The Sharks lost by a solitary point (22 – 23) to Griquas at Absa Park in Kimberley on Saturday in week four of the Absa Currie Cup to relinquish their unbeaten record in the competition.
Last year, it took a last-gasp try by Ruan Pienaar to overhaul the deficit and win the game, and this week, he may have had the last word, converting a last-minute try.
But it wasn’t enough after Herkie Kruger had, moments before, sent a 60m penalty through the uprights to be the hero of his side’s efforts.
On a beautiful afternoon, with a cool breeze gently blowing through the stadium, the conditions were ideal for the Sharks to grasp the upper hand by imprinting their style of play on the opposition.
Teams have come to Kimberley with the best of intentions and left the Big Hole with their tails between their legs, denied by a tough, resolute home side who employs a brand of no-nonsense, slow-the-ball down style of rugby that is not so pretty as it is effective.
However, Griquas started impressively and used the width of the field to good effect as they kept the ball alive.
The opening try of the match went to the home side as they capitalised on a wild pass, with the kick and chase just beating the deadball line. They played a lot more adventurous rugby than they are known to, and it brought them good reward, scoring two first half tries, and denying the Sharks anything more than a solitary try.
The Sharks battled against a fired up home side who obviously take this kind of fixture very seriously; an opportunity to get one over their loftier opposition. The Sharks had the opportunity to level matters on the stroke of halftime with a good attacking movement being lost with some overzealous passing, and in the end,
they had to be content to trail by 14 points to seven at the break.
The second half started in similar circumstances to the first, with Griquas proving a tough nut to crack. Barnard stretched the lead with two penalties, and the 13 point margin started to look ominous for the Sharks as they battled to get into their stride.
However, one got the feeling that had they started to assert their game plan on the hosts, and were duly rewarded with a try by Warren Britz. A host of penalties conceded by both sides prevented any form of continuity as the Sharks tried manfully, but could not turn pressure into points.
Andries Strauss’s last-minute try was just reward for the team after sustained pressure, but it was too little too late with Griquas having done enough to score a hard-fought victory.
For the Sharks, Ryan Kankowski again had a very good game, with Steven Sykes also playing a prominent role, but the entire Griquas team defended like it was a final, and perhaps that was the difference in the end. – Sapa