TELFORD VICE, Durban | Monday 11.00am.
NO Henry Honiball, no matter – the Sharks swept to a consummate victory and in the process ensured they will contest next Saturday’s semi-final in front of their King’s Park faithful. The Natal side won handily 54-15.
Honiball was due to play his 112th and final match for the Sharks, but minutes before the kickoff he appeared on the field in shirt and trousers to announce that an ankle injury had forced a precautionary withdrawal with a view to the World Cup.
Rugby players do not ordinarily earn a standing ovation for simply turning up, but Henry Honiball is no ordinary player – as the crowd of almost 28000 proved as they stood and applauded him off the field.
Another pre-match surprise was the news that Andre Joubert had been relegated to the bench. However, it seems this was to rest the veteran fullback in deference to Natal’s preparation for the semi-finals. The absence of Natal’s most experienced two backline players showed for the first 10 minutes as the game Pumas held the advantage in terms of both territory and possession.
But the Sharks’ class shone through a minute later as Stefan Terblanche scored in the wake of an upfield surge featuring the likes of Gary Teichmann and Mark Andrews handling the ball with all the aplomb of a pair of seasoned threequarters.
From there all the Pumas were up to was a handful of halfhearted forays into enemy territory as Natal scored eight tries to two by conjuring up the same sparkling form which helped them achieve a record 65-29 win over Western Province a week ago.
Scorers:
Natal Sharks – Tries: Stefan Terblanche (2), Russell Bennett (2), Clinton van Rensburg, Nico Wegner, Ollie le Roux, Joe Gillingham. Conversions: Van Rensburg (7). Mpumalanga Pumas – Tries: Chaka Willemse, Conrad Stoltz. Conversion: Andries Fourie. Penalties: Fourie.