FULL TIME: SHARKS 18-20 LIONS
The Sharks are forlorn after a kick to win the match was missed. The Lions scrape the win after trailing for most of the match. The Sharks were their own worst enemies again.
Chamberlain misses the kick and the Lions will win.
Etzebeth wins the Sharks a penalty, pouncing on Nohamba as the Lions tried to run down the clock.
CONVERSION, LIONS, NOHAMBA:
Nohamba gives the Lions the lead with a great conversion.
TRY, LIONS, LOUW, 18-18:
Louw drives over with everyone in the maul.
The Lions edge the kicking battle but it will be the Sharks who feed the lineout but the tap back causes choas and the Lions win a penalty and go to the corner.
Nohamba shanks the kick and the Sharks will restart with a 22 metre dropout.
Van Vuuren doesn't release the tackled player and the Lions will call for the tee.
Another box-kick from Hendrikse clears again after the Lions put boot to ball. The Lions need to keep it in hand.
Hendrikse kicks to touch but the Lions will come again from a lineout ten inside the Sharks half.
Etzebeth wrangles the Lions maul into touch in a huge play for the Sharks. The Sharks have to feed the lineout though with little room to work with.
Fassi slices a kick straight into touch and the Sharks will kick themselves as they have to defend a lineout on their 22.
Kok can't gather on a trick play from the lineout but the Lions then spill the ball from their own lineout. The Sharks have the scrum.
Van der Merwe just can't gather a cross-kick and he would have been in. The Sharks choose to take the lineout.
The Lions have another scrum on the Sharks 22 this time after a knock on in the lineout.
The Lions get a contentious scrum time penalty and that could be a crucial shift in momentum.
The Sharks spill the ball on the Lions 22 again and Venter kicks clear and the Sharks have to trudge back to their ten to feed the lineout.
PENALTY, LIONS, NOHAMBA, 18-13:
Nohamba slots the penalty to make it a five point game.
The Lions win a string of penalties again which allows their uninspired attack to rumble into the Sharks 22.
The Sharks keep rumbling towards the Lions 22 now and keep it in hand while they are a man down.
PENALTY TRY, LIONS, 18-10:
The Sharks collapse the maul and the penalty try is given.
The Lions get three advantages for tackle infringements by the Sharks, this time they choose to set up a lineout.
The Sharks steal the lineout but then Bosch kicks straight out and the Lions can try again from the lineout. The Lions knock on though and Am hoofs the ball upfield. Nohamba is back and kicks to touch finding it just inside the Sharks half.
Fassi is hunted down and has to hurry his kick which gives the Lions good position to launch an attack from the lineout.
Nohamba misses the kick and Fassi finds touch close to halfway after gathering in the kick short of the Sharks line.
The Lions get a scrum penalty and have a decision to make. They call for the tee.
The Sharks knock on from the scrum play.
The Sharks exit well after the restart and stop the Lions counter inside their half. The Lions do break into the Sharks half but then knock on and we will have to have a scrum.
HALF TIME: SHARKS 18-3 LIONS
The final play of the half sees the Lions set a maul but then get pushed into touch. That leaves the Sharks leading 18-3 at half time. The first ten minutes after half time will be crucial with the Sharks able to kill this game off if they can start the second half strong while the Lions need to get back into the game.
The Lions get a penalty after Fassi fails to release when Van den Bergh gets over him and they can try to fashion another attack from a lineout close to the Sharks 22.
The Sharks just don't roll away quick enough as they try to put the Lions under pressure after a chip and chase. The Lions find a touch close to halfway but are still in their own half.
The Lions knock on at the lineout before the Sharks spill it as well. The Sharks have an attacking scrum feed ten inside the Lions half and these kind of setpieces are tough to defend.
The Sharks get a cheap exit from a piece of lazy running from the Lions. Bosch will kick to touch from close to his own 22 and finds it just beyond the ten inside the Lions half.
Bosch cannot convert but the Sharks sport a 15 point lead with just over five minutes to go to half time.
TRY, SHARKS, WILLIAMS, 18-3:
A brilliant airborne finish from Williams gets the Sharks the try as they finally find another killer touch in the Lions' 22.
Horn shanks a kick into touch and the Lions aren't happy because the referee called advantage as he kicked it. The Sharks have the lineout fifteen inside the Lions half.
DROP GOAL, SHARKS, BOSCH, 13-3:
Bosch gets back in the pocket and he slots the drop.
