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Curwin Bosch took a last-gasp penalty in injury time as the Sharks pulled off a thrilling 34-33 victory over Griquas in Kimberley on Friday.
What a game, what a kick and what a result for the Sharks. Having erased a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter, the Sharks would have thought it was a done deal.
But Griquas snatched that lead in the last minute of the game when Tinus de Beer nailed a penalty. But their joy was short-lived as super substitute Sbu Nkosi secured possession for the Sharks from kick-off and after a few phases the visitors won a penalty and Bosch stepped up and split the posts to seal a dramatic victory. for your team.
The contest was tighter than expected and was completely entertaining. With the Sharks clearly on the lookout for a four-shot bonus point victory to stay in the title fight, Griquas successfully defeated them with a tough defense in the first half; but the visitors found a way to pierce that stingy defense several times in the second half.
Also, aside from the Sharks’ excellent tactical kicking game, in particular disputable kicks from Sanele Nohamba and Curwin Bosch, Griquas had the advantage in scrums, lineouts and on the ground. But Griquas’s downfall was his poor decision making and high error rate in the final quarter of the match.
One player who was a constant thorn in the flesh of the Sharks was Gideon van der Merwe. The Griquas’ open flank was a breakthrough threat, excellent in defense and equally effective in attack in open play, as evidenced by their try and try-assist.
De Beer’s flawless performance in scoring was also crucial, especially considering his inclusion in the 11th hour following the late retirement of captain George Whitehead.
The Sharks didn’t do it all their way, but it’s a testament to their quality that they were able to get the job done despite not shooting full blast.
After De Beer put Griquas ahead with a penalty, the visitors would score a try against the game’s progress when Thembelani Bholi came out from deep to prepare Nohamba for the first try of the match on the other side of the court. field. But De Beer added to successive penalties to put his team up 9-7 at halftime.
The game opened in the second half, when the teams combined to score six attempts. However, it was all Griquas in the 20 minutes after the restart, as they outscored the Sharks three to one with wings Ederies Arendse and Eduan Keyter, as well as Van der Merwe, all scuttling down the test line.
But the Sharks changed gears and turned the game around in the final 15 minutes. Trailing by 13, they regained dominance when captain Jeremy Ward and replacement flank Dylan Richardson broke Griquas’ fractured defensive line, while Bosch succeeded with both conversion attempts to put the visitors in front by a point.
But that was not the final twist. The roller coaster continued as De Beer and Bosch exchanged those two late penalties to close out the game.
Griquas – Attempts: Ederies Arendse, Eduan Keyter, Gideon van der Merwe. Conversions: Tinus de Beer (3). Penalties: De Beer (4).
Sharks – Attempts: Sanele Nohamba, Manie Libbok, Jeremy Ward, Dylan Richardson. Conversions: Curwin Bosch (4). Penalty: Bosch (2).
Griquas – 15 Masixole Banda, 14 Ederies Arendse, 13 Harlon Klaasen, 12 Johnathan Francke, 11 Eduan Keyter, 10 George Whitehead (c), 9 Zak Burger, 8 Johan Momsen, 7 Stefan Willemse, 6 Gideon van der Merwe, 5 Cameron Lindsay , 4 Adre Smith, 3 Ewald van der Westhuizen, 2 HJ Luus, 1 Mox Mxoli.
Subs: Monde Hadebe, Andrew Beerwinkel, Madot Mabokela, Carl Els, CJ Velleman, Theo Maree, Tinus de Beer, Daniel Kasende, Bandisa Ndlovu, Ewan Coetzee, Ashlon Davids.
Sharks – 15 Anthony Volmink, 14 Yaw Penxe, 13 Jeremy Ward (c), 12 Marius Louw, 11 Madosh Tambwe, 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Sanele Nohamba, 8 Phepsi Buthelezi, 7 Thembelani Bholi, 6 James Venter, 5 Hyron Andrews, 4 Ruben van Heerden, 3 John-Hubert Meyer, 2 Kerron van Vuuren, 1 Ox Nche.
Subs: 16 Dan Jooste, 17 Mzamo Majola, 18 Khwezi Mona, 19 JJ van der Mescht, 20 Dylan Richardson, 21 Cameron Wright, 22 Manie Libbok, 23 Sbu Nkosi.
Photo: Gallo Images
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