The return leg of the Sharks vs Pumas Currie Cup match was played in Nelspruit on Friday the 8th of September.
The home side opened the scoring through a try by Ruwellyn Isbell after quick hands from the backline set him up for a try.
After an array of phases, Sbu Nkosi scored in the 24th minute when a skip pass from Curwin Bosch met the hands of Nkosi for an easy try.
The Sharks lacked discipline as they conceded a yellow card while one of their players was already in the bin. The Sharks started the second stanza with 13 players on the field. JP Lewis scored in the 46th minute for the Sharks but the Pumas shifted the game and led by 10 points in the 65th minute, 25 – 15.
Robert du Preez made wholesale changes to try to bring more security to the game, and the tactic worked as Wian Vosloo scored from a driving maul to cut the deficit to three points after Garth April slotted the conversion, 25 – 22.
The last five minutes saw riveting play as the Sharks needed a score as the Pumas defended for dear life, but enter Garth April the locksmith who unlocked the Pumas defence before he offloaded through a chicken wing pass for Ryno Benjamin to score. But April failed to convert the try, and it was a two point game with 180 seconds left, 27 – 25.
The Sharks hoisted the ball into Puma territory and the Pumas set up phases in an attempt to find the whitewash. The Pumas reached their seventh phase in the Sharks 22 but an obstruction cost them a penalty after 80 minutes handing the Sharks a hard earned victory from the jaws of defeat.
