A tenacious Griquas side were under the whip for most of the game as they succumbed to a 22-40 defeat at the hands of the Sharks in their Currie Cup match in Kimberley on Friday evening.
Apart from being under early pressure when Griquas opened the scoring in the third minute with a try by centre Kyle Steyn, who made the initial break and then received the ball back from fullback AJ Coertzen via an outrageous overhead pass, the Sharks looked in control as they led 19-7 at halftime, a lead they stretched to 33-10 on the hour mark.
The Sharks used their rolling maul to get on level terms, inside centre Marius Louw scoring, and then their ability to strike from brokenfield ball saw them punish Griquas as outside centre Jeremy Ward went over for their second try, after scrumhalf Louis Schreuder countered off a kick and fullback Garth April and flank Keegan Daniel used their excellent footwork to take defenders out of the game.
Their lineout drive contributed again just before halftime as prop Ross Geldenhuys scored and the Sharks then took firm control of the game as Louw went over for his second try, straight through two defenders, in the 49th minute.
Who was the star in this match?
Scrumhalf Louis Schreuder was a well-deserved Man of the Match as it was he who really controlled the Sharks attack. Whether kicking, breaking or offering shrewd support play, he consistently made good decisions and his fingerprints were on many of their attacks.
Key moments and themes
Point scorers
Griquas – Tries: Kyle Steyn, Alvin Brandt, Wilmar Arnoldi. Conversions: George Whitehead (2). Penalty: Whitehead.
Sharks – Tries: Marius Louw (2), Jeremy Ward (2), Ross Geldenhuys, Keegan Daniel. Conversions: Curwin Bosch (5).
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