Durban — The inclement conditions certainly played a part but this Currie Cup encounter was a turgid affair nonetheless and it was an endless avalanche of errors by the Sharks that saw the Cheetahs comfortably home 29-15.
It was the Free Staters’ sixth consecutive win in the competition and back-to-back losses for the Sharks who were poor beyond the excuse of the steady rain that fell from start to finish.
The game began with ten minutes of tentative sparring between the sides before Sharks loosehead prop Dian Bleuler was penalised at a set scrum and Ruan Pienaar stroked home three points after having fluffed an earlier attempt when the Sharks’ other prop, Wiehahn Herbst, had been penalised for a high tackle.
The Cheetahs’ second veteran and another ex-Shark, Frans Steyn, then stepped up to nail a long-range effort after the Sharks had been pinged at a ruck.
The sloppy play from the home team continued with the ball fumbled on the edge of their 22; a throw into the lineout going wayward, and then a scrum penalty going against them, and a thoroughly uninspiring opening quarter from the Sharks was capped with Steyn kicking his second penalty for a 9-0 lead.
It got even better for the cruising Cheetahs in the 22nd minute when a poor kick by Sharks flyhalf Tito Bonilla gave fullback Clayton Blommetjies the chance to run from deep and he cruised through the defence to set up flank Andisa Ntsila for a rampage to the line. Pienaar’s conversion meant his team was comfortably ahead 16-0 and you had the feeling plenty more was to come because the Sharks seemed unable to fire a shot.
But on the half-hour mark, they managed a penalty goal by Bonilla and that stirred some fire in their bellies and captain James Venter led the forwards on a series of pick-and-goes that culminated in a penalty and when Bonilla kicked to the corner, the pack propelled hooker Fez Mbatha over the line and the conversion closed the gap to 16-10 as half-time approached.
The Sharks’ newfound momentum grew when replacement Cheetahs prop Coenraad van Vuuren was yellow-carded for collapsing a maul. Captain Venter bravely went to the corner and again the Sharks scored via their hooker, this time Dan Jooste who had come on for Mbatha.
Bonilla fluffed the conversion attempt to leave the Sharks a point behind at 15-16 and then it was the Sharks’ turn to be penalised for pulling down a maul, and Pienaar stretched the lead to 19-15.
A series of handling errors by the Sharks gave the Cheetahs the territory and possession to force a penalty and it was their turn to kick to the corner and score maul try via prop Louis van der Westhuizen.
And when flank Gideon van der Merwe pounced on yet another botched pass by Bonilla to score, the Cheetahs were over the hills and far away.
Scorers
Sharks - 15: Try: Fez Mbatha, Dan Jooste. Penalty: Tito Bonilla. Conversion: Bonilla.
Cheetahs - 29: Tries: Andisa Ntsila, Louis van der Westhuizen, Gideon van der Merwe. Penalties: Ruan Pienaar, Frans Steyn (2). Conversion: Pienaar.
IOL Sport