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| Andre Esterhuizen |
The Sharks beat the Blue Bulls 48-40 at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday to cement their place in the Currie Cup semi-finals.
The Durbanites finished the season in fourth and will play the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein next week as they look to defend the title they won last year.
The result also means the Golden Lions will host the Griquas in Johannesburg in the second semi-final.
The Blue Bulls, meanwhile, finish the competition in sixth-place after a rather meager campaign.
The match was shaped in large part by the red card shown to Johnny Kotze for a high shot on Kobus van Wyk just before the interval.
The Bulls No 13, who had earned his side’s first try, was rightly sent off by Rasta Rasivhenge with his team leading 21-20.
The men in black made the most of their numerical advantage in the second-half in spite of a stoic showing from the Bulls.
Both sides were boosted by the return of a number of Springboks, with the likes of Lizo Gqoboka of the Bulls and the Sharks’ Andre Esterhuizen and Thomas du Toit bagging tries.
The first-half was an evenly-contested and open affair, with both outfits showing a real willingness to attack.
The Bulls started well, scoring tries through Kotze and Gqoboka to put them ahead despite two penalties from Sanele Nohamba.
A Manie Libbok effort, sandwiched between scores to du Toit and Jacques Vermeulen, kept the Bulls narrowly in front before Kotze saw red.
Esterhuizen dotted down soon after as the visitors led 27-21 at halftime.
Tries to Jeremy Ward and van Wyk earned the Sharks a bonus-point before Cornal Hendricks hit back for the hosts.
A Ruan Steenkamp score narrowed the deficit but Rhyno Smith finished off a neat chip and chase from Boeta Chamberlain to all but end the contest.
Tim Agaba crashed over after the hooter to add more respectability to the scoreline as his men bowed out.
Scores:
Blue Bulls –
Tries: Kotze, Gqoboka, Libbok, Hendricks, Steenkamp, Agaba
Cons: Libbok (4), Isaacs
Red card: Kotze
Sharks –
Tries: du Toit, Vermeulen, Esterhuizen, Ward, van Wyk, Smith
Cons: Nohamba (5), Smith
Pens: Nohamba (2)
Teams
Blue Bulls – 15 Divan Rossouw, 14 Cornal Hendricks, 13 Johnny Kotze, 12 Dylan Sage, 11 Rosko Specman, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Ivan van Zyl (c), 8 Tim Agaba, 7 Wian Vosloo, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Andries Ferreira, 3 Wiehahn Herbst, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Lizo Gqoboka.
Subs: 16 Corniel Els, 17 Dayan van der Westhuizen, 18 Conraad van Vuuren, 19 Jean Droste , 20 Ruan Steenkamp, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Vaughen Isaacs, 23 Stedman Gans.
Sharks – 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Kobus van Wyk, 13 Jeremy Ward (c-c), 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Boeta Chamberlain, 9 Sanele Nohamba, 8 Tera Mtembu (c-c), 7 Jacques Vermeulen, 6 Phepsi Buthelezi, 5 Hyron Andrews, 4 Ruben van Heerden, 3 Coenie Oosthuizen, 2 Kerron van Vuuren, 1 Thomas du Toit.
Subs: 16 Dylan Richardson, 17 Mzamo Majola, 18 John-Hubert Meyer, 19 Gideon Koegelenberg, 20 Andisa Ntsila, 21 Cameron Wright, 22 Rhyno Smith, 23 JP Pietersen.
Written By Shaun Goosen for Hollywoodbets
