Sharks edge Griquas in dire affair
MATCH REPORT: The Sharks held on for a 13-6 win over the Griquas in Round eight of the Currie Cup in Kimberley on Wednesday.
* To recap all the action CLICK HERE!!!
After suffering two back-to-back losses in their previous outings, the KwaZulu-Natalians bounced back to beat a determined home side in a tough tussle played in the Northern Cape.
The Sharks went into the halftime break with a four-point advantage following a converted try and a penalty goal, while the home side replied with two successful penalty kicks.
Sharks hooker Fez Mbatha grabbed the only try of the match when he dotted down after a lineout mall, while Joaquin Diaz Bonilla added the extras.
The Sharks pivot also hit the target later on with an easy penalty goal attempt.
The Argentinean Test player scored the only points of the second half when he succeeded with a late penalty goal from under the posts taking the final score to 13-6 for the visiting team.
Flyhalf George Whitehead kept the hosts within striking distance with his two first-half penalty goals, however, the Peacock Blues would be disappointed with the several spilt opportunities, especially in the opening half.
They launched several attacks on the visiting try-line, but each time they came away empty-handed. It was as a result of committing crucial errors when more patience was needed and also solid defence by the black and white jerseys.
The second half was a real arm wrestle, with neither side able to gain the outright advantage. However, Bonilla had the final say when he easily kicked over his 76th-minute goal attempt to seal a tightly contested match.
Man of the match: Joaquin Bonilla was one the standout performers and his boot proved to be the difference. However, our nod goes to Wiehahn Herbst who was solid in the pack and help his team get the front foot ball.
The scorers:
For the Griquas:
Pens: Whitehead 2
For Sharks:
Try: Mbatha
Con: Bonilla
Pens: Bonilla 2
Yellow card: James Venter (Sharks, 35 – Deliberate offside)
Teams
Griquas: 15 Rynhardt Jonker, 14 Munier Hartzenberg, 13 Sango Xamlashe, 12 Alex-Zander du Plessis, 11 Luther Obi, 10 George Whitehead, 9 Johan Mulder, 8 Sibabalo Qoma, 7 Hanru Sirgel, 6 Niel Otto (captain), 5 Derik Pretorius, 4 Mzwanele Zito, 3 Janu Botha, 2 Simon Westraadt, 1 Eddie Davids.
Replacements: 16 Gustav du Rand, 17 Kudzwai Dude, 18 Andries Schutte, 19 Johan Retief, 20 Michael Amiras, 21 Stefan Ungerer, 22 Ashlon Davids, 23 Christopher Hollis.
Sharks: 15 Yaw Penxe, 14 Lloyd Koster, 13 Marnus Potgieter, 12 Jeremy Ward, 11 Curwin Gertse, 10 Joaquin Bonilla, 9 Cameron Wright, 8 Celimpilo Gumede, 7 Dylan Richardson, 6 James Venter (captain), 5 Hyron Andrews, 4 Ruben van Heerden, 3 Wiehahn Herbst, 2 Fez Mbatha, 1 Dian Bleuler.
Replacements: 16 Dan Jooste, 17 Khwezi Mona, 18 Lourens Adriaanse, 19 Corne Rahl, 20 Olajuwon Noah, 21 Thembelani Bholi, 22 Bradley Davids, 23 Jean Smith.
Referee: Adriaan Jacobs
Assistant referees: Jaco Kotze, Local
TMO: Egon Seconds
