The Hollywoodbets Sharks XV outplayed the Blue Bulls 24-18 in the final round of the Currie Cup at a wet Hollywoodbets Kings Park on Sunday to extend their unbeaten run in the competition to seven games.
Dylan Richardson and Jordan Hendrikse each scored tries, while Siya Masuku added 14 points via the boot as the hosts came from 13-18 down in the final quarter to clinch victory.
READ: Third T20 International, Scotland vs Australia
With a semi-final at Loftus Versfeld between the sides already confirmed ahead of kick-off, this rain-soaked clash in Durban was used as an opportunity by both coaches to ready their players for the upcoming URC season ahead.
Said coach John Plumtree: “It’s always good to win your home games. We’re thankful to the crowd that came out on this wet afternoon on a Sunday, it was great to see a few people here.
“I was pleased with the way we gutsed it out; we were travelling behind for pretty much the whole game. There were some good things that we were working on through the pre-season, I was really pleased with the way they came through tonight.
“I was really pleased with the way the boys stuck at it. The Bulls are always a physical side, and we met that head-on. There’s still plenty of work to do, combinations there that hadn’t played before and a lot of boys had their first run. So it was a good start.
“There was a lot of pre-season rustiness in that performance, and hopefully there are some things we can iron out for next week.”
While it is a tad unusual to be using the business end of the Currie Cup as preparation for another competition, Plum believes it will be a positive for his squad.
“It’s certainly a different pre-season, but this is the semi-final in the second game of the season for some players. It adds a different edge to the [URC] pre-season which is nice, and puts us under a little more pressure which will be great when we travel overseas on tour.”
Papier scores a brilliant team try by the Vodacom Bulls 💥
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) September 8, 2024
Everything was perfect from the scrum to the finish 🏉
📺 Stream #CarlingCurrieCup on DStv: https://t.co/0P0NNhnwKw pic.twitter.com/lStwxAS1oL
