Sharks pushed hard by brave Pumas outfit
WHILE the final score was flattering and the Sharks were not perfect, when they needed to turn on the heat, they did so efficiently to defeat the Pumas 34-17 in their Currie Cup rugby clash in Durban last night.
The Pumas did not have enough in their tank but their tenacious performance has the makings of a team that will surprise one of the big outfits.
The one-point half time deficit was not indicative of the Pumas’ domination at the collisions. They looked and played like an outfit that primed them- selves on not only giving the Sharks a fright, but backed themselves to take the points on a cool Durban night.
It is one thing taking on the Sharks physically, but that is what the Pumas did, and their first try, scored by lock Frikkie Spies in the fourth minute from a rolling maul, was an example of that.
It seemed like the Sharks were caught in two minds: when they saw the ball, they went forward but not with much purpose.
They spent a considerable amount of time in the Pumas 22 without doing much and their lack of ideas was sig- nified by Fred Zeilinga’s attempted drop goal, which spiraled left of the uprights.
Pat Lambie’s introduction in place of Zeilinga had a marked difference in the Sharks approach in the second half. It seemed to galvanise his forwards, who suffered because of Zeilinga’s inept tactical kicking.
The Sharks launched their second half comeback with a superb try from fullback SP Marais, but the Pumas responded promptly, snuffing the little momentum the home side garnered from the 41st minute try. They suffered the ignominy of watching the Pumas take the lead in the 48th minute, when the feisty Pumas number eight Renaldo Bothma burst through a weak Tonderai Chavhanga tackle to dot down in the corner.
It was the kick up the backside the Sharks needed and their forwards stepped up to the plate, scoring tries from the rolling maul through Jacques Botes, Tera Mtembu and Monde Hadebe.
Scorers: Sharks 34: tries: SP Marais, Jacques Botes, Tera Mtembu, Monde Hadebe; conversions: Fred Zeilinga, Pat Lambie (3); penalties: Zeilinga (2) Pumas 17: tries: Frikkie Spies, Renaldo Bothma; conversions: Justin van Staden, JC Roos; penalties: Roos