DURBAN - NOT all went to plan on the final day of the Currie Cup as the Sharks were shredded by Western Province, at home, 33-21. It was a day that promised so much for a young Sharks team that had the tournament in their hands throughout the group stages.
Durban was awash with black and white on Friday and on the game day as an estimated 35 000 fans made their way to Kings Park. The 4pm kick-off allowed for families to set up their braais on the outer field for the first time since 2012.
For those who were there in 2012, it was a heavy dose of déjà vu. The opposition then was also WP, and they snatched the old trophy in front of the Durban faithful. It was a double blow for avid Sharks fan Graham Linscott who had to dash back to his Morningside home to watch the game on TV because parking at the stadium’s outer fields was full.
Linscott, who has been attending matches since the 1960s, is a Sharks season ticket-holder and had block-booked a parking space for the season. “This the first time I’ve experienced this. It’s a disgrace. It wasn’t just me. There were many others waiting to get in. They wouldn’t have been there if they hadn’t paid for parking,” said Linscott.
Scoring tries early, it felt like a fairy-tale ending was on the cards for the Sharks when veteran wing Odwa Ndungane scored the first try of the match on his final day in the professional game.
The déjà vu rang even stronger, harking back a few weeks as the Sharks faded in their last game against WP and perhaps gave the visitors the mental edge.
On a weekend touted as a major sporting occasion for the city, with Soweto giants the Bucs and Chiefs both in town, it was sad to see the home rugby team kick things off with a loss.