Durban - The Sharks enjoyed a strong start to the second round of the Currie Cup competition as they convincingly beat Griquas 24-6 at a blustery HollywoodBets Kings Park on Saturday afternoon, but they will be annoyed that they did not nail the try-scoring bonus point.
The Sharks are settling down nicely under up-and-coming coach Joey Mongalo and this comfortable win gives them good momentum after having toppled the Cheetahs the week before in Bloemfontein.
The game kicked off early at 1.30pm amid unseasonable drizzle which ensured an arm wrestle for most of the game. The Sharks never looked in danger though, and they took their scoring opportunities nicely while all Griquas could muster the entire game was two penalty goals.
Griquas had the wind behind them in the first half and Eddie Fouche cashed in with a 45m strike five minutes into the game for the early lead.
The Sharks struck back 10 minutes later thanks to a deft chip over the defence by flyhalf Lionel Cronje, and centre Alwayno Visagie outstripped the defence to dive onto the ball in the in-goal area.
But coach Joey Mongalo would have been annoyed when, from the restart, his team infringed and Fouche pulled back three points.
That would be it though for the men from Kimberley, as they would not trouble the scorers again.
The home team extended their lead 10 minutes before halftime, when a penalty kicked to the corner gave powerful hooker Kerron van Vuuren the opportunity to score one of his trademark maul tries.
The Sharks extended their 14-6 halftime lead when Cronje nudged over a penalty five minutes into the half. They had it virtually in the bag when flanker Tinotenda Mavesere broke through the defence near the halfway line and then unleashed the nippy scrumhalf Bradley Davids for a sprint to the line. The conversion made it 24-6 as the three-quarter mark approached.
The Sharks appeared to have earned the bonus-point try 10 minutes from the end when Henco Venter, who is departing soon to join the Glasgow Warriors, scored but it was disallowed because of obstruction early in the buildup.
Scorers:
Sharks 24 — Tries: Alwayno Visagie, Kerron van Vuuren, Bradley Davids. Conversions: Lionel Cronje (3). Penalties: Cronje
Griquas 6 — Penalties: Eddie Fouche (2).
IOL Sport