Boeta Chamberlain missed a last-second penalty that would have given his Hollywoodbets Sharks team a dramatic home Vodacom United Rugby Championship victory over the Emirates Lions, but instead their nightmare season continues for another week with a narrow 18-20 loss.
It was a dramatic end to a scrappy game as the Lions scored a late try through captain Marius Louw at the back of a rolling maul and former Shark Sanele Nohamba expertly stroked the ball through on the conversion to give the visitors a 20-18 lead with 90 seconds left on the clock.
The try that sealed the win for Emirates @LionsRugbyCo 💪
— Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) January 6, 2024
Marius Louw scoring a try and Sanele Nohamba converting in a HUGE second half comeback 🤩@Vodacom #URC #SHAvLIO pic.twitter.com/gZTZCkVE26
But then, in trying to run down the clock, Nohamba was caught in possession at the back of a caterpillar ruck as he tried desperately to take his time.
Man of the match, Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth saw the last Lions player wasn’t bound and dived in on the ball, with the ensuing chaos earning the Sharks a penalty.
Chamberlain stepped up in what was supposed to be a moment that would stop the poor season the Sharks had been having but somehow pushed the penalty left of the posts to start a Lions celebration.
Scenes at Hollywoodbets Kings Park Stadium 🤯
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) January 6, 2024
The Emirates Lions recover from a 15-point deficit to win 👏🦁#SHAvLIO pic.twitter.com/uLKlagFiom
It was a dramatic end which brought the Lions their first win in Durban since 2017 and their fifth on the trot this season, and it came after they clawed back their way into the game after a lackluster first half saw them 18-3 down.
And while they looked a bit off key at the start after a three-week break, their strong finish will have their coaching staff vindicated in moving their festive games to January to allow - in their words - the side to "mentally reset".
For the Sharks it was another chapter in a season of disappointment, after losing by one point against the DHL Stormers last week and not not being able to convert the chance in front of 19 000 fans will leave them despondent.
SWEET VICTORY
But there is clear progress that they are making under John Plumtree as coach, even though the results have not gone their way.
Still, their fans will be less than pleased that the team sits at the bottom of the URC log and now has to wait until the middle of February before they can play another URC outing, with the next month or so giving attention to EPCR Challenge Cup games and the Six Nations that puts a hold on the league for a few weeks.
The win moved the Lions up to 11th on 23 points, just three behind fifth-placed Edinburgh and with a game in hand.
The victory will be sweet for Ivan van Rooyen’s men, especially with the number of stars in the Sharks camp at the moment and for the fact that for the first 40 minutes they looked out of the running.
While Morne van der Berg did spill the ball going over the line early on after the sides swopped penalties, the Lions were seriously off the pace as the Sharks took control early and while they still didn’t look as intense as they could be, there was a lot of evidence on offer that it could have been their afternoon.
First it was the constant battering of the Lions defensive lines close to the tryline that eventually opened up the gap and gave the overlap for Makazole Mapimpi to score a trademark try.
Then Francois Venter’s linebreak set up the perfect ruck for the opening try for Springbok Grant Williams, who saw a gap on the blindside and darted to put himself over the line.
At 18-3 at the break, it seemed all over bar the shouting, but the Lions would emerge stronger in the second half and ready for action.
SHARKS MISSING THEIR MOJO
While their lineout creaked, their scrum was strong and won them two penalties to put them into the 22-metre area, where their lineout maul was going strong before Sharks lock Gerbrand Grobler collapsed the maul and gave referee Morne Ferreira no option but to award a penalty try. Grobler earned himself a yellow card for the action.
Next Nohamba put over a penalty to make it 18-13 and it was clear this Sharks team would have to battle to keep their lead as the Lions were growing with confidence as the game went on.
Several times they were stopped, with Etzebeth playing a vital role on defence and Nohamba missed a penalty minutes before replacement hooker Morgan Naude won a crucial turnover penalty to put them in the corner.
The lineout maul was going nowhere until Louw ran in from the backline to help push and with the shifting momentum, found himself on the shoulder of Jaco Visagie to go over and score.
Nohamba’s conversion ensured the dramatic end and Chamberlain was in tears as the kick sailed past the uprights.
As the Lions celebrated the Sharks endured another week of what could have been.
Plumtree will again call for patience but it is clear with the talent at their disposal, they should be closing out these games.
At least the focus now shifts to Europe, where the Sharks need a win against French side Oyannax to stay in the Challenge Cup.
The Lions, with two wins out of two, are sitting pretty as they face a tough trip to Montpellier in a late game next Saturday night.
But those are next week’s problems. On a Saturday night in Durban you couldn’t help but feel for the Sharks as they desperately search for that mojo that has evaded them all season.
Scorers
Hollywoodbets Sharks - tries: Makazole Mapimpi, Grant Williams. Conversion: Curwin Bosch. Penalties: Bosch (2).
Emirates Lions - tries: Penalty try, Marius Louw. Conversion: Sanele Nohamba. Penalties: Nohamba (2).