A young, inexperienced Hollywoodbets Sharks XV – fielding seven players for the first time – brought down the high-flying Fidelity ADT Lions 35-22 in their Carling Currie Cup match at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg on Saturday.
It was the Sharks’ first win of the campaign in their fourth match, and the first defeat suffered by the Lions.
It was a richly deserved success – with a bonus point for the four tries they scored – by the energised visitors against a team who trotted onto the field feeling they simply had to turn up to win.
Although the Lions had more possession, it was the Sharks who played the territory game to perfection in the first half, defending stoutly and taking their two try-scoring opportunities with aplomb.
Flyhalf Lionel Cronje, one of the few experienced players in the Sharks’ team, controlled the game adroitly, kicked 15 points, and fully deserved his champion player of the match award.
The Lions never got going in the first half, making a number of handling errors, missing key tackles and losing their kicking duel with the visitors.
After Cronje and Lions’ flyhalf Sam Francis exchanged penalties, debutant centre Jurenzo Julius scored an electrifying solo try, breaking the line and having enough guile and determination to force himself over the line.
The Sharks’ second try was a mixture of Cronje’s clever kick through and poor Lions’ defence as winger Rabz Maxwane completely missed the rolling ball leaving an easy pick-up for Sharks’ lock Reniel Hugo who simply had to drop over the line.
Cronje converted both tries and added a drop-goal to stretch the Sharks’ lead to 20-3 at halftime.
LIONS MISS OUT ON BONUS POINT
The Lions’ situation was not improved when lock Ruben Schoeman dived into a ruck and struck Hugo directly on the head shortly after the start of the second half, earning himself a red card.
Despite their inferior numbers, and the loss of their injured centre Manne Ras, the Lions did strike back shortly afterwards when substitute Morne Brandon finished off a fine inter-passing move.
The action at this stage was very stop-start with the Sharks’ lineout starting to misfire when the visitors took up some promising positions.
But Julius then scored an excellent second try, running onto a Cronje grubber to touch down in the left corner.
Cronje failed to convert but more than made up for that with a penalty from the half-way line to stretch the Sharks’ lead to 28-10.
And when Yawa Penxe touched down after another clever grubber by Cronje it seemed that the visitors would cruise to victory.
To their credit, however, the Lions finally roused themselves to score two fine tries through Renzo du Plessis after a driving maul and Layton Horn after some slack Sharks’ defending.
There was even a tense finish after Sharks’ substitute Scott Nel was yellow-carded for an early tackle but the visitors managed to hold on for the win, denying the Lions a bonus point in the bargain.
Lions (3) 22, sharks (20) 35
Lions – Tries: Morne Brandon, Renzo du Plessis, Layton Horn
Conversions: Sam Francis (2)
Penalty: Francis
Sharks – Tries: Jurenzo Julius (2), Reniel Hugo, Yaw Penxe
Conversions: Lionel Cronje (3)
Penalties: Cronje (2)
Drop-goal : Cronje