The Sharks held on for a bonus-point win against the URC's bottom-feeders before a month-long break in the tournament.
The Sharks finally secured their first win of this season’s United Rugby Championship with a hard-fought 29-19 win over Scarlets at Kings Park on Saturday.
The bonus-point victory came in the fifth round of the tournament – after three defeats and a draw.
The star-studded Sharks featured 12 Springboks in the starting XV and two more on the bench after two late changes.
But again they were far from their best in Durban, and will be grateful to be heading into a month-long break in the URC with eight points on the table.
The Scarlets, meanwhile, endured their fourth defeat in a row. They capitalised on Sharks errors in defence and at times looked like they would win the game. But a second-half resurgance from the Sharks put the result beyond doubt.
Sharks still looking for rhythm
The first quarter was largely shared evenly by the teams. The Sharks scored two tries courtesy of brothers Vincent and Emmanuel Tshituka, while the Scarlets responded to each with scores by Springbok hooker Marnus van der Merwe and Blair Murray.
The home side retook the lead when Lee-Marvin Mazibuku crashed over in the 29th minute. With few chances either way, the score remained 19-14 until the break.
Individual brilliance saw the Scarlets equalise as Tom Rogers weaved through defenders to score after 46 minutes. But Siya Kolisi responded for the Sharks four minutes later, darting out of the maul into a gap over the line.
An enormous Jean Smith penalty kick extended the Sharks’ lead early in the final quarter (score 29-19). The Scarlets pushed hard but saw the ball held up, and then a player held up, in the final minutes.
Scorers
Sharks: Tries – Vincent Tshituka, Emmanuel Tshituka, Lee-Marvin Mazibuku, Siya Kolisi. Conversions – Jean Smith 3/4. Penalties – Smith 1/1 .
Scarlets: Tries – Marnus van der Merwe, Blair Murray, Tom Rogers. Conversions – Sam Costelow 2/3.
