The Sharks won their final three Currie Cup matches to finish the tournament in seventh place, one point behind the Bulls.
They may have failed to reach the Currie Cup play-offs, but head coach John Plumtree said he was proud of how the Sharks rallied to win their final three matches.
He was especially impressed with how the team shrugged off their rustiness in the second half of their 19–13 win against Pumas on Friday, saying it is a step in the right direction ahead of the United Rugby Championship starting at the end of the month.
Sharks end on a high note
The Sharks won last year’s Currie Cup, beating the Lions in a scintillating final. This year, their youngsters could not make much ground at the beginning of the tournament. They lost their first four matches for their title defence to become a mathematical impossibility already at that point.
However, the Sharks rallied to beat Western Province 29–21 before snatching a 33–31 win against Boland Cavaliers. Plumtree took over from coach JP Pietersen for the final round-robin fixture, naming a team with more URC players in the mix against the Pumas.
But they only found rhythm in the second half. Fullback Yaw Penxe chased down a Siya Masuku kick to score the first try. Replacement No 8 Phepsi Buthelezi then stepped a defender close to the ruck before scoring the hosts’ second try.
The Pumas hit back with their first and only try (Lungi Msenge scoring) before the Sharks scored their third. Centre Francois Venter ran an excellent line to score before the Durban side ran down the clock to win. It means they finish the Currie Cup in seventh place with 14 points from their three wins.
It followed a curtain-raiser involving a Sharks invitational side, also replete with URC players, hosting Saracens. The Sharks were 19–5 up before the English side scored 33 unanswered points in the second half, winning 38–26.
Plumtree: ‘Perfect for what we needed’
Plumtree said the matches provided valuable pre-season game time ahead of the URC. The Pumas game especially was “perfect for what we needed”.
“It was a real physical game,” the Sharks coach said. “We knew that with the situation the Pumas were in [fighting for a top-four spot]. So I am really proud of the boys.
“Some of the URC players got a good hit out. I am really happy with some of the young players I am seeing as well.”
He said the URC players were a bit rusty after not playing together for months.
“I thought we were a bit inaccurate inside our 22. We finished off a bit more in the second half, which was pleasing to see – we talked about it at half-time. Some of our defence was on the money.”
He said aside from the shoulder injury suffered by URC lock Emile van Heerden, the Pumas game ticked the box.
The Sharks coach said the Saracens game likewise offered “a good hit out for some of those boys and hopefully Saracens got what they wanted out of it”.
