Sharks impress in opening match
The Sharks got their 2019 Super Rugby campaign off to a comfortable start with their 35-point win in Singapore.
Games like these tend to be banana skins but the Sharks put in a professional shift against a game Sunwolves side that promised more than they could deliver.
The Sharks forwards put in an impressive shift and gave the backs the platform for them to showcase their skills in hot and humid conditions.
The bonus point was secured with not a lot of difficulty and put the Sharks in a decent position ahead of Saturday’s home game against the much-improved Blues.
However, the Sunwolves gave as good as they got for the better part of the first half, especially after former Southern Kings centre Shane Gates scored a wonderful eighthminute try after Hayden Parker’s chip-kick caught the Sharks defence napping.
The visitors’ generosity ended there as the Sharks’ superior forward power started to show.
Hooker Akker van der Merwe rumbled over from close range in the 16th minute and the sides were squared at 10-all after Robert du Preez and Parker had traded conversions and penalties.
The Sharks showed better cohesion between backs and forwards, even though passes didn’t quite stick but when S’busiso Nkosi and Daniel du Preez crossed the whitewash in the 37th and 34th minutes respectively, the Sharks had muscled in on proceedings and made sure their physical presence left its indelible mark.
The hosts at times matched the Sharks for enterprise but in the grunt stakes, they didn’t have the requisite response.
The Sharks ended the game as a contest in the 46th minute when Makazole Mapimpi scored in the left-hand corner to make the score 31-10.
The 21-point buffer allowed the Sharks to weather intermittent spells of pressure before responding with the body blow that rendered the hosts’ hard work null and void. If the Sunwolves entertained faint hopes of another comeback, they were snuffed out by Van der Merwe’s second try from another rolling maul before replacement centre Jeremy Ward scored the sixth try.