ROB DAVIES, Johannesburg | Sunday 1.00pm.
THE Natal Sharks failed to capitalise on a brilliant first half performance in their semifinal Currie Cup rugby match at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, losing to a spirited Blue Bulls side 31-17 on Saturday.
The Bulls will now play Western Province in the final at Loftus next Saturday. The Sharks started the match at a terriffic pace, and were camped on the Bulls’ goalline for most of the first half, but excellent defence kept them from scoring more than one try in the half.
The Sharks, in fact, scored what looked like a certain try in the opening moments of the match when flanker Warren Brosnihan crashed over, but referee Andre Watson thought differently.
Gavin Lawless opened the scoring for the Sharks with a tenth-minute penalty, after which fullback Andre Joubert showed that he still has what it takes, scoring a great blind-side try in the fifteenth minute.
The Sharks went into the break leading 10-3, after a penalty by Franco Smith got the Bulls on the board.
After the break it seemed that all was lost for the Bulls when Joubert scored his second try, outpacing the Bulls’ defence with a strong run for the line. Lawless converted to put the Sharks 17-3 in the lead.
The Bulls kept trying, and errors by the Sharks led to series of penalties against them, giving Smith the chance to score the Bulls’ first try in the 58th minute. 11-17 Bulls. Another Smith penalty then took the score to 14-17. The scores were levelled in the 70th minute through another Smith penalty.
Flanker Nicky van der Walt put the Bulls in front in the 77th minute when Nicky van der Walt scored a try after Lawless lost the ball in a tackle, scrumhalf Joost Van der Westhuizen hacked the loose ball ahead, collected and sent the flanker over the line.
The Sharks were then completely ruled out of the match when referee Watson rightly awarded a penalty try to the Bulls after Lawless tackled van der Walt without the ball.
In Kimberley on Saturday Western Province made certain of their place in the final by trouncing Griqualand-West 27-11 at a wet and slippery Hoffe Park.
The men in the hooped jerseys could barely do anything wrong during the match, and won the match with their tremendous tackles and great ball control in all phases.
Possibly the greatest factor that counted for Province was the weather. The men from Cape Town looked completely at home in the wet, controlling the ball well and setting up mauls and second phase without difficulty. Griquas, on the other hand struggled badly, and could not come to terms with the conditions.
Province right wing Breyton Paulse scored the first try for province in the 12th minute when he gathered the ball after kicking it ahead from a loose maul. Province had a 19-3 lead at the break, after a penalty by Bok flyhalf Gaffie du Toit got Griquas on the board.
Hooker Charl Marais furthered the Province lead when he went over early in the second half after being fed a good ball by skipper Bobby Skinstad. 24-3 to Province.
Scrumhalf Dave von Hoesslin eventually managed a try for Griquas, but it was all to no avail as Province took the match through a Percy Montgomery penalty, which made the score 27-11.