Province end Sharks winning streak
Western Province ran out comfortable 31-20 winners over the Cell C Sharks in a match of two contrasting halves in Durban on Saturday.
With a home semi-final guaranteed before kickoff, the Sharks may be forgiven for not throwing the kitchen sink at it, but a lacklustre second half proved costly as the Durban outfit's 10-match unbeaten streak came to an end.
The hosts would be disappointed with the result, as they looked to pay tribute to Odwa Ndungane, who was playing his 249th match for the Sharks ahead of his retirement at the end of the season.
In the end the result is neither here nor there, as the Durban outfit set their sights on real knockout rugby next week. It does however provide a precursor to what could be a Sharks-Province final in two weeks. A win in Durban sealed Province a home semi-final - and they'll fancy themselves if they can book a spot in the final next Saturday.
A tale of two halfs
The Sharks set the tone of the first half, pitching themselves deep in Province’s territory in the opening few minutes. After a long set of phases, Sharks inside centre Marius Louw made a decisive break through the visitors home to give the semi-final bound hosts an early 7-point lead.
Having warmed up with a first conversion, Curwin Bosch slotted a monter 40-meter penalty to give the Sharks even more breathing room. But an indiscretion from the Sharks allowed Province flyhalf Rob du Preez Jr to put his side on the board.
The half ended rather comically, as referee Jaco Peyper was forced upstairs to check if Curwin Bosch had actually slotted a massive long range drop goal. Province fullback Damian Willemse was closest to the posts – but Peyper didn’t seem to trust his version of events.
The TMO did the honours, which gave the Sharks a ten-point, 13-3 lead at half time.
Province came out far more measured in the second half and played a lot of rugby in the first ten minutes. Having dominated territory, Du Preez Jr powered over the line from a scrum five metres from the Sharks line – feigning a pass to cut through the hosts line.
Sharks coach Rob du Preez would have been torn between allegiance to team and family, as his eldest son scored his and the visistor’s second try a few minutes later. Blitzbok star Ruhan Nel cut through the Sharks’ wide channel before passing back inside to the flying Du Preez, who sprinted clear under the posts.
Having taken a commanding lead, Province changed up a gear and piled serious pressure on the hosts. The Sharks players seemed out of sorts and Province forced their way deep into the 22, and scrumhalf Dewald Duvenage sniffed a gap around the fringes to score underneath the uprights – making it 24-13.
Province wasted no time grabbing their bonus point, attacking from the resulting kick-off and making their way to the Sharks line. The hosts’ defence was sucked in and reserve lock JD Schickerling thundered through the Sharks outside backs to score.
The Sharks had the final say in the match, as a moment of flair from fullback Garth April put Kobus van Wyk into space outwide and the powerful wing scored in the corner - with the final result reading 31-20 to the visitors.