Cheetahs sneak scrappy arm-wrestle
MATCH REPORT: The Cheetahs put their Currie Cup campaign back on track with a hard-fought 7-5 win over the Sharks in a scrappy affair at the Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium, in Clermont, a suburb of Durban.
The low-scoring affair will not be remembered for its rugby quality, but rather for the drama.
No.8 Neels Volschenk scored the Cheetahs’ only try in the first half, for a 7-0 lead, while prop Phatu Ganyane replied for the Sharks with 15 minutes remaining.
Sharks captain Nick Hatton said he was ‘proud of the fight’ his team showed in a game in which 20 turnovers and 15 penalties – a substantial number of those in the scrums.
Cheetahs captain Victor Sekekete bemoaned the high error count and his team’s inability to finish off the numerous opportunities they had in the Sharks’ 22.
* To recap all the drama, CLICK HERE!
* Article continues below …
It was a nervous start, with both teams failing to capitalise on their early opportunities.
Just past the 10-minute mark, the Sharks were penalised several times close to their line, which resulted in a stern talking by the referee about repeat offences in the red zone.
In the 15th minute, lock Corne Rahl was yellow carded for illegally collapsing a maul.
From a subsequent line-out flank Neels Volschenk charged over, and wing Ntokozo Makhaza added the conversion for a 7-0 lead.
The penalty count continued to mount against the young Sharks outfit, with their rate of turnovers conceded also alarmingly high.
It was more than 30 minutes before the Cheetahs were penalised, but almost immediately the home team coughed up possession again.
A second ‘warning’ by the referee followed another line-out offence and a match in which the home team’s naivety was on full display.
However, the Sharks managed to avoid further damage and went into the break just seven points down.
The second half started much like the first, the Sharks playing with vigour and then conceding a penalty at a crucial stage, only to end up defending inside their 22.
Like most of the first half, the game evolved into a scrappy arm-wrestle.
With the Cheetahs unable to use their opportunities, the Sharks’ confidence grew and a couple of penalties gave them a line-out five metres out. After a few phases prop Phatu Ganyane barged over to finally put points on the board for the home team. Flyhalf Vusi Moyo was wide of the mark with the conversion, 5-7 with 13 minutes remaining.
The restart was a horror show for the Sharks, resulting in a scrum and a penalty to the visitors. Two penalties later the Sharks won a turnover just metres from their line.
This now became the pattern, the Sharks defending their line like demons and winning turnovers.
As the clock wound down, both teams became increasingly frantic and a lot less clinical – the Cheetahs holding on for the win..
Man of the match: The Sharks’ best backline players were Bradley Davids and Phiko Sobahle, with Nick Hatton and Lee-Marvin Mazibuko also productive. The best Sharks player was flank Tino Mavesere, ho won some crucial turnovers in the second half and made 21 tackles. Cheetahs forwards Neels Volschenk, Sisonke Vumazonke, Daniel Maartens and captain Victor Sekekete all put in big shifts. My award goes to another hard-working Cheetahs forward Juan Venter, the lock winning the most crucial steal of the game, when he pinched a line-out in the dying seconds as the Sharks started to look threatening.
The scorers
For the Sharks
Try: Ganyane
For the Cheetahs
Try: Volschenk
Con: Makhaza
Yellow card: Corne Rahl (Sharks, 15 – repeated offences, illegally collapsing the maul)
Teams:
Sharks: 15 Jaco Williams, 14 Phiko Sobahle, 13 Diego Appollis, 12 Marnus Potgieter, 11 Yaw Penxe, 10 Vusi Moyo, 9 Bradley Davids, 8 Nick Hatton (captain), 7 Matt Ramao, 6 Tino Mavesere, 5 Corne Rahl, 4 Gideon Koegelenberg, 3 Lee-Marvin Mazibuko, 2 Jacques Marais, 1 Phatu Ganyane.
Replacements: 16 Willem van den Hever, 17 Simphiwe Ngobese, 18 Dian Heunis, 19 Coetzee le Roux, 20 Jannes Potgieter, 21 Ceano Everson, 22 Jean Smith, 23 Albie Bester.
Cheetahs: 15 James Verity-Amm, 14 Ntokozo Makhaza, 13 Carel-Jan Coetzee, 12 Franco Smith, 11 Banie Britz, 10 Clayton Blommetjies, 9 Jandre Nel, 8 Neels Volschenk, 7 Sisonke Vumazonke, 6 Daniel Maartens, 5 Victor Sekekete (captain), 4 Juan Venter, 3 Frankie Dos Reis, 2 Vernon Paulo, 1 Cameron Dawson
Replacements: 16 Louis van der Westhuizen, 17 Hencus van Wyk, 18 Aranos Coetzee, 19 Thabang Mahlase, 20 Gideon van der Merwe, 21 Rewan Kruger, 22 Ali Mgijima, 23 Ethan Wentzel
Referee: AJ Jacobs
Assistant referees: Paul Mente, Phumzile Mbewu
TMO: Egon Seconds
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* Picture credit: @SharksRugby
