Nearly 28 years ago to the day, Hoërskool Kanonkop’s Dirkie Strydom scored this excellent try for the Sharks in the 1997 Super 12 Rugby season.
You can watch the try below. Beginning at the 18 second mark in a video posted by Real Rugby.
Wearing number 14 on his back, Strydom scored a winger’s dream try, capping off a well-worked team move by speeding past his defender and sliding into the corner for a scintillating five-pointer.
The celebration was subdued, but this may be because the result on the day was not exactly what the team had hoped for.
On March 22, 1997, the Free State welcomed the Sharks to the then creatively named Free State Stadium for a round four clash between the two local rivals.
Finishing 45–40 in favour of the boys from Bloem, it was the Natal side that would go on to have the last laugh.
The Sharks’ campaign left them fourth on the log with 30 total points, five ahead of the seventh-placed Free State. The Sharks were also the highest ranked South African side, two points ahead of the Gauteng Lions in fifth, and eight ahead of Northern Transvaal in eighth.
This saw the Durban outfit qualify for the semi-finals, where they faced the Blues, who were then known as the Auckland Blues.
The Sharks had an uphill battle, as the Blues walked the regular season campaign, sailing to first with an unbeaten 50 points.
In a high-scoring affair at Eden Park, the Blues carved a path to the final, leaving Sharks fans heartbroken at the 55–36 scoreline.
They would go on to defeat the ACT Brumbies in the final 23–7 and be crowned champions in front of their home crowd.
What Sharks fans may remember most fondly about that term was the sensational kicking efforts of fullback Gavin Lawless, who led the Super 12 scoring charts with 170 points.
Strydom would stick with the Sharks for another season, with Natal finishing third in the 1998 edition of the Super 12.
They would be knocked out in the semifinals by a New Zealand side yet again, with the Crusaders eking out an agonisingly close 36–32 win.
Fast forward to today, Strydom now proudly shares his wealth of experience with KHS and our local 7s organisation, the Bulldogs.
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