The Sharks scored four tries to earn a valuable bonus point when they beat the Lions 33-3 in Durban at the Absa Stadium on Saturday. The victory took the men from Durban into second place on the Super 14 points table and kept alive their hopes of hosting a home semifinal in two weeks’ time.
The table-topping Canterbury Crusaders, who lost 15-6 to the ACT Brumbies earlier on Saturday, are still in first place with 41 points, a single point ahead of the Sharks.
”After what’s happened in the last 24 hours, we were desperate for the five points. It means a lot to us,” said Sharks captain John Smit. ”It’s a congested log with a number of teams still in the race, and we’re still taking it one week at a time.”
The Auckland Blues are in second place with 37 points, followed by the Northern Bulls, also on 37, but the Pretoria side are 17 points worse off in the points-difference table.
A five-point haul by the Sharks against the Western Stormers in Cape Town in their final game will ensure they stage one of the two semifinals.
Should they win and the Crusaders lose to the Chiefs, the Sharks will end on top of the standings.
The Sharks outscored the Lions four tries to none in an error-ridden encounter in Durban on Saturday. A big chunk of the game was played with light rain falling on the field, while at one stage there were fears action would be halted after a nasty hailstorm rained down on the stadium.
The home side dominated the first half, racing into a 19-0 lead before the Lions ended the first half with a penalty through fullback Earl Rose.
Percy Montgomery opened the scoring with a three-pointer after two minutes before Frans Steyn knocked over a 50m attempt and then Montgomery slotted his second on 15 minutes to give the Sharks a 9-0 lead.
Then, with 10 minutes to go to the break, Sharks winger JP Pietersen scored the first of his two tries to make it 14-0. Five minutes later he crossed again after receiving a perfect pass from Smit.
Changing over 19-3 up after the Rose penalty, the Sharks extended their lead close on 60 minutes when hard-working flanker Jacques Botes found space to burst through the defence after a good drive from the line-out, with the conversion by Montgomery making it 26-3.
The Sharks earned their bonus point for scoring four tries with 12 minutes to go when Botes scored his second on the right-hand side of the in-goal area after a Lions scrum feed was turned over by the powerful Sharks scrum. Montgomery added the extras to make it 33-3 for the Durban men.
The Sharks end their round-robin fixtures against the Western Stormers in Cape Town next weekend. The Lions complete their up-and-down campaign against the Cheetahs at Ellis Park in Johannesburg. — Sapa-AFP