The Hollywoodbets Sharks rode their luck, but their class came through in the end as they beat Cardiff 42-22 at the Arm’s Park in their Vodacom United Rugby Championship match in the Welsh capital on Saturday night.
The Sharks, who could have won by more if they were a bit more clinical, ended up scoring six tries to four against the home side, who never gave up and made the game more of a contest than it should have been.
Cardiff exploited the Sharks defence out wide, a concern ahead of some of the bigger fixtures, as young winger Tom Bowen scored two tries on debut and assisted another with a fine first performance in the League.
But this was a night that John Plumtree’s side was not going to be denied. Built on a strong front row performance, and dominating the collisions throughout, the most frustrating thing about this game was the Sharks inability for the large part to plant the knockout blow.
Given they have never beaten Cardiff in the URC - something that seems very strange given the state of Welsh rugby at the moment - the Sharks will be happy with the result and the fact they made sure of the win and took all the points on offer.
It will set them up for their next big clash against the Bulls on February 15, which will be vital for both sides.
While Springbok Bongi Mbonambi grabbed a brace of tries for himself, it was his front row partner Ntuthuko Mnchunu who was the most prominent forward on the park, running hard and causing all sorts of problems for the Cardiff defence while another young, upcoming star - Jurenzo Julius - added to his cohorts of fans with another blistering performance on attack.
All around the Sharks had too much class, too many Springboks and just too much willpower to allow Cardiff back, even though the Welsh side never went away.
Bowen was instrumental in putting the home side ahead early in the game, as he beat two defenders before the recycled ball was sent wide for any of a half dozen players to score. In the end it was Alex Mann who received the pass to score the try.
But it didn’t take long before the Sharks hit back and took the lead. First it was Mbonambi who corkscrewed off a lineout drive to break free and go over with two players trying to stop him.
Then, on the next foray into Cardiff’s 22 metre area, the ball popped out the back of the ruck, with Jordan Hendrikse reacting quickly and darting forward to scoop it up and draw two defenders before offloading to Julius to add to the score.
It was Makazole Mapimpi’s turn to score next as Hendrikse sent a cross kick deep into the 22, and fullback Cameron Winnett failed to secure, leaving the bouncing ball to pop into the Bok winger’s hands for an easy run-in.
Bowen finished off the half with some hope for Cardiff as he showed his talent to the fullest, beating three Sharks defenders on the outside to stumble across the line for his first try.
It was a bullocking run by Mnchunu early in the second half that gave Mbonambi his second try. The big prop accelerated and found his hooker at speed, and with that momentum, there was nobody that was going to stop him from that short range.
Bowen added a second after Callum Sheedy grubbered through a perfect kick to sit up for him to change direction and pounce before Gabriel Hamer-Webb brought Cardiff within a score to make it uncomfortable for the visitors going into the last quarter.
But then the bench started to flex their muscles with Makazole Mapimpi kicking infield, and the ball being collected by Jaden Hendrikse, who popped the ball to Francois Venter to score.
That should have been the end of it, but the Sharks weren’t done, and an odd sequence of events led to the try that was the final nail in the coffin.
It started with a turnover for Jaden Hendrikse, a kick downfield from his brother Jordan and some great follow up that caught Bowen five metres from his own tryline, only for Thomas Young to break away down the touchline and get stripped by Vincent Tshituka of the ball. Tshituka ran the ball back before finding a flying Yaw Penxe, who ran straight through to score and send his team into celebrations.
SCORERS
CARDIFF - tries: Tom Bowen (2), Alex Mann, Gabriel Hamer-Webb. Conversions: Calum Sheedy.
HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS - tries: Bongi Mbonambi (2), Jurenzo Julius, Makazole Mapimpi, Francois Venter, Yaw Penxe. Conversions: Jordan Hendrikse (6).