Sharks bring WP back down to earth
MATCH REPORT: The Western Province’s experiment proved to be a costly affair as the team suffered their first Currie Cup defeat of the season on Sunday.
The Western Province team laden with six debutants in the 23-man matchday squad failed to record their third successive victory and went down 7-20 to an experienced Sharks side.
*To recap all the action CLICK HERE!!!
The Sharks completely dominated the fixture and outscored the WP three tries to one.
Debutant Phikolomzi Sobahle and Yaw Penxe (2) were the try-scorers for the Sharks, while Duncan Saal got the five-pointer for WP.
The windy conditions proved a challenge for both teams and the home side opened the scoring.
Instigated by a 50-22 by Bradley Davids, the Sharks set up a line-out which saw the backline and forwards work together before Fred Zeilinga’s long pass found Yaw Penxe, who crossed the line in the corner.
The Sharks kept the scoreboard ticking with a penalty by Zeilinga, 8-0 after 20 minutes of play.
Another moment of brilliance by Sharks scrumhalf Davids set up Phikolomzi Sobahle for the hosts’ second try.
The Sharks were well in control of the match, while the WP struggled to find their rhythm.
The Capetonians finally got on the board in the 27th minute. Godlen Masimla’s box kick, which was horribly misjudged by Marnus Potgieter, made sure Duncan Saal dived over the line.
Kade Wolhuter added the extras for the seven points.
Minutes later the Sharks prop Fex Mbatha crossed crossed the line, however, he was in touch and the score remained 13-7.
The Sharks were in much better form as they looked more assertive. They enjoyed 64 percent of the possession and took a 13-7 lead at the break.
The second half was a little bit more subdued with kicking dominating most of the half.
The deadlock was finally broken following a comedy of errors by the WP’s defence. A head clash between Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Masimla saw both failed to collect the ball and Penxe had no problem picking up the loose ball and strolled over for his second try of the match.
Zeilinga added the extras for the 20-7 lead.
While Western Province were dominant in the final stages, they could not convert that into points as the home team held out for the win.
Man of the match: He played only 65 minutes but the Sharks scrumhalf Bradley Davids did really well. He executed his box kicks nicely, and set up a couple of team tries. Yaw Penxe also deserves a mention for his brace and efforts. However, our nod goes to Sharks flank James Venter, who added the much-needed physicality to the Sharks pack. He was a menace at the breakdown and defended incredibly well.
The scorers:
For Sharks:
Tries: Penxe 2, Sobahle
Con: Zeilinga
Pen: Zeilinga
For Western Province:
Try: Saal
Con: Wolhuter
Teams:
Sharks: 15 Yaw Penxe, 14 Phikolomzi Sobahle, 13 Murray Koster (captain), 12 Francois Venter, 11 Marnus Potgieter, 10 Fred Zeilinga, 9 Bradley Davids, 8 Henco Venter, 7 Thembelani Bholi, 6 James Venter, 5 Reniel Hugo, 4 Corne Rahl, 3 Khutha Mchunu, 2 Fez Mbatha, 1 Khwezi Mona.
Replacements: 16 Jason Alexander, 17 Dian Bleuler, 18 Marco Palvie, 19 Hyron Andrews, 20 Dylan Richardson, 21 Tiaan Fourie, 22 Lionel Cronje, 23 Alwayno Visagie.
Western Province: 15 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 14 Duncan Saal, 13 Juan de Jongh (captain), 12 Bruce Sherwood, 11 Fazeel Robertson, 10 Kade Wolhuter, 9 Godlen Masimla, 8 Keke Morabe, 7 Junior Pokomela, 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 Gary Porter, 4 Connor Evans, 3 Sazi Sandi, 2 Siyabonga Ntubeni, 1 Ali Vermaak.
Replacements: 16 Andre-Hugo Venter, 17 Leon Lyons, 18 Lee-Marvin Mazibuko, 19 Dylan de Leeuw, 20 Louwan Horn, 21 Armand Maritz, 22 Labib Kennemeyer, 23 Edward Coulson.
Referee: Christopher Allison
Assistant Referees: Local
TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen
