Marcel Coetzee and Bismarck du Plessis celebrate the Sharks first Currie Cup success since 2010

by Paul Cook –

It was a case of sweet revenge for the Sharks in last weekend’s Currie Cup Final. Having lost the 2012 decider to Western Province in front of their home crowd in Durban, they upset the form book to triumph 33-19 at a packed Newlands Stadium and spoil the Cape Town faithful’s 12 year wait for a title victory on their own turf in the process.

Unbeaten all season, Western Province came into the game on the back of a comprehensive win over the Lions in the semi-final and in the knowledge that they had already beaten the Sharks twice in 2013 but the visitors arrived with a game plan designed to disrupt their hosts possession, force them onto the back foot with a barrage of kicks and then take the points at every opportunity. They executed it to perfection.

Head coach Brad McLeod-Henderson said after the match that they had learned from those two earlier losses against the same opposition and also praised the efforts of Springbok stars Willem Alberts, Tendai ‘the Beast’ Mtawarira and Jannie du Plessis who returned from injury to take their place alongside fellow internationals Patrick Lambie, Francois Steyn and Bismarck du Plessis in the starting line-up.

“Physically we imposed ourselves and the guys just stood strong on defence,” said McLeod-Henderson. “We arrived here as the underdogs but we remained focused on what needed to be done. We were well-prepared and after having lost to WP twice during the league stage we knew what was needed to win today. We brought several Springboks back for the match and we were very fortunate to have been able to call on them. They all showed pure class today.”

Damien de Allende goes in for Western Province but it proved to be their only highlight in defeat

A bitterly disappointed Western Province captain Deon Fourie, conceded that his side had been out-thought and out-manoeuvred on the day. “Their kicking just put us under so much pressure and at most times they kept us in our half,” he said. “They contested well and they turned the ball over in the right areas. We have to give credit to the game plan that the Sharks settled on for this match. They were just outstanding in all departments.”

The Currie Cup’s appeal shows no signs of abating and the magnificent Newlands Stadium was positively throbbing to the sounds of almost 49,000 raucous fans at kick-off, meaning the premier club match of South Africa’s season drew more people than any Super Rugby game played on Australian soil in 2013. We can but dream.

The Sharks had said in the build up that they intended to take the game to Western Province and they were as good as their word, forging a 10-0 lead inside the opening 5 minutes. Patrick Lambie set them on their way with a penalty before scrumhalf Charl McLeod anticipated a crossfield pass as the hosts attacked, to intercept and race a full 60 metres, giving Lambie an easy conversion.

If the boisterous home crowd were in shock, it didn’t translate to their heroes on the field as Western Province regrouped to hit back with a try of their own within 3 minutes. The fact that it came off the back of a dominant scrum against a pack containing the current Springbok front row only fuelled their celebrations as they wheeled their more vaunted opponents around, possession was snaffled at the back of the Sharks’ disintegrating eight and inside centre Daniel de Allende profited to step his way through to the chalk. Game on.

Lambie wasted a chance to extend the Sharks lead 10 minutes later when he missed a fairly conventional penalty by his high standards after Eben Etzebeth was pinged for collapsing a maul, but the diminutive flyhalf was back on target a couple of minutes later when given another opportunity after Western Province infringed under pressure once again.

A high shot on Demetri Catrakilis in the 25th minute allowed the pivot to dust himself off and reduce the arrears but the Sharks responded directly from the restart when Western Province failed to deal with the kick, the Sharks forwards piled in and created a platform for Lambie to strike a long range drop goal.

Sharks scrumhalf Charl McLeod celebrates his second, game-sealing try

Another attack from the hosts in the 29th minute brought a further penalty but with Catrakilis ready to line up for the posts, his captain Deon Fourie made a huge call to kick for touch instead, especially given the Sharks ascendancy at the lineout to that point. The decision wasn’t vindicated as Western Province knocked on at the put-in and when referee Jonathan Kaplan – officiating the last match of his career – awarded another penalty in the 33rd minute, it was no surprise when Fourie gave Catrakilis the green light to bring it back to a 3pt ball game at 16-13.

Two missed penalties in the final five minutes before half-time let an ill-disciplined Western Province off the hook but a wobbly Lambie slotted a third attempt to send his side to the sheds 6pts in front and by far the happier team.

The two kickers then exchanged penalties within the opening 5 minutes of the restart before the Sharks thought that they had scored a vital second try in the 47th minute. Catrakilis misfielded a pass from the back of a ruck and was double teamed – and inadvertently knocked out – by a combination of Bismarck du Plessis and the superb Pieter-Steph du Toit, giving the Sharks possession.

Springbok Willem Alberts was at his
rampaging best throughout the match

They sucked in defenders before shifting the point of attack and a superb long, looping pass from Francois Steyn gave the flying Lwazi Mvovo the space to glide home. However, replays showed that du Plessis was offside at the ruck before chasing down Catrakilis and the try was ruled out and play brought back. None of which helped Catrakilis who was subsequently escorted to the sideline in some distress and took no further part.

Despite that setback, the Sharks adhered to their successful gameplan with ruthless efficiency, applying incessant pressure on Western Province, forcing them to play in their own half, turning them around in defence and keeping the scoreboard ticking over, another textbook Lambie drop goal making it 25-16 after 50 minutes.

Catrakilis’ replacement Kurt Coleman hit back with a 54th minute penalty but the hosts were really struggling to settle into any kind of rhythm. Given the counter attacking threat they now possessed through the likes of Coleman and Gio Aplon, they seemed all too eager to kick when they had possession, leading to anxious grumbles amongst the nervous Newlands faithful.

Those grumbles turned into groans when the Sharks struck again, Bismarck du Plessis and Willem Alberts combining to break the Western Province line before they swung the ball wide for Lambie to get within 2 metres and the supporting McLeod pounced to dive in for his second. Lambie dragged the conversion wide meaning 11pts had now gone by the wayside off his boot and despite holding a healthy 30-19 lead with only the final quarter to play, they should have been well out of sight.

Staring down defeat, Western Province finally started to go for broke and open up and use their runners, Coleman in particular looking a serious threat, but the Sharks were like men possessed, throwing themselves into every tackle and thwarting every raid as if their lives depended on it. Lambie rubbed salt in the wound with a final penalty in the 78th minute and by that time, the famous old stadium had borne witness to an exodus of home fans left to rue a day that just never seemed destined to be theirs.

They will be hoping it isn’t another 12 years before they get to witness a home final again.

Sharks 33 (Charl McLeod 2 tries; Patrick Lambie con, 5 pens, 2 dgls) bt Western Province 19 (Damian de Allende try; Demetri Catrakilis con, 3 pens, Kurt Coleman pen)

Crowd: 48,876