Kings give Sharks a tough time in warm-up
venue – nicknamed ‘The Sunflower’ because of its unique roof design that resembles white petals – but they were subjected to a steady drizzle that fell for most of the encounter.
The Sharks, playing in new kit that had an eye-catching green strip on the back, had an early opportunity to score when they took play through multiple phases and edged their way into the Kings’ 22-metre area, but a spilt pass put an end to the movement with the tryline beckoning.
In the build-up to this match, Sharks coach John Plumtree had said they were hoping for a challenging hitout, and the Kings certainly produced some moments of inspired play.
There were also quite a few off-the ball incidents in the opening exchanges, with the hosts perhaps looking to make the point that they weren’t going to take a step back in this match.
Yet the Durban side would open the scoring when Odwa Ndungane showed good strength to complete a try in the 14th minute, barging over in the right hand corner for the touchdown.
Sharks No8 Ryan Kankowski then doubled the score just after the quarterhour mark, with a strong buildup from the Durban team’s forwards once again laying the foundation for the five-pointer.
As the rain continued to fall, so it became harder for both sides to string fluent passages of play together.
The Kings took the opportunity to kick for posts 10 minutes before half-time, scrumhalf Falie Oelschig duly slotting the penalty.
With just a seven-point lead, the Sharks pushed hard to extend their advantage before the break and looked to have done so when captain on the night Bismarck du Plessis barged over from the back of a driving maul, but referee Jonathan Kaplan ruled that there had been obstruction.
It took a while for the second half to get going, but as the rain abated, so the match was eventually sparked into life by a piece of individual brilliance from fullback Riaan Viljoen.
He dummied and stepped his way through the defence before spinning over to score the Sharks’ third try.
Oelschig got three points back for the home side with another penalty soon after, but Keegan Daniel, one of several replacements who came on early in the second half, then quickly secured a brace of tries to seal the result.
Kings flanker Boetie Britz and Sharks utility back Paul Jordaan would score a late try each, though.
The Kings have been promised inclusion in next year’s Super Rugby competition and have identified recruitment as the key to ensuring their readiness for the souther n hemisphere showpiece, but it’s certainly going to require a mighty effort from them to be competitive.
However, the Port Elizabethbased franchise will undoubtedly have a better idea of where they stand after playing all five of South Africa’s Super Rugby sides over the last few weeks.
Meanwhile, the Sharks will head into their season-opener against the Bulls feeling that they are ready for the tournament proper to at last get underway.