Springbok winger Makazole Mapimpi scored a brace as a powerful second-half performance gave the Cell C Sharks a perfect Christmas gift with a 37-10 win over the Emirates Lions in their Vodacom United Rugby Championship match in Durban on Friday night.
After a pretty even opening 50 minutes, it was the Sharks bench that made all the difference as they pulled away from the Lions and even though they had a try disallowed, scored five tries to one to seal the victory in style.
It was a popular result with the more than 24 000 fans that turned up to celebrate the festive cheer as rugby enters a new phase of playing over the festive period in South Africa.
A big win for the Cell C Sharks in front of 24 000 fans ?? pic.twitter.com/ZTEsfalaLA
— SuperSport ?? (@SuperSportTV) December 23, 2022
And while the Sharks were good in the last 30, for most of the first 50 they threatened to pull away but just couldn’t find their rhythm when it counted.
The Lions put in a good defensive display for most of the first half, but you always had the sense they were going to be outgunned by the Sharks.
The Lions have one more chance next weekend in Cape Town to try and avoid going a full calendar year without a win over a South African franchise.
Add to that the five valuable points that will count both in the URC and in the South African shield where the Sharks are trailing both the Bulls and Stormers respectively.
It also underlined the difference in depth between the two sides and how that might come back to haunt the Lions later on in the season as they have rotated sparingly across the board while the Sharks have the luxury to change almost at will.
That point may be even more emphasised ahead of next weekend’s game after the Lions lost PJ Botha early on with a knock to the head, while both replacement prop Sti Sithole and captain Reinhard Nothnagel were carried from the field in what looks like long-term injuries.
Either way, the incredible depth and attacking nuance that the Sharks have was the big difference on the night.
CHRISTMAS CHEER FOR THE SHARKS
But it could easily have been a much wider margin given the Sharks dominated the opening exchanges and scored almost too easily as Rohan Janse van Rensburg stepped inside a poor tackle from Rynhard Jonker before passing inside for Mapimpi to go over to open the home side’s account.
Then it was a pounding of the line as the Sharks tried phase after phase, with the luxury of penalty advantage, to cross from close range, eventually opting for the loop around to put Boeta Chamberlain into enough space to cross the line and put them into double figures.
It's a tryfest in Durban ??
— SuperSport ?? (@SuperSportTV) December 23, 2022
The Cell C Sharks lead the Emirates Lions 12-7 after 20 minutes.
?? Stream Vodacom #URC live: https://t.co/0BMWdennut pic.twitter.com/oo9h5r3MSv
But as they looked to be cruising, they were also in a festive spirit, and a poor kickoff receipt saw Jeandre Labuschagne make a mess of catching the ball, only to have it fall at the feet of Edwill van der Merwe, who went through untouched to claim his Christmas bonus.
At 12-7 at the break the Lions would have felt comfortable to be in the game still, but as soon as the replacements started coming on the momentum shifted clearly in favour of the home side.
A charge-down on a lethargic clearance by Andries Coetzee saw the ball pop into Janse van Rensburg’s hands, and the midfielder cleverly drew the defence before popping the ball to a flying Grant Williams, who changed direction once before swooping over the line to grab the third try.
Williams had been a catalyst in every Sharks try and was one of the standout performers on the night.
Lionel Cronje appeared on the ground just in time to take a penalty to extend the lead further to 25-10 before a wonderful run down the sideline gifted Springbok captain Siya Kolisi a try. Kolisi was exceptional in his cameo, upping his running metres as he came into the backline at will.
?? The goosey and dummy from Kolisi
— SuperSport ?? (@SuperSportTV) December 23, 2022
?? The no-look pass from Hendrikse
Some fantastic rugby on show in Durban in the Vodacom #URC, @MasoJucwa and Makhaya Jack are loving it ?? pic.twitter.com/3tfqoztAed
The try meant it was a bonus point for the Sharks, but they weren’t done yet, as the desperate Lions gifted them more Christmas cheer with a wayward pass which was manna for Mapimpi, who booted it through and collected to seal the game.
While the Lions may be well-placed both in the URC and in the European Challenge Cup, the gulf in class between them and the Durban side was reflected in the scoreline and the festive period, with the loss and injuries, will make it a tough Christmas for them to get through.
Scorers
Cell C Sharks - tries: Makazole Mapimpi (2), Grant Williams, Boeta Chamberlain, Siya Kolisi. Conversions: Curwin Bosch (2), Lionel Cronje (1). Penalties: Bosch, Cronje.
Emirates Lions - try: Edwill van der Merwe. Conversion: Jordan Hendrikse. Penalty: Hendrikse.