Sharks brutally impressive on tour

● When the Sharks went on tour, they wouldn’t have bargained on winning three out of four matches considering how badly SA teams have travelled in recent years.

That’s exactly what they’ve done after they clinically dismantled the Reds in Brisbane.

From the 20 possible points the Sharks could have collected on the tour, they have 12. That’s an excellent return by all accounts and one that sets up their SA leg of their Super Rugby campaign very nicely.

They weren’t able to collect bonus points in three of the four games they won, but on tour, winning is the main priority. The Sharks have more than achieved that and the manner of their Suncorp Stadium win was brutally impressive.

Sharks captain Lukhanyo Am, who scored the match-clinching try from an intercept, was understated in how the triumph was achieved. It was the Sharks’ first victory in Brisbane since 2015 and their first in three attempts against the Reds.

A great effort

“It was a great win, a great effort from the boys. Credit has to be given to the forwards because they put us on the front foot. We’re really happy with the results. It’s clear the Sharks are a team that travels well,” Am said.

The Sharks were put through the thresher in the first half where the Reds held the upper hand. Kerron van Vuuren scored the Sharks’ first try in the 14th minute from a rolling maul, but Reds wing Henry Speight responded for the hosts three minutes later.

The Reds were able to take the halftime break through a 28th minute Jock Campbell penalty, but the Sharks took the game by the scruff of the neck with Dylan Richardson’s 44th-minute try.

Tate McDermott kept the Reds within arm’s length with an opportunistic 50thminute try, but Curwin Bosch’s booming boot took over.

Bosch’s tackling is a debate each week, but his accurate kicking and match management is the best available in SA at the moment.

His 55th and 60th minute long-range penalties stretched the Sharks’ lead as the visitors decided to make the most of any ventures into the Reds’ half.

The Sharks’ defence though played a key role in strangling the Reds into mistakes. Two of those led to the Am and Madosh Tambwe tries that sealed the deal.