Sharks clinch a bonus point win at Cheetahs

THE Sharks had to revert to 19th-century rugby to beat the Cheetahs yesterday but at least the wheels of their Super Rugby campaign are moving again.

Flanker Marcell Coetzee bagged a double from lineout drives, while Frans Steyn and former Saracens winger Jack Wilson contributed one each to the bonus point win.

Against the Cheetahs you know the mistake is coming. It then becomes a question of what you do about it when it does. A lot like a batsman who waits for the bad ball to scoop for a six.

That’s how the Sharks went about dismembering the hosts. They weren’t blinded by a red mist or on a foolish revenge quest after their bitter openinground defeat at home to the Cheetahs, no.

Within the opening 10 minutes, Steyn burrowed through three defenders to touch down under the sticks to start the engines.

Prior to kickoff and the warmup, coach Gary Gold had the players in a huddle in the middle of the park, barking instructions and pointing directly to the areas of the field where they needed to play.

It was a rare sight in this day of walkie-talkies. He must have told them to cut out the fluffy stuff because not long after the first try the Sharks brought the tough, grown man stuff. After winning a penalty from a Jean Cook infraction, the Sharks went for a lineout with just over 10 minutes left in the first half. They set a strong drive to the line with Coetzee, who eventually dotted down, in control at the back of the alligator’s tail.

They repeated the trick four minutes later and suddenly the Cheetahs found themselves 22-3 down, wondering where the first half disappeared to. Meanwhile, Coetzee celebrated a second try of the match and a fourth of the competition.

They visited the Cheetahs’ danger area three times and took three tries in the first half. That is economy at its best and that is why the Hurricanes top the Super Rugby overall log — they discovered the trick first.

It might have looked like you were teleported back to a rugby match in the late 1800s, but it was effective for a Sharks team desperate to arrest their steady slide.

Pat Lambie showed, among other things, that he could play in a deeper role too — almost a cross between flyhalf and fullback. He covered often for the tangential SP Marais at the back and kicked with actuarial accuracy off hand.

The dominant scrum would have pleased Gold, especially after it was emasculated by the Stormers in Cape Town last weekend. No doubt the reunion of the Springbok front trident of Beast Mtawarira, Bismarck and Jannie du Plessis had the biggest influence.

Counterattacking is the Cheetahs’ drug but the problem with addiction is that it makes you forget your staple needs like defending, rucking and set piece play in pursuit of the next high.

The home side were made to go cold turkey by a strong Sharks defence last night, bar a late Francois Venter try.