Gilchrist left to fume at plucky losers’ tag after the Sharks bite
SHARKS 36 EDINBURGH 30 Edinburgh second-row Grant Gilchrist has criticised his side for a toothless second half performance that allowed the Sharks to bite back to win.
Co-captain Gilchrist, who was hoping to celebrate his 200th appearance for the club with a Challenge Cup quarter-final victory, was angry at how his side let slip a two-point halftime lead.
“We came to South Africa to win as we knew we were more than good enough to do that,” said the Scotland international. “We certainly didn’t come here to be plucky losers.
“We stuck to our task in the first half and deserved to go in at half-time ahead as we had more territory and possession.
“Then we go and have a poor 20 minutes in particular in the second half and that is where the game was lost for us. We gave away too many penalties and couldn’t exit our half and paid the price against a very good Sharks side.”’
Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt said there were “no excuses” for the way his team let the 16-14 half-time lead turn into a 36-30 defeat.
“At half-time we thought we could go on and win but in the second half we gave away too many penalties, eight in the second half compared to four in the first,” he said.
“We let ourselves down and I am gutted after that. We had to keep our concentration for the full 80 minutes out there and we didn’t do that.
“For us to capitulate in the way we did in that second half was extremely disappointing.”
The Sharks only really showed their teeth in the second half after struggling to come to terms with a spirited Edinburgh side in the first 40 minutes. But the home side, made up of South African World Cup-winning galacticos, turned the tide to run out deserved winners.
Edinburgh took an early lead through the trusty boot of Ben Healy who put over two penalties within the first 15 minutes.
The Sharks got on the scoreboard after a great break from winger Makazole
Mapimpi set up the try-scoring opportunity for Lukhanyo Am. Two-time South African World Cup winner Eben Etzebeth then made his presence felt in more ways than one.
First he held up Edinburgh hooker Ewan Ashman over the line to save a certain try. The big second row with a volcanic temper then squared up to Ashman with referee Matthew Carley having to step in to separate them. Etzebeth’s next involvement was up the other end when he played a try scoring pass to
James Venter who scored in the corner.
He was then sent to the sinbin for taking Sam Skinner out in the air at the line-out.
Edinburgh took full advantage of having an extra man and in the next play prop Pierre Schoeman sold a dummy before crashing over.
A minute before the break a Healy penalty gave his side a two-point cushion at half-time.
They failed to build on that and two penalties from Siya Masuku within the first 12 minutes of the second half gave the home side a four-point lead. They went further ahead when Sharks captain Bongi Mbonambi swan dived over the line.
It took Edinburgh until six minutes from time to get on the scoreboard in the second half with a Hamish Watson try. Any hope they had of a comeback was ended by a successful penalty from Sharks replacement Curwin Bosch although Edinburgh hooker David Cherry went over for a score in the last play of the game.