The Mexican Wave was back at HollywoodBets Kings Park both on and off the field as the Cell C Sharks buried Munster 50-35 in their Heineken Champions Cup round of 16 clash on Saturday.
The Durban team made sure of their passage to the quarterfinal round of the prestigious European competition with a third-quarter surge that buried Munster under an on-field wave to match the Mexican Wave that started to circle the stadium as Siya Kolisi’s team properly shook off the disappointment of their Vodacom United Rugby Championship defeat to Scarlets last week to bring the vibe back to their home stadium.
Munster did come back to within 15 points in the end on a day which certainly wasn’t an advert for either defence coach, but in truth the game was done and dusted long before that as the Sharks went from being just 17-14 at halftime to being 43-14 up when Curwin Bosch scored a breakaway try in the 57th minute.
?? @SharksRugby swim into the last 8
— Heineken Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) April 1, 2023
A breathtaking display saw the Sharks defeat Munster 50-35 to advance to the quarter-finals in their #HeinekenChampionsCup debut ?? pic.twitter.com/D4TQYphoKj
The Sharks have been a bit Jekyll and Hyde all season and in the early stages of the game you might say they were that on a micro level.
They dominated the scrums but still didn’t seem completely co-ordinated between backs and forwards when Munster went over for the first try in the sixth minute it was a score that came far too easily and the alarm bells did ring briefly.
Yet the Sharks weren’t in any mood to let Munster dictate terms, and apart from their dominance in the scrums they also competed well for the ball on the ground, while their lineouts were also much improved on the previous week’s effort in Wales.
No8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe was outstanding in all aspects of play and was the deserved recipient of the official man of the match award.
Notshe was helped by the quality around him. The Springboks in the Sharks team showed some rust in the comeback game in Llanelli but in this game they hit their traps, led initially by Eben Etzebeth, who has quickly become a talisman in the Sharks side.
Another player who shone was wing Makazole Mapimpi, and it was him who made the break that set up Jaden Hendrikse for the first Sharks try in the 16th minute.
With Bosch having kicked a penalty in the fifth minute, that took the Sharks with Bosch’s conversion into a 10-7 lead.
CONSUMMATE CONFIDENCE
It was a lead they were never to relinquish, with Eben Etzebeth crossing eight minutes later to put his team 10 points ahead.
At that point it looked like it was going to become a one-sided game, and it did ultimately, but Munster fought back strongly in the second part of the first half and it was just reward for them when a Dave Kilcoyne try brought them back to within three points.
At halftime, with Munster looking dangerous when they did get the chance to draw the man before passing into space, it was anyone’s game, but their indiscipline coupled with their inferiority at scrum time cost them badly in the initial stages of the second half as the Sharks took advantage of the 22 entries presented them by penalties to set up two tries where Bongi Mbonambi dotted down off the drive from the lineout.
The second came on the 50 minute mark so in the space of 10 minutes from halftime it had turned from being a three points game to a 15 point gap in the favour of the Sharks, and Munster indiscipline was to feature again in the next try as Wayne Barnes had his arm out for penalty advantage when Werner Kok weaved his way through for what was the best Sharks try to that point.
It put the Sharks 36-14 ahead in the 54th minute and suddenly the Sharks were playing with consummate confidence and the 30 000 crowd was in a boisterous mood.
Bosch’s try breaking away down the touchline after a Munster attempt to chase the game broke down effectively killed it as a contest.
The Sharks scored seven tries and Munster five, and if there was to be a concern for the Sharks after this impressive win it is that their defence was so porous.
Certainly when Shane Daly scored the first try there were clear Sharks defensive deficiencies and later in the game it was too easy for Munster to put their movements together as they scored three late tries to bring some respectability to the scoreline after it looked like they were set to be humiliated.
The Sharks will play their quarterfinal at home if the Bulls beat Toulouse at Toulouse on Sunday, which is a tough ask, otherwise they will be traveling.
They may have to do without two Boks in Etzebeth, who did not come out for the second half, and Hendrikse, who was injured in scoring his try and was wearing an arm brace afterwards.
Another lock, Emile van Heerden, was also helped from the field holding his shoulder, while Boeta Chamberlain also left the field injured (groin).
Friends first, rivals second ??
— Heineken Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) April 1, 2023
A lovely moment after the @SharksRugby v @Munsterrugby game as RG Snyman embraces his fellow @Springboks ??#HeinekenChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/wi3x3LXZ59
"I love South Africa" ??????@SharksRugby captain @SiyaKolisi is currently searching for next day delivery on a @BlueBullsRugby jersey ????#HeinekenChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/7IP7Smb4MQ
— Heineken Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) April 1, 2023
SCORES
Cell C Sharks 50 Tries: Jaden Hendrikse, Eben Etzebeth, Bongi Mbonambi 2, Werner Kok, Curwin Bosch, Makazole Mapimpi. Conversions: Curwin Bosch 6. Penalty: Curwin Bosch
Munster 35Tries: Shane Daly, David Kilcoyne, Diarmuid Barron, Mike Haley and Fineen Wycherley.Conversions: Jack Crowley 5