Sharks stun defending champs Cheetahs in Bloemfontein

THE SHARKS raided Bloemfontein for a famous Currie Cup win on Saturday, downing the reigning champions 25-20 to close the gap on the leaders in the competition.

The Sharks suffered narrow losses in their first three games but are undefeated in their last four and have fought their way into play-off contention.

It was a fiercely contested match between two teams on the rise. It was 3-3 after 15 minutes and at the 20-minute mark, it was the Sharks who scored the first try when Lionel Cronje stabbed a kick through the defence for Yaw Penxe to chase, gather and score.

Penxe was just warming up. From the restart, he intercepted a Cheetahs pass on the Sharks’ 22m line and sprinted to the poles to score, and suddenly the visitors were leading 15-3.

The Sharks enjoyed good game management from halfbacks Cronje and Jaden Hendrikse, and a pleasing sight was the latter making a try-saving tackle on burly hooker Corne Fourie.

FULL-TIME. #CarlingCurrieCup #CHEvSHA pic.twitter.com/4dQdvsNGNm

— The Sharks (@SharksRugby) August 17, 2024

Fourie had the last laugh, though, when he scored two minutes before half-time from a driving maul. It was a timely score and it got the Cheetahs back into the game.

But the Sharks had the last say in the half when Cronje kicked a post-hooter penalty for an 18-10 lead.

There was a potential game-changing moment 10 minutes into the second half when Sharks flank Tino Mavesere was yellow-carded for a professional foul, and within a minute, the Cheetahs scored via replacement hooker Vernon Paulo, who went over off the back of a maul.

With 10 minutes to go, Sharks replacement fullback Tiaan Swanepoel was yellow-carded, and not long after, Cheetahs flyhalf Ethan Wentzel galloped 50 metres for a crucial try in the corner – but it was not to be the winning score.

That honour went to Sharks wing Eduan Keyter. The former Griquas flyer burst through the defence from a line-out move and finished superbly.

Earlier in the day, Golden Lions flank Renzo du Plessis scored a hat-trick of tries at Ellis Park, where Western Province perished 41-22.

The Lions outscored the visitors by five tries to three in their bonus-point win to keep them breathing down the neck of the Blue Bulls at the top of the standings.

On Friday night, the Bulls survived a second-half Pumas fightback to win 40-24, thus maintaining their unbeaten run in the Currie Cup.