It takes an age to get the scrum set once and it goes down, then the second attempt is also slow but stays up and Nohamba has to kick clear but he finds touch on the full. The Sharks have the lineout on the Lions 22.
The Sharks spill the ball just as they threaten to return to the Lions 22. The Lions have a scrum feed and they would prefer to get the penalty for an easier exit.
The Sharks get a couple of penalties and with the second clear into the Lions half. The second one is a high shot but there is no sanction.
The Lions chase a kick into the Sharks in goal but Williams gets back and dots to set up a goal-line dropout. The Lions run it back though and Van Wyk bursts into the Sharks 22. But then they fluff their lines and the accidental offsides hands the Sharks a scrum as Louw kicks a grubber into a teammate in front of him.
CONVERSION, SHARKS, BOSCH, 10-3:
Bosch slots from the touchline to make it 10-3 to the Sharks.
TRY, SHARKS, MAPIMPI, 8-3:
The Lions kick clear but the Sharks go quickly and after a couple of phases the defense runs out of numbers thanks to slick hands from the Sharks. Fassi eventually sets Mapimpi into the corner untouched.
Fassi drops a kick into touch on the bounce in the Lions 22 but it isn't a 50/22. The referee calls a break as Van den Bergh has a cut to the face. The Lions have the Lineout feed in their own 22. The injury was friendly fire as PJ Botha flew into his scrumhalf in a cleanout after he was scragged by Etzebeth.
The Sharks best phase of attack ends with a knock on in the Lions 22. The Sharks are full of running though and bring back the kick clear from the Lions.
The scrum doesn't stabilise and has to be reset.
The Lions knock on in attack and that showed a lack of composure on attack for the visitors. The Sharks get the scrum feed and the referee has a word with the front row. Grant Williams is down after taking a knock off teammate Kok.
Grobler knocks on off the restart and the Lions now have an attacking scrum. Their pack has been dominant and they are just a few metres from the Sharks 22.
PENALTY, SHARKS, BOSCH, 3-3:
Bosch slots the kick to level the scores.
The Sharks call for the tee after the Lions get pinged for a grasscutter tackle. Bosch lines up the kick.
Bosch is hit back in the tackle as he tries to counter. Fassi hangs it up and it bounces into touch fifteen metres inside the Lions half.
PENALTY, LIONS, NOHAMBA, 0-3:
Nohamba slots the kick to give the Lions the lead.
Van Wyk makes a crucial tackle and gets over the ball to get a penalty award as Fassi hangs on and the Lions set up an attacking lineout.
The Lions knock on at lineout time and then the Sharks knock but the referee and his team miss the first knock on.
The Lions try to clear but they have a kick half charged although they have the lineout feed ten from halfway.
A knock on spoils the Sharks attack although Williams will question if the man barring his path was offside. The Lions will feed the first scrum of the day.
Horn eventually finds touch after the Lions attempts to carry away from their goal-line meet stiff resistance. The Sharks have the lineout just outside the Lions 22.
KICK-OFF: Bosch kicks off with a wobbly one that bounces into touch in the Lions 22. Great start for the Sharks.
Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Richard Kriel, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Marius Louw (captain), 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Sanele Nohamba, 9 Morné van den Berg, 8 Francke Horn, 7 Ruan Venter, 6 Emmanuel Tshituka, 5 Darrien Landsberg, 4 Ruben Schoeman, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 PJ Botha, 1 JP Smith.
Replacements: 16 Jaco Visagie, 17 Morgan Naudé, 18 Ruan Smith, 19 Reinhard Nothnagel, 20 Hanru Sirgel, 21 JC Pretorius, 22 Jordan Hendrikse, 23 Rynhardt Jonker.
Sharks: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Werner Kok, 13 Lukhanyo Am (captain), 12 Francois Venter, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Phepsi Buthelezi, 7 Lappies Labuschagne, 6 James Venter, 5 Gerbrandt Grobler, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Hanro Jacobs, 2 Fez Mbatha, 1 Ox Nche.
Replacements: 16 Kerron van Vuuren, 17 Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18 Joel Hintz, 19 Corne Rahl, 20 George Cronje, 21 Jaden Hendrikse, 22 Boeta Chamberlain, 23 Rohan Janse van Rensburg
Good day and welcome to our coverage of the United Rugby Championship match between the Sharks and the Lions from Kings Park in Durban.
