DAVID SHAPSHAK, Durban | Saturday 7.00pm.
CATS captain Rassie Erasmus scored twice to lead his team to a 28-27 Super 12 victory over the Sharks in Durban on Saturday.
Flyhalf Louis Koen sealed the match, which the Sharks led 17-15 at the break, with an extra time penalty. It was memorable win in a three try apiece game that saw the lead swing five times between the sides in a fiery second half.
Eramsus scored his second try after a move that started on the Cats tryline and went through the hands of several backline players who stormed up the left of the field before being passed wide to the left by Koen. Chester Williams drew his man and offloaded to his skipper, who ran a tight angle across the defence to score what he later called “pure luck” try.B Leading 25-20, the game went down to the wire, as replacement Sharks flank Warren Brosnihan reclaimed the lead 27-25 with a converted try.
In the first half, Sharks and Springbok centre Pieter Muller opened up after six minutes with a try from penetrative running through the midfield set up by a 22m scrum. Clinton van Rensburg converted.
However, five minutes later the Sharks flyhalf missed a clear shot at goal but made amends with a sterling intercept try. Gaffie du Toit, recycled as a dangerous-running fullback, converted when he took over the kicking duties. He added a penalty in reply to one by Koen, slotted between the tries.
While the Sharks dominated the first quarter, the Cats came back in the second, as they would again after the break. Veteran Springbok centre Japie Mulder emulated his midfield colleague Muller by burst through for a try under the posts, converted by Koen.
Erasmus broke from a five metre scrum on half time to score his first, but Koen failed to convert for the 17-15 half-time score.
However, an early second half penalty gave the Cats their first lead, which Du Toit reclaimed with a trhee pointer of his own – until Erasmus scored his second.
After this, in the last 15 minutes, both teams turned up the tempo with dangerous runs but their respective defences held. Until a penalty gave Koen the chance to seal it.
Although it will restore the Cats’ confidence after last week’s 64-0 pounding by the ACT Brumbies, both sides will struggle to make the play-offs. Saturday’s victors lie fifth from the bottom with 14 points, while the Sharks are second last with eight.
The Sharks face defending champions the Canterbury Crusaders next week for the first of six home games.
The game was soured by two sin-binning against cats players, Willie Meyer and Dean Hall, while Sharks lock Albert van der Berg was deserved named man of the match.