The Grubber: Sharks start the their tour off with a win

The Cell C Sharks put in a dominant display in as their defeated The Highlanders in Dunedin, 42-20!

Captain Lukhanyo Am couldn’t have asked for a better 5oth Super Rugby cap as his men produced a performance from draw with five well-worked tries. Makazole Mapimpi, who’s probably the most in-form winger in world rugby at the moment, finished well for his two tries which followed Flanker James Venter’s opener.  Three tries, ten minutes before the end of the half really put the Durban outfit in a commanding position with a 27-3 half time lead.

Young fullback, Aphelele Fassi, put in a glittering showing with two incredible tries in the second stanza. A lot of Rugby fans on twitter are tipping him to replace Willie Le Roux in the Springbok jersey.  No pressure kid.  Those takes online are valid considering Fassi’s dominant showing that featured two tries and played a key part for Mapimpi’s first try.  Fassi ran the Highlanders of the pitch with his incredible ball skills and pace and both were well exhibited in both of his tries.

ALSO READ: How will SA teams fare in Super Rugby this year?

It’s a great start for South African teams’ battle against the Kiwi sides so far, with two wins in two (Stomers last week and Sharks today) and every Sharks fan will hope it continues on for the rest of the tour with matches against the Hurricans, Reds and Melbourne Rebels on the schedule.

The ‘Canes had a tough time against a tough Stormers pack and little off-the-ball clashes should be something they need to avoid for obvious disciplinary reasons.

The Sharks know better than to get carried away and will still need to put in a similar explosive performance against the men from Wellington. A minimum of two wins from four wouldn’t be a bad return due to how difficult it is for South African teams to perform well in Australasia.

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Historically, even for the Springboks, the travelling hours take their toll on players.

This week’s panel features two half-backs, Kelton Thunder and Westville Boys’ Old Boy, Kyan Braithwaite!

Kyan (Canterbury Rugby Club, UK) :  I’d definitely say it’s harder to get results. Definitely has a psychological effect on players – stemming from the travel, new training facilities, hotels, different time zones.  Loads of factors that put players out their comfort zones often results in lower performances.  I think the climate/weather also makes it difficult and teams would often change game plans to accommodate for this which limits continuity of structure etc throughout season

Kelton (Hillcrest Villagers) : Obviously travel is harder than being at home, however, I’ve head the coaches saying that youngsters actually get excited for travel as they go to places they haven’t been before.  The older guys don’t really like it because they have to leave their family behind (girlfriend, wives, children) for a couple weeks.  We have plenty young players, who should enjoy the travel, so we may be surprised with a few SA wins off soil.

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