At Kings Park in Durban, the Sharks defeated the Harlequins by a score of 39-31 to earn extra points in their Champions Cup match. The hosts appeared to be in jeopardy when they were relegated to 13 players and the visitors closed the gap to one point, but Boeta Chamberlain’s late try clinched the victory.
It was a first for December rugby in South Africa, and the English players, accustomed to temperatures closer to freezing point, were assailed by an east coast summer, with the thermometer hanging in the mid-30C range all week and the game being played under similarly warm conditions.
The Springbok-inspired Sharks, captained by Siya Kolisi and backed by a formidable pack, dominated the Harlequins in the scrums and even stole a few lineouts to disrupt the high-quality ball they are so adept at scoring from.
Last month’s United Rugby Championship loss to Cardiff by a score of 35-0 led to the dismissal of the Sharks’ popular coach, Sean Everitt. As a result, the Sharks have had a turbulent few weeks. Neil Powell, the newly hired director of rugby and former Springbok sevens coach, has assumed the role of the head coach and faced a baptism of fire in his first appearance in the new league, which now includes three South African sides.
In late November, the Durban club fired their popular coach Sean Everitt mid-competition following a 35-0 home loss to Cardiff in the United Rugby Championship. It has been a turbulent couple of weeks for the team. Former Springbok sevens coach and newly hired director of rugby Neil Powell had a baptism of fire on his first trip in the new league, which now includes three South African sides.
Although Quins arrived in Durban riding a four-game Premiership winning streak, they will depart the sweltering coastal city with the knowledge that they were in a titanic chase for the whole of the encounter.
Josh Bassett’s try in the opening 10 minutes, scored when Quins exploited space out wide from an offensive lineout, demonstrated their attacking determination despite the oppressive conditions, and they never relented.
Bongi Mbonambi scored a lineout mauling try for the Sharks, and Curwin Bosch added his touchline conversion to tie the game. A penalty and a second try from Bok wing Makazole Mapimpi, who sliced through a throng of defenders, extended the home team’s lead to 10 points.
After a strong scrum allowed Mapimpi to attack down the blindside, he scored his second try before Quins scored a rolling maul touchdown to trim the deficit to 22-14 at halftime.
With the Sharks beginning to impose dominance at scrums, Quins found themselves under siege and conceded a fourth try to Werner Kok, who scored after winning a wonderfully executed kick-chase fight to the try line.
As the game entered its last quarter, the Sharks lost two front-rowers. First, Mbonambi was cautioned for persistent infringement, and then prop Ox Nché was ejected for colliding head-on with Jack Walker.
But despite playing with 13 men, it was the home team that struck next, with Bosch converting a penalty before André Esterhuizen, a former Shark, found ample space on the wing.
Moments later, Esterhuizen scored his second try, and with 10 minutes remaining, it was a six-point game; nevertheless, another touchdown in the corner made it a one-point game, despite the Sharks’ return to 14 men.
With the possibility of an away victory, Harlequins’ morale would have been lifted; however, the home team won the match with a minute remaining, the fullback Chamberlain scoring a try under the posts to seal the victory.
One Sharks supporter was disappointed with the outcome because Quins brought their aggressive brand of rugby.
Nick Maritz stated, “Quins have several excellent players, and the Sharks will have to play well if they want to win this game.” “Unfortunately, Quins by 10.”
Peter Fitzsimmons, a visiting Harlequins supporter, was not surprised by the outcome. He stated, “I thought we were going to lose by 15 or 20 points when you consider United Rugby Championship performances, the conditions, and home advantage, but the game went both ways and I would have taken a one-point loss in the end.”
Harlequins head coach Tabai Matson said, “We have given them too many penalties and opportunities, and good sides take them, so we were frustrated when we rolled into the changing room because we had squandered a chance.”
We lost our opportunities to play our game during the game, therefore debriefing the game will be frustrating.”
