes, he started bag contact work last week and got through training well this week, so we’re hoping that he will be available to be included in next week’s match day squad.”
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Quick Durban KwaZulu-Natal Fact: The truth is unlike other parts of South Africa, Durban never really experiences winter and it’s often why it’s dubbed “South Africa’s playground”. It’s almost always sunny in Durban and the warm current keeps the land warm so the lowest our temperatures drops to is about approximately 18° Celsius (64° Fahrenheit). Local people, of course, believe even this drop is too much to bear and they stay at home covered in blankets.
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