The Sharks pulled off an extra time stunner to advance to the Currie Cup final as they drew 40-40 with the Bulls, with the visitors advancing due to having scored more tries, in their semi-final at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
The high-scoring affair saw the sides end regulation time locked at 33-all, and it would take a moment of brilliance from Springbok prop Trevor Nyakane deep in extra time to seal the win.
Quite incredibly the Sharks were reduced to 12 men in the final stages of regulation time, but still managed to find a way to force extra time and ultimately book their spot in the trophy match.
It would have come as a particularly bitter pill to swallow for the Bulls who led for most of the encounter, before finally exiting the competition on a technicality for scoring fewer tries than their coastal foes.
Cameron Hanekom outpaces Ethan Hooker to score in the corner š![CDATA[]]>š„
ā SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) September 14, 2024
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Lions await
The Sharks will take on the Lions on September 21 at Ellis Park.
The Bulls took the lead through a Marius Goosen penalty in the sixth minute (3-0), but the Sharks hit straight back from the restart as lock Emile van Heerden charged down the clearance before chasing down the ball to score in the corner. Sharks flyhalf Siya Masuku nailed the conversion to forge a 7-3 lead.
The Bulls extended their lead as a bit of individual brilliance from close range by scrumhalf Keagan Johannes saw him over for his sideās first try. Goosen obliged with the conversion to make it 10-7 to the hosts.
The Bulls added a penalty and a try from Cameron Hanekom to race out to a 20-7 lead with Goosen successful with two more attempts.
The Sharks responded quickly with a well-taken try as scrumhalf Bradley Davids dived over the line to make it 20-12 in favour of the hosts.
As the Sharks continued to pile on the pressure, James Venter burst through a number of tackles for his sideās third try under the sticks. With Masuku nudging over his attempt, it was a one point game in favour of the Bulls (20-19).
On the half-time whistle, Goosen added a third penalty to send the Bulls into the tunnel 23-19 ahead.
The Bulls were first to score after the break as wing Stavino Jacobs powered his way over the whitewash. Goosen raised the flags with the conversion to make it an 11-point advantage (30-19).
We are going to extra-time at Loftus Versfeld šØ![CDATA[]]>š
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Sharks bite
With the Bulls down to 14 men, the Sharks took full advantage by swinging the ball through the hands before wing Ethan Hooker sprinted over, and Masuku added the extra two to make it a four-point game (30-26).
The Sharks wrestled the lead from their opponents as they swung the ball out for centre Andre Esterhuizen to score a try in the corner. Masuku was successful with the conversion to make it 33-30 to the visitors.
The Sharks, however, were reduced to 14 men for the final quarter of an hour of the match as centre Francois Venter was red-carded for foul play.
The visitors were further reduced to 12 men with six minutes remaining, as they prepared for a final onslaught from the Bulls.
With that, Goosen sent over a penalty to level the scores with two minutes remaining.
As the sides began extra time, Jacobs bagged his second try of the evening. Replacement flyhalf Boeta Chamberlain nailed the conversion to make it 40-33 as the first period came to a close.
With just over 90 seconds remaining, Nyakane powered his way over from close range after a dummy, which left Lionel Cronje with a kick to level the scores. That he did (40-40), to hand the visitors the advantage as the Sharks would go through if the scores ended tied, on tries scored.
From the restart, the Sharks conceded a penalty leaving Bullsā Chamberlain the chance to win the game but he fluffed it to leave the home crowd stunned.
Scorers:
Bulls (23): Tries: Keagan Johannes, Cameron Hanekom, Stavino Jacobs (2) Conversions: Marius Goosen (4), Boeta Chamberlain Penalty:Goosen (3)
Sharks (19): Tries: Emile van Heerden, Bradley Davids, James Venter, Ethan Hooker, Andre Esterhuizen, Trevor Nyakane Conversions: Siya Masuku (4), Lionel Cronje