The Cell C Sharks XV put up a strong showing against the log leaders when they drew 28-all against Griquas in their return leg SuperSport Rugby Challenge clash last Thursday.
Head coach Paul Anthony was pleased with the three log points picked up in his team’s draw with log leaders Griquas, particularly given that the Northern Cape team were hosting the match at home and had won the first round clash.
Tries from Hyron Andrews, S’bura Sithole, Ilunga Mukendi and Garth April, with April converting one and kicking two penalties after trailing 14-13 at half-time, meant there was a pleasing effort from the Cell C Sharks XV who have enjoyed a good run of form lately.
“We wanted to win, but we are happy with the draw, especially in the sense that we scored four tries, so we took three points away, which is almost as good as four for a win would have been,” said the coach.
“It was very tough, a difficult game, but I thought that we were excellent on our strike launches and turnover balls. We scored some super tries, two from first phase launches and two from turnovers and quick taps which is what we had planned.
“I thought that defensively we really manned up. We had to keep them at bay and the boys really put their bodies on the line.
“So I’m very, very happy with the effort levels and the whole vibe around the team.”
The battle for second place should be determined this coming weekend when the Cell C Sharks travel to Bloemfontein to take on hosts Free State in their final pool match of the SuperSport Rugby Challenge, before the knock-out rounds.
Free State are now in third place after the three points the Cell C Sharks picked up in their draw allowed them to leap-frog them into second, with just two points separating the teams. Griquas have an unassailable six point lead at the top of the table.
“We definitely want to go there and win this game,” he admitted.
“We would like to improve our place on the overall standings and as it stands now, regardless of what happens, we are going to be in the quarters, so it’s a matter of now improving our placing on the overall log [currently fifth from 15 teams].
“There is everything to play for, we’re going to just have to get through this one successfully and then move on to the play-offs.”
The match against Free State takes place at Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein this Friday, kick-off at 3pm.
The post Valuable Points Haul appeared first on Sharks Rugby.
The Cell C Sharks XV return from a bye to host the Down Touch Griffons at the Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium in Clermont this Saturday at 15h00 in their Supersport Rugby Challenge second round clash.
The Griffons were involved in a high-scoring match against the Cheetahs last week, the game heralding over 100 points in their 48 – 53 loss and they have been competitive throughout the competition, aside from one or two big losses.
One of them came earlier this month when the Griffons hosted the Cell C Sharks XV in the first round match, with our visiting team scoring an emphatic 52-24 victory away from home. Certainly the plan will be to emulate that top performance again on Saturday.
Although the Cell C Sharks XV sit in fourth place on the Central Log, they have a game in hand over the remaining teams, meaning a five pointer would propel them into second place on the log, behind Griquas who are on top.
The Pumas currently top the North Log (with the Blue Bulls breathing heavily down their necks) while Western Province have taken control of the South Log, having built up a relatively unassailable lead over Border who trail by nine points.
Head coach Paul Anthony has made six changes to the side that played Free State two weeks ago, two in the front row, with the rest of the pack remaining intact, and a further four changes to the backline.
Juan Schoeman and John-Hubert Meyer replace Ngonidzashe Chidoma and Gerhard Engelbrecht respectively, while Benhard Janse van Rensburg comes back into the side for Courtney Winnaar at flyhalf.
Ilunga Mukendi takes over from Morne Joubert on the wing, S’bura Sithole is in for Tristan Blewett at outside centre while Courtney Winnaar wears the number 15 jersey.
| The Cell C Sharks XV |
Replacements | ||
| 1 | Juan Schoeman | 16 | Andrew du Plessis |
| 2 | Stephan Coetzee | 17 | Thierry Kounga |
| 3 | John-Hubert Meyer | 18 | Rikus Zwart |
| 4 | Jean Droste | 19 | Bandisa Ndlovu |
| 5 | Hyron Andrews | 20 | Hanco Venter |
| 6 | Khaya Majola | 21 | Danrich Visagie |
| 7 | Wian Vosloo | 22 | Tristan Blewett |
| 8 | Keegan Daniel | ||
| 9 | Rowan Gouws | ||
| 10 | Benhard Janse van Rensburg | ||
| 11 | Ilunga Mukendi | ||
| 12 | Marius Louw | ||
| 13 | S’bura Sithole | ||
| 14 | Odwa Ndungane (C) | ||
| 15 | Courtney Winnaar |
The post Back in Action appeared first on Sharks Rugby.
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