Durban - When the sweat had settled on the Sharks’ sticky but sweet 35-20 Currie Cup victory over Western Province, coach Etienne Fynn was full of praise for a pair of almost forgotten Springboks that starred at Hollywoodbets Kings Park.
Flyhalf Curwin Bosch overcame a nervy start to steer the Sharks to a bonus-point win while No 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe had an exceptional game, especially given that it was his first rugby since he was seriously injured in June last year.
Fynn, a former Sharks and Springbok prop, eloquently said: “The game drivers are the musicians and everybody else are the instruments, and when the guys owned that in the second half (it was 13-13 at the break) then we got a performance.
“Curwin: had an early miss at goal and then he settled and started controlling the game with his kicking. All in all, he ticked the boxes for his first game back in a while. Some of his touch kicks were magnificent and he will go from strength to strength.”
“Notshe was out for eight months, so to give a performance like that is a massive credit to him plus it is testimony to his dedication and hunger to get back on the field, and it is also credit to the excellent medical team at the Sharks. He deserves all the praise he gets for that performance.”
Before Notshe’s horrific knee injury last year, he was in superb form and there was much talk of a recall to the Boks for the series against the British and Irish Lions.
Fynn said that while the No 8 deserves all the credit for playing so well, this is no time to get carried away.
“Notshe will know that one swallow doesn’t make a summer. He needs to put together a string of these performances, and he is emotionally mature enough to know that.”
Yellow cards played a significant role in the game, with the Sharks scoring 15 points when WP flyhalf Tim Swiel was in the bin for a high tackle, while in the first half, Province scored a try when Yaw Penxe was in the bin after being harshly carded for a tackle in which he reeled in the ball carrier from behind and smashed him into the turf.
It looked dangerous but replays showed that it was a perfectly legal tackle but referee Griffin Colby had not referred the incident to the TMO and carded Penxe in a reflex action.
Asked about it, Fynn chose his words carefully: “I am not going to comment on the yellow card decisions but I do think that Yaw’s clip is self-evident and sometimes I feel we need to err on the side of rugby rather than be PC (politically correct).