End result in Toulouse doesn’t do justice to Sharks’ pluck

Italian wing Ange Capuozzo scored a hattrick of tries as the mighty Toulouse outfit made a winning start to their quest for yet another Investec Champions Cup trophy with a comprehensive 56-19 win over the Hollywoodbets Sharks at Stade de Toulouse on Sunday.

The result was never in doubt, with Toulouse running up their bonus point for scoring four tries by the 24th minute, by which time they led 28-0. There was nothing unexpected about that if you looked at the Sharks’ team sheet - there were a few old stagers like Springbok wing Makazole Mapimpi, but otherwise it was a very inexperienced Sharks team as the first choice side, and many of the second choice team too, were back in Durban preparing for Saturday’s first home game in the competition against Saracens.

Capuozzo scored his first try after just three minutes as he ran onto a perfectly placed kick, 10 minutes later Toulouse hooker Julian Marchand scored the first of a brace of tries as the impressive Toulouse maul took its toll, and when Mapimpi was caught in possession and dispossessed when trying to run his way out of trouble in the 24th minute, it presented an opportunity for centre Kalvin Gourques to cross and secure the bonus point.

MORE THAN COMPETITIVE IN MIDDLE QUARTERS OF THE GAME

But in between those tries the young Sharks showed some pluck, and they added a lot of zest to their challenge after that. Nick Hatton is certainly one for the future for the Sharks, both as a captain and a loose-forward, and maybe he should be backed now to play a more prominent role in the Sharks team in both the Champions Cup and the Vodacom URC.

Together with JP Pietersen, who will take the reins from John Plumtree from this week, with Plumtree moving into a mentorship role, Hatton was instrumental in turning around two consecutive poor starts in the Carling Currie Cup - and you can see why. Under him the players never stop trying, and that was the case in this game, with Hatton scoring the try that appeared to galvanise the Sharks across the middle two quarters of the game.

Indeed, Toulouse never scored again themselves for almost another 40 minutes as the Sharks fought back with another try, this time to impressive scrumhalf Ross Braude. The Sharks were pressing to make it 28-19 before Capuozzo ran through a close channel to score his second try and his team’s fifth, and there were several players who put up their hands.

RAMOA AMONG MANY FINE PROSPECTS

If it was true what we are hearing, that Batho Hlekani, the imposing young blindside flank who was such a star for the Junior Boks in their World Championship win earlier this year, is now staying at the Sharks and not moving to the Lions, then that is a huge coup for the Sharks. Not that he is alone among under-20 players with a huge future, because another Junior Bok, Matt Ramoa, was possibly even better than him in this game.

Braude, recruited from the Pumas, frankly looks a better scrumhalf than Jaden Hendrikse, who has played for the Boks of course, and should expect to be the back up to Grant Williams going forward. At least on this performance at one of the most formidable venues in world club rugby.

Toulouse did draw away in the last quarter, as they were always going to, and they had Antoine Dupont back from injury to add to a host of France internationals plus a smattering of players from other nations, such as Scotland’s Blair Kinghorn.

But the young Sharks never gave up and scored a really good try to centre Le Roux Malan three minutes from time. Had the game ended then, with the scoreline since the Toulouse fourth try after 24 minutes being 21-19, it would have been a good reflection of how the game had gone in those middle stages.

But almost inevitably Toulouse scored a try off the last move of the game through centre Teddy Thomas to push his team beyond the 50 mark. Few who watched the game will feel that the 37 point difference between the teams was merited although obviously the favourites were the superior team and may have felt it was job done for them when they picked up their try scoring bonus point.
While Toulouse were at their formidable best with their mauling the Sharks were competitive in the scrums and just generally didn’t look like the gathering of seals waiting to be clubbed that might have been anticipated beforehand. It was certainly a far superior performance than the one the Sharks produced against Connacht in the URC the previous week with a far more experienced team and arguably their most spirited performance of the current season.

If this is a sign of things to come the future of Sharks rugby is not nearly as bleak as some are making it out, and it may not be a coincidence that this plucky display against a team loaded with internationals came with a team that finished with so many home grown players, meaning KZN educated, players on the field. Given that Ethan Hooker is consistently one of the most hardworking star players in the first choice team, along with Andre Esterhuizen who came through the age-group ranks in Durban, this might be something for the Sharks bosses to take note of.

Scores

Toulouse 56 - Tries: Ange Capuozzo 3, Julian Marchand 2, Castro-Ferreira, Kalvin Gourques and Teddy Thomas; Conversions: Thomas Ramos 8.

Hollywoodbets Sharks 19 - Tries: Nick Hatton, Ross Braude and Le Roux Malan; Conversions: Jordan Hendrikse and Jean Smith.