A gritty Hollywoodbets Sharks outfit capitalised on their opportunities to secure an all-important 25-20 victory over the Free State Cheetahs at Toyota Stadium in the seventh round of the Currie Cup on Saturday.
In a match that could have gone either way, it was the visitors who came up with answers when it mattered most to claim their best win of the season.
“It wasn’t the best rugby game to watch as a spectator, it was a bit scrappy,” said coach JP Pietersen.
“But that’s how it is when you want to win. Both teams went hard at each other, and just fortunately for us we took our opportunities, we played in the right areas. Fortunately for us, we’re on the right side of the scoreboard, and it shows the fight in the group. They showed today the fight and the care for each other.
“The contesting in lineouts was good, the scrums were good. The Cheetahs scored in the last seven minutes to be up. And then out of nowhere we also struck through Eduan Keyter through the middle and scored a try.
“Defensively we were good, there were no bonus point tries but it was a good rugby game for coaches to watch. It was a very technical game.”
A 73rd-minute yellow card to Sharks replacement Tiaan Swanepoel and subsequent try through flyhalf Ethan Wentzel pushed the hosts out to what seemed like an unassailable 20-18 lead with just a few minutes to go.
But the Durbanites immediately hit back with that Keyter scorcher to seal the win.
“Coming up to Bloem, we always knew what a fight we had on our hands, and I think it was going to take that 80-minute performance,” said Sharks Skipper Nick Hatton.
“Also, down to 14 men in that last 10 minutes, we knew we had to fight even more and just keep believing. I knew if we could get into their half and get an opportunity, we’d back ourselves to take it. We fought until the 80th minute and fortunately we got an opportunity that we could take towards the end.”
The Sharks are now fourth after leapfrogging the Pumas and trail the third-placed Cheetahs by three points heading into round eight.
