The Sharks moved up to second in the Super 14 after a pair of second-half tries secured a 22-10 victory over the Queensland Reds on Saturday.
The South Africans touched down in the 63rd and 67th minutes, breaking a determined Reds defence that was put under relentless pressure.
”They really took the game to us in the second half,” said Reds fullback Chris Latham in a television interview. ”We couldn’t get our hands on the ball.”
The win allowed the Sharks to leapfrog the Auckland Blues in the table and move within eight points of the Canterbury Crusaders, with the South Africans having a game in hand on the leaders.
The Reds had the better of the first half but trailed to a converted try by wing Odwa Ndungane and a Stefan Terblanche drop goal.
The Australians levelled on the stroke of halftime when flanker David Croft went on a curving run from the 22m line to the right-hand corner, Clinton Schifcofske converting to add to an earlier penalty.
It was largely one-way traffic after the interval with Terblanche scoring a try after a sweeping move.
Four minutes later hooker Bismarck du Plessis powered over from a ruck on the Queensland line, replacement scrumhalf Rory Kockott converting. – Reuters