Once again the Sharks have left Atlantic Park in Witbank red-faced after the Pumas beat the visitors 30-13 on Saturday. The Pumas led 20-6 at the break.
In-depth analysis would show all kinds of complicated reasons for the Sharks’ demise. However, it was obvious that the Pumas, superbly led by flyhalf Marius Goosen, won because they did the basics better and used their try-scoring opportunities. No frills, no fuss.
On the other hand, the Sharks lacked an enforcer in the AJ Venter mould upfront and were too casual and without direction at the back. Their scrums and line-outs were also put under immense pressure by the home team.
The team’s brains-trust must surely be worried. It took their team almost 70 minutes to score a try against a team that let through quite a few at Newlands last week. When centre Grant Rees went over, it was too little too late for the Sharks. In fact, it was all over for the Sharks when centre Adrian Jacobs was red-carded for a punch five minutes earlier.
The Pumas sealed their well earned victory three minutes after Rees’ try when right winger Giscard Pieters scored from a ruck close to the Sharks’ line.
Early in the game, a crunching cover-tackle on the corner-flag by Henno Mentz on Sasha Marot in the fifth minute saved a certain try for the Pumas.
Moments later, however, Goosen broke through two attempted tackles by the Sharks for his side’s first try. He duly added the two points. Like last year at Atlantic Park, the Sharks were with their backs to the wall early in the game.
Towards the end of the first half, the Pumas got their second try, almost as easy as the first one, when Goosen simply popped a short pass to centre Dale Heidtmann, who ran over without a hand being laid on him.
The Sharks tried hard to get on the score board, bar flyhalf Conrad Barnard’s 31st minute penalty goal, but fluffed the one scoring opportunity after the other in the Pumas’ 22, either by handling errors or wrong options.
Scorers: For the Pumas: Tries by Marius Goosen, Dale Heidtmann, Giscard Pieters. Conversions: Goosen (3). Penalties: Goosen (2). Drop-goal: Jacques Schutte. For the Sharks: Tries: Grant Rees. Conversion: Conrad Barnard. Penalties: Barnard (2). – Sapa