The Sharks failed to report for duty for most of the second half but still managed to beat the Sunwolves 38-17 in their Super Rugby match in Singapore on Saturday.
Playing impressive rugby, the Sharks led 21-7 at halftime.
But, in another case of their inconsistency all year, produced an unfocused second half that let the adventurous Sunwolves back into the match.
The Sharks were taken clear by three tries in the last six minutes, which earned them the bonus point.
Who was the star in this match?
The big difference for the Sharks was their physicality, which allowed them to gain numerous metres through the rolling maul, dominate the scrums and keep bossing the gain-line. Flank Jean-Luc du Preez was at the forefront of the Sharks effort, the obvious man of the match with his tremendous work-rate, power in the collisions and the use of impressive skills with nifty offloads.
Key