Two tries from Junior Springbok teen sensation Khuthi Rasivhaga ensured the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV kept themselves in the Carling Currie Cup playoff race, after they beat the Sanlam Boland Cavaliers 19-12 (halftime 14-5) in an entertaining round-four match at KwaMashu’s Princess Magogo Stadium on Saturday evening.
The Sharks Rugby Club era begins with a ‘check’ in the ‘win’ column ✅
— Sharks Rugby Club (@SharksRugby) August 8, 2026
The Hollywoodbets Sharks XV held off the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers on a famous night in KwaMashu.
Thank you to all those who came to Princess Magogo Stadium and those who tuned in from around the world 🦈 💪… pic.twitter.com/kUk6HOcbm5
A lively crowd had descended on the historic ground on a balmy KZN evening to witness the first chapter of a new era in Sharks rugby, following the organisation’s highly-publicised rebrand earlier in the week and this match taking place just 72 hours before the senior side face the New Zealand All Blacks for the first time in 30 years.
But it was the visitors who provided the fireworks and razzmatazz early on when left wing Jayden Bantom imitated an electric eel as he sped over in the left-hand corner from a full backline move as early as the fifth minute.
The crowd, however, rediscovered their voice when yet another Junior Springbok world champion using this year’s Carling Currie Cup to show off their pedigree, 19-year-old left wing Rasivhaga, intercepted on 18 minutes to run half the length of the field to dot down underneath the sticks for fyhalf Tim Swiel to convert.
With the decibel level in KwaMashu well and truly raised, it was the Cavaliers who went a main down shortly after when centre Lunathi Nxele was yellow-carded for a high tackle.
That did not prove costly for the visitors but they did suffer a body blow six minutes before the break after a rampaging run upfield by No 8 and Zimbabwe Sables international, Tino Mavesere, led to lock Johannes Slabbert diving over at the posts for Swiel to add the extra points and give the home side a precious nine-point lead, despite the Bolanders enjoying the majority of possession and territory.
The third quarter was a cagey, scoreless affair played mostly between the respective teams’ 22-metre areas, with handling errors at crucial times halting the momentum of both sides on those occasions when they found themselves in the red zone.
FAMOUS WIN
Mavesere looked to have dived over near the hour mark but referee Christopher Allison ruled that the No 8 had been held up over the line.
Allison and his TMO were spot-on again three minutes later when they ruled that Boland replacement fullback James Tedder had deliberately knocked on near halfway with a clear line break on the cards for the Sharks XV: 20-year-old fullback Luan Giliomee and Rasivhaga were clearly denied a two-on-one opportunity down the grandstand touchline.
But the left wing was not to be denied, as he went over for his brace with 10 minutes remaining to take the lead out to 14 points. 19-5.
The Cavaliers scored a late converted try, courtesy of replacement prop Dewald Maritz, but the next-gen Sharks held on to kick off their next rugby chapter with a famous win.
With just three rounds remaining in the world’s oldest provincial rugby competition, neither side can afford to drop points if they are to make a charge for the final four, in what has so far been a far more competitive Currie Cup than was the case in 2025.
For the Sharks XV, their run-in to the playoffs involves an away match in Kimberley against champions the Suzuki Griquas, followed by home ties at Woodburn Stadium in Pietermaritzburg, against the second-placed Fidelity ADT Lions, and in Durban against the bottom-placed Vodacom Bulls XV.
For last year’s semifinalists the Boland Cavaliers, they must travel to Ellis Park to face the Lions, followed by a trip to Bloemfontein to square up the Toyota Cheetahs, before finishing their 2026 campaign with a Sunday home game in Wellington against the champion Griquas.
Whatever happens over the coming few weeks, one thing is certain: the race for semifinal places is already hotting up and every log point could become crucial.
The Carling Currie Cup is well and truly alive, thanks in no small part to the enthusiastic buy-in of local communities countrywide and the growing presence of the next generation of Springbok stars, fresh off yet another World Rugby Under-20 title.
Scorers:
Hollywoodbets Sharks XV 19 – Tries: Khuthi Rasivhaga (2), Johannes Slabbert; Conversions: Tim Swiel (2).
Sanlam Boland Cavaliers 12 – Tries: Jayden Bantom, Dewald Maritz; Conversion: Ashlon Davids.