The Sharks register a second successive home victory in the Super 14 rugby championship at the Absa Stadium in Durban on Friday night as they beat the Waratahs 22-9. They landed four penalty goals and a drop goal to three penalty goals before scoring a try three minutes from the end.
The Australians were left with nothing to take home and must rue the four golden penalty goal chances that centre Peter Hewat missed — three of them in a row — as the Sharks kept ahead in a game that was fought as a tactical battle.
With too many penalties, no real pattern emerged, but when called upon the Sharks defended heroically — especially in the last quarter, when the Waratahs launched raid after raid with clever inter-passing and running by their potent back line.
But, one could almost say against the pattern, it was the Sharks who secured a midfield break that stretched the Waratahs to the limit and allowed flyhalf Butch James to crash over in similar style to his dramatic try against England at Twickenham.
It was a goal, four penalties and a sensational first-half drop-goal from Francois Steyn to three penalties by the Waratahs, who trailed 9-6 at the break. Steyn also kicked a penalty and Percy Montgomery slotted four penalties and the conversion of the try by James.
The Waratahs began breaking the Sharks midfield defensive line with some incisive breaks by centres Morgan Turinui and Peter Hewat, who landed a long-range penalty for a three-point lead for the Australians. However, two minutes later, Steyn did the same for the Sharks and it was level at 3-3.
After narrowly missing another long-range penalty attempt, Steyn thrilled the home crowd with a snap drop goal that split the uprights for a 6-3 Sharks advantage.
Wit the first quarter not producing any major fireworks, a stalemate was developing, but it was the Waratahs who all but struck gold when a handling error let the speedy Turinui through a defensive hole. Hewat missed two penalty chances and Percy Montgomery was also off the mark for the Sharks.
Twenty-six minutes into the game saw the Waratahs again miss out on the kicking game, and Hewat kicked wide from almost in front of the Sharks’ posts.
Eventually Hewat got it right and it was level at 6-6 with his second successful penalty goal. But on the stroke of half-time, Montgomery restored the three-point advantage at 9-6 with a second penalty goal for the Sharks in the half. After the break, Montgomery slotted another valuable three-pointer.
The Sharks survived an anxious moment or two as the Waratahs got within range of breaking the try drought before a third penalty to Hewat again had the balance of power in an evens situation. Wing Lote Tuqiri was bundled into touch in a rare raid, and from the resultant line-out the Sharks were away on the opposite side of the field only to be impeded and gain yet another successful penalty goal from Montgomery.
The fast-running Waratahs looked most likely to break the impasse with speedy breaks by their backs that set Hewat hurtling for the line only to knock-on when tackled by Adrian Jacobs.
Then, almost unexpectedly, it was the Sharks who got the only try of the match as Butch James rounded off one of their rare attacking moves with a score that denied the Waratahs a bonus point. Montgomery sealed matters with the conversion kick. — Sapa