The Sharks staved off a concerted fightback from the Cheetahs to clinch a shock 24-17 Currie Cup win over the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on Friday afternoon.
Ahead of this encounter, the Cheetahs were installed as heavy favourites after a pool phase where they had lost just one previous game, while the inconsistent third-placed Sharks were coming off a disappointing defeat against the Blue Bulls.
Against the odds, though, it was the Sharks who made a particularly bright start to this encounter - with captain James Venter leading from the front as he unleashed one influential piece of play after another.
Appropriately the opening try was created by Venter, who produced an incisive break before the ball was distributed to Tinotenda Mavesere for a clear run-in to the try line.
With uncharacteristic errors and ill-discipline haunting the Cheetahs, the visitors were able to feast on possession in the right areas of the field, duly opening up a deserved 10-0 lead at the half-hour mark following a penalty to Lionel Cronje.
For anyone just tuning in to the broadcast at that point, the scoreline would have come as a surprise, but it became even more one-sided before the break as the Sharks scored with the final play of the first period as Fez Mbatha barged over from the back of a lineout drive.
To make matters worse for the Cheetahs, veteran Jeandré Rudolph was also sent to the sin bin after repeated infringements, and the big No 8 had to watch from the sidelines as Cronje slotted a superb conversion to hand the Sharks a commanding 17-0 lead.
With this in mind, it was always going to be crucial for the Cheetahs to have any hope of mounting a comeback, and they did just that as flanker Sibabalo Qomo showed good strength to score after a well-worked lineout move.
A few minutes later, the Cheetahs received further reward for a return to their more traditional high-octane rugby, with Gideon van der Merwe dotting down to suddenly reduce the deficit to just five points heading into the final quarter.
All the momentum was with the hosts at that point, but just when it mattered most, the Sharks fired an effective shot in reply as in-form Yaw Penxe created a crucial try for replacement Marco de Witt.
The touchline conversion from the reliable boot of Cronje opened up a handy 12-point buffer, but the Cheetahs hit back almost immediately through Louis van der Westhuizen as the second-half thriller continued.
In the dramatic final few minutes, the Sharks’ gutsy defence came to the fore as they held on for a vital victory that consolidated their third position on the Currie Cup log.
Points scorers
Cheetahs - Tries scored: Sibabalo Qomo, Gideon van der Merwe, Louis van der Westhuizen. Conversion: Ruan Pienaar.
Sharks - Tries scored: Tinotenda Mavesere, Fez Mbatha, Marco de Witt. Conversions: Lionel Cronje (3). Penalties: Cronje.
Cheetahs: 15 Tapiwa Mafura, 14 Daniel Kasende, 13 Robert Ebersohn, 12 Reinhardt Fortuin, 11 Munier Hartzenberg, 10 Siya Masuku, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Jeandré Rudolph, 7 Sibabalo Qomo, 6 Gideon van der Merwe, 5 Victor Sekekete (captain), 4 Rynier Bernardo, 3 Arnanos Coetzee, 2 Marko Janse van Rensburg, 1 Schalk Ferreira.
Replacements: 16 Louis van der Westhuizen, 17 Alulutho Tshakweni, 18 Hencus van Wyk, 19 Mzwanele Zito, 20 Daniel Maartens, 21 Rewan Kruger, 22 David Brits, 23 Cohen Jasper.
Sharks: 15 Nevaldo Fleurs, 14 Yaw Penxe, 13 Joshua Jonas, 12 Alwayno Visagie, 11 Marnus Potgieter, 10 Lionel Cronje, 9 Bradley Davids, 8 Henco Venter, 7 James Venter (captain), 6 Tinotenda Mavesere, 5 Ockie Barnard, 4 Corne Rahl, 3 Khutha Mchunu, 2 Fez Mbatha, 1 Khwezi Mona
Replacements: 16 Dan Jooste, 17 Dian Bleuler, 18 Hanro Jacobs, 19 Marco de Witt, 20 Dylan Richardson, 21 Tiaan Fourie, 22 Murray Koster, 23 Phikolomzi Sobahle.