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Marius Louw from Sharks and Harlon Klaasen from Griquas.
Images of Frikkie Kapp / Gallo
the Sharks managed to keep his hopes of Super Rugby Unlocked alive with a scorching final quarter that subjects a Griquas 34-33 in Kimberley on Friday night.
How it happened | Griquas vs sharks
Springbok’s replacement S’bu Nkosi proved his mettle on the final play of the game, brilliantly recovering a brief reboot from high-middle Curwin Bosch in injury time after the Durbanites apparently suffered an unexpected defeat when his counterpart Tinus of Beer kicked his fourth penalty after an effective mallet.
The Sharks then managed to maintain possession long enough for Griquas to make an agonizing error in a ruck and commit the decisive infraction.
Bosch duly launched himself to break the hearts of the hosts.
His kick really put the finishing touches to a laudable comeback effort where two attempts in three minutes finally proved crucial for the Sharks, who capitalized on the fragile mood of the winless home team when they got nervous after establishing a deserved lead, though surprising, 30-17. .
Starter Gideon van der Merwe had just rounded off a professional performance with the Peacock Blues’ third attempt of the night with a spilled ball at the lineout and they seemed keen to hold off the visitors as they spoiled the kickoff.
But, perhaps seduced by the resulting advantage, they chose to play the ball wide and hit themselves just after referee Griffin Colby nullified the advantage.
Sharks captain Jeremy Ward went from set pieces before Griquas’s defense collapsed from a fluid attack move, where No. 8 Phepsi Buthelezi made the decisive run before unloading super hooker Dylan Richardson.
It was all very difficult for the worthy hosts, who put aside their previous defensive problems and frustrated an overly adventurous and tactically naive team of Sharks in breakdowns.
De Beer punished the visitors’ indiscretions with three goal attempts to give Griquas a 9-7 lead at half-time, but they lacked punching power.
That changed in the second half as they gained ascendancy in the scrums and found their attacking verve, Van der Merwe fired through a gap after a patient build to prepare wing Ederies Arendse.
His teammate, Eduan Keyter, then ran a brilliant angle to exploit a right shoulder at the scrum.
However, the Sharks showed enough determination to stay in the game as the hosts proved the old adage that teams on a losing pace struggle to cope with match situations where they are suddenly in the lead.
Scorers:
Griquas – 33 (9)
Attempts: Ederies Arendse, Eduan Keyter, Gideon van der Merwe
Conversions: Tinus de Beer (3)
Penalties: De Beer (4)
Sharks – 34 (7)
Attempts: Sanele Nohamba, Manie Libbok, Jeremy Ward, Dylan Richardson
Conversions: Curwin Bosch (4)
Penalties: Bosch (2)
