URC result: Davids kicks Sharks to glory over Munster

A sensational cameo from Sharks replacement back Bradley Davids helped kick them to a stunning United Rugby Championship (URC) quarterfinal win over Munster after an unprecedented penalty shootout at Kings Park in Durban on Saturday night.

A thrilling match ended level at 24-all, sending it to extra time, where neither side could get a winning score, and due to them having scored three tries each, it meant it had to be decided off the kicking tee.

Davids, who was the Sharks reserve scrumhalf, was thrown on with less than two minutes left in extra time, for wing Makazole Mapimpi, and went straight into the kick-off along with halfback brothers Jordan and Jaden Hendrikse.

All three kickers slotted both of their kicks in the end, with Davids taking two tricky shots from an angle, which was enough to edge the kick-off thanks to Munster utility back Rory Scannell missing the second kick for Munster, which proved to be the only miss in the end.

Game of two halves

In the match it was a game of two halves after a dreadful first period was followed by an exciting and open second, before the game went into extra time.

The first half was a dire affair, with a slew of errors and penalties from both teams leading to a frustrating stop start encounter that saw just one score over the first 40.

That came early in the match when flyhalf Jack Crowley made the most of scrappy ball, spotting space behind the Sharks defensive line and sending a perfect cross kick for wing Calvin Nash to run onto and score, with the conversion giving them a 7-0 lead after 10 minutes.

Both sides had chances over the rest of the half, including Crowley missing an easy penalty attempt, and Sharks flyhalf Jordan Hendrikse pulling a long range attempt from a difficult angle, as the visitors went into the break ahead.

The game then burst to life in the second half as both teams improved their play, making for a much more entertaining spectacle, although there were still a number of knock-ons and mistakes form both.

Sharks fight back

The Sharks first fought back, with wing Ethan Hooker, who was arguably their best player on the night, receiving a ball out wide outside the 22m, but stepped inside, stepped past the last defender and outpaced the defence to go over for a converted score to level things after 46 minutes.

An easy penalty from in front for Hendrikse in the 54^th minute briefly put the hosts ahead, only for Munster to come storming back with two tries in four minutes.

First they attacked from their own half, Nash making the big break to the 5m, with the recycled ball eventually finding replacement prop Josh Wycherley to go over.

After the restart the Sharks lost the ball in Munster’s half, with them again attacking from deep and a massive grubber kicked ahead for wing Diarmuid Kilgallen to chase and dot down for the converted score, putting them into a 21-10 lead after 60 minutes.

The back-and-forth half continued as the Sharks hit back in the 68^th minute, using their dominant scrum as they earned a number of penalties in the Munster 22m, before finally attacking off the back of one and fullback Aphelele Fassi bursting through to score, making it a four point game.

Five minutes later the Sharks were back ahead, kicking a penalty into Munster’s 22m, attacked off the lineout and after a good initial surge, replacement hooker Fez Mbatha ran the perfect line to smash over, with Hendrikse’s extras putting them 24-21 up.

It was then a clutch long range penalty from just inside the Sharks half from Munster replacement scrumhalf Conor Murray to level the scores and send the game to extra time.

Scorers

Sharks: Tries – Ethan Hooker, Aphelele Fassi, Fez Mbatha; Conversions – Jordan Hendrikse (3); Penalty – Hendrikse

Munster: Tries – Calvin Nash, Josh Wycherley, Diarmuid Kilgallen; Conversions – Jack Crowley (3); Penalty – Conor Murray