Griquas beat tryless Sharks
Griquas struck a vital blow by beating the Sharks 22-15, keeping the Durban side tryless in Kimberley on Saturday.
It is a significant result for the home side who started the match at the bottom of the Currie Cup standings, and will come as a valuable boost following their victory over the Golden Lions in Johannesburg last week.
Both teams showed plenty of attacking intent from the outset, spreading the ball and looking for some space out wide, but the defences held firm in the opening exchanges so they had to be content with trading penalties.
Griquas were controlling possession well, and had the visitors under pressure in their own 22 with some enterprising play which was rewarded when all-action flank Marnus Schoeman forced his way over from a driving maul to score the opening try.
The Sharks hit back through a second penalty from Meyer Bosman after Schoeman had played the ball on the ground, but Griquas responded with one of their own when Sharks prop Dale Chadwick went down at a scrum near halfway.
Neither team was prepared to be bullied in the physical exchanges, and there was a considerable amount of niggle off the ball which made the atmosphere even more tense.
The teams would exchange penalties again to send the Griquas into the break with a 16-9 advantage at the end of the half in which they enjoyed the benefit of the wind at their backs.
Griquas have had some difficulty backing up their strong first-half performances this season, and the table-topping Sharks would have been determined to test that frailty after a frustrating first half which left them with some work to do.
The visitors started the second half with purpose and they drew first blood when Bosman knocked over his fourth penalty after another infringement on the ground by Schoeman, and the Sharks came within one when he followed that up with another shortly afterwards, but the Griquas earned themselves some breathing space when Brummer opened their second half account with his fourth penalty which made it 19-15.
The teams threw everything at each other in a tense period of play which saw both sides create pressure without being able to convert it into points and although the Sharks thought they had struck the killer blow when Louis Ludik glided over with eight minutes left, they were called back for obstruction and the try was disallowed.
That gave the Griquas an important boost and they stormed onto the front foot in an attempt to make the game safe, and Brummer duly obliged by knocking over another penalty which gave his side the crucial seven-point buffer that they would hold until the final whistle.
Man of the match: Griquas flyhalf Francois Brummer did not miss a kick at goal and controlled the game well to guide his team to victory.
The scorers:
For the Griquas:
Try: Schoeman
Con: Brummer
Pens: Brummer 5
For the Sharks:
Pens: Bosman 5
Teams:
Griquas: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Luzuko Vulindlu, 13 Jean Stemmet, 12 Walter Venter, 11 Rocco Jansen, 10 Francois Brummer, 9 Marnus Hugo, 8 Leon Karemaker, 7 Wesley Wilkins, 6 Marnus Schoeman, 5 Martin Muller, 4 Rynhardt Landman, 3 Lourens Adriaanse, 2 Ryno Barnes (captain), 1 Steph Roberts.
Replacements: 16 Simon Westraadt, 17 Ivann Espag, 18 Frikkie Spies, 19 Justin Downey, 20 Jacques Coetzee, 21 Marnitz Boshoff, 22 Richard Lawson.
Sharks: 15 Louis Ludik, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Paul Jordaan, 12 Meyer Bosman, 11 S'bura Sithole, 10 Riaan Viljoen, 9 Charl McLeod, 8 Keegan Daniel, 7 Jean Deysel (captain), 6 Jacques Botes, 5 Anton Bresler, 4 Jandre Marais, 3 Wiehahn Herbst, 2 Monde Hadebe, 1 Dale Chadwick.
Replacements: 16 Pieter Dixon, 17 Julian Redelinghuys, 18 Peet Marais, 19 Francois Kleinhans, 20 Brynard Stander, 21 Cobus Reinach, 22 Marius Joubert.
Referee: Lesego Legoete
Assistants: Jaco Peyper, Francois de Bruin
TMO: Shaun Veldsman