Durban – Flyhalf Patrick Lambie scored 23 points, which included a brace of tries, in the Sharks’ 53-0 demolition of the Southern Kings in their Super Rugby match at Kings Park on Saturday night.
The Sharks scored six tries in the first half to take a 43-0 lead into the halftime break, before adding another two tries in the second half to record a bonus-point victory over their neighbours from the Eastern Cape.
Lambie scored the first of his two tries in the eighth minute when the Sharks broke down field after turning over the Kings’ possession deep in their own half. Sharks centre Paul Jordaan made the final pass when he popped the ball to Lambie to go over the line.
The Kings were under immense pressure at scrum time, and they gave away two consecutive penalties in the 13th minute that led to a comfortable shot at goal for Lambie, who made it 8-0 for the home side.
The Kings came close in the 17th minute when they went through a plethora of phases on the Sharks’ goalline. However, the home side’s defence was too good, and big Sharks centre Andre Esterhuizen managed to turn the ball over.
Lambie then managed to pick the loose ball before sprinting clear. He then found Jordaan in support to go over for the Sharks’ second try in the 18th minute. Two minutes later their fullback Willie le Roux finished off a great team try that he started in his own half.
Jordaan then scored his second try straight from the restart after great interplay with loose forward Keegan Daniel to make it 27-0 for the Sharks.
At this stage of the match the Kings were staring down the barrel. And they conceded two more tries before the break, when Le Roux put big centre Esterhuizen into a gap, before veteran wing JP Pietersen scored a try in the right corner.
Lambie completed his brace of tries with in the 48th minute after another mistake from the Kings in the Sharks’ 22. This time Pietersen kicked the ball ahead, and the ball bounced straight into Lambie’s arms before the Springbok flyhalf raced through to score in the corner.
Sharks coach Gary Gold cleared his bench after that try, and the home side didn’t quite have the same fluidity that they had prior to Lambie’s try. But they still managed to keep the hapless Kings scoreless.
The Sharks, though, did bring up their half-century in the 76th minute when replacement prop Thomas du Toit crashed over the line after a quick tap from another scrum penalty.
Point scorers
Sharks (43) 53 – Tries: Patrick Lambie (2), Paul Jordaan (2), Willie Le Roux, Andre Esterhuizen, JP Pietersen, Thomas du Toit. Conversions: Lambie 5. Penalty: Lambie.
Kings 0
– ANA