The Hollywoodbets Sharks held their nerve in a hard-fought Vodacom United Rugby Championship derby against the Emirates Lions in Durban on Saturday to consolidate their fourth place on the standings with six regular pool matches remaining and claim the SA Shield for the first time.
Springbok scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse slotted over the winning penalty with five minutes remaining to steer the KwaZulu-Natalians to an invaluable bonus-point 25-22 victory after leading 12-7 at the break.
The victory saw the Sharks – on 39 log points – reduce the points’ deficit on the standings between themselves and the third-placed Vodacom Bulls (41), which sets up a tight battle as the competition heads to the play-offs.
As if avenging their 38-14 defeat last week in Johannesburg was not enough, this result ensured that the Durbanites snatched the SA Shield from the Bulls as they pipped the DHL Stormers. This piece of silverware bolstered their trophy their collection which also includes the Carling Currie Cup and the EPCR Challenge Cup.
It was a competitive affair from the outset, with both teams showing enterprise on attack and although Durbanites dominated possession and territory in the first stanza, a few breakaways from the Lions kept them in the hunt.
Grant Williams opened the scoring for the Sharks thanks to some hard work to dash through in space and beat a defender to score but this was cancelled out minutes later by the visitors’ Tapiwa Mafura, with the successful conversion pushing the visitors 7-5 ahead in the eighth minute.
The Sharks created a string of try-scoring opportunities as the half progressed, which they were unable to capitalise on, but a crucial try by Springbok captain Siya Kolisi in the closing minutes of the first half allowed them to take a 12-7 half-time lead.
Kolisi earned his brace in the 46th minute but the Lions fought back in the stifling heat to take a 22-17 lead after 64 minutes thanks to tries by Richard Kriel and Franco Marais and a penalty by Gianni Lombard.
The hosts gradually took control up front, paving the way for Nick Hatton to score their bonus-point try in the 69th minute to level the scores on 22-22 with 12 minutes left on the clock.
The hosts then lost Yaw Penxe to a yellow card in the 70th minute – reducing them to 14 men for the remainder of the match – but this was not enough to stop the Sharks from again taking control up front, with their concerted pressure seeing Hendrikse hit a straightforward penalty goal against the uprights before bouncing through the poles to hand them a three-point lead with minutes to play.
With neither team able to add to their score, the win saw the Sharks hold onto fourth place in the competition – where all the teams are now equal on 12 matches played.
The Lions, meanwhile, are currently in eighth place on the standings with 29 points – tied with the ninth placed Connacht – while the 12th-placed Stormers boast 28 points, the same as the Scarlets (10th), Ospreys (11th) and Benetton (13th).
Interestingly, only eight log points separate Munster in fifth (with 33 points) and Zebre Parma in 15th (with 25 points), meaning the competition for play-off places could prove to be gripping in the next few weeks.
Score
Hollywoodbets Sharks 25 (12) – Tries: Siya Kolisi (2), Grant Williams, Nick Hatton. Conversion: Jordan Hendrikse. Penalty: Jaden Hendrikse.
Emirates Lions 22 (7) – Tries: Tapiwa Mafura, Richard Kriel, Franco Marais. Conversions: Gianni Lombard (2). Penalty: Lombard.
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