CAPE TOWN – The Sharks got their revenge!
After going
down 33-21 to Western
Province in last year’s
final, Robert du Preez’s team engineered a well-deserved 17-12 triumph at
Newlands on Saturday.
The Sharks
played with the greater conviction and fluidity on the day against a Province
side that failed to get out of second gear on a hot afternoon in Cape Town.
Akker van
der Merwe’s just after halftime put the visitors into a 7-6 lead, and even
though WP regained the advantage with a SP Marais penalty, the decisive play
came with eight minutes to go, when flank Tyler Paul dotted down.
The
Durbanites had the ascendancy from the start, despite going 6-0 down after 36
minutes.
They took
on the much-vaunted WP scrum and won that battle, with Juan Schoeman putting
pressure on Springbok Wilco Louw.
But the
greatest disruption came in the lineouts, where Province were unable to gain
momentum as tap-backs and challenges from the Sharks upset their rhythm.
The
visitors just seemed hungrier and up for the fight, while they also varied
their play more and stretched the WP defence throughout.
In
contrast, Province appeared to adopt a conservative approach, with flyhalf Josh
Stander opting to put boot to ball more often.
There was
none of the “joie de vivre” that coach John Dobson had asked for ahead of the
final on attack, with the competition’s top try-scorer Sergeal Petersen hardly
receiving the ball in space from his inside backs.
With
Stander at No 10, star playmaker Damian Willemse didn’t see much of the ball,
so Dobson may be ruing his decision not to employ the Springbok in the pivot
position.
Referee
Jaco Peyper didn’t dish out as many penalties as WP received from Egon Seconds
in the semi-final, and that ‘open’ approach helped the Sharks, who loaded the
breakdowns and punched holes around the fringes through Du Preez twins Dan and
Jean-Luc.
Sharks centre Jeremy Ward and WP wing Sergeal Petersen go up for a high ball at Newlands. Photo: Phando Jikelo/African News Agency/ANA Even when Curwin
Bosch missed a long-range penalty on the hour-mark, which kept WP in a 10-9
lead, there was an air of inevitability that the Sharks would be victorious.
And so it
happened when Paul barged over from close quarters in the 72nd minute, and
flyhalf Robert du Preez banged over the conversion for a 17-9 lead.
Province
had a few opportunities inside the Sharks half, and Willemse slotted a 75th-minute
three-pointer to make it a five-point game.
But captain
Louis Schreuder’s team held on for a memorable win at the scrumhalf’s former
home ground.
FULL TIME:
The @cellc Sharks will be crowned as the 2018 @TheCurrieCup champions as they triumph over @WP_RUGBY at Newlands in a worthy spectacle.
A massive, massive game from both sides! #WPvSHA #OurSharksForever #WhereLegendsRise #CurrieCupFinal pic.twitter.com/jQ66FpiqhB
— The Sharks (@TheSharksZA) October 27, 2018
Points-Scorers
Western Province 12 – Penalties: SP Marais (3), Damian Willemse (1).
Sharks 17 – Tries: Akker van der Merwe, Tyler Paul. Conversions: Robert du Preez (2). Penalty: Robert du Preez (1).
@ashfakmohamed