DAVID SHAPSHAK, Durban | Sunday 5.00pm
THE Blues came from behind in the last quarter to beat the Sharks 30-19 at Absa Stadium in Durban on Sunday.
The Sharks looked the better of the two after each start, and held the lead until 13 minutes before the end.
But the Blues fought back in the final quarter, running in two tries and collecting four points to move up to fourth place on the log with 28 points.
Fullback Adrian Cashmore had kept his team in contentions, scoring all their first half points through a converted try and a penalty. Named man-of-the-match, the All Blacks fullback’s final tally was 20 points. The scores were level at 10-10.
The bottom-of-the-table Sharks can only blame themselves for slipping into their all-too familiar pattern of fading in the second quarter of each half. This is their seventh loss in nine starts, with only one win and a draw.
The Sharks stormed into the lead in the fifth minute as they dominated the opening quarter.
Chad Alcock scored a perfect scrumhalf’s try, darting away from his flank from a scrum in the Blues’ 22. Gaffie du Toit converted, adding a penalty.
But after 30 minutes, the home team’s ascendancy in the half waned and the Blue increasingly had the upper hand – much of it from
Cashmore ran through numerous defenders untouched from the halfway line after collecting a pass from Joeli Vidiri, who made 25 metres of his own. Cashmore converted, adding to his earlier penalty.
The Sharks came out strong again after the restart and were unlucky not to have scored on several occasions.
Du Toit slotted a penalty, which Cashmore equalised, then Du Toit sent two more through the uprights to make it 19-13
But the Blues brought on all their substitutes in the final quarter and turned the tide.
Cashmore added a penalty, then Vidiri rounded off a ranging run that began in the Blues half. Cashmore converted to take the lead for the first time with 23-19.
Craig Dowd burst over from loose play and Cashmore converted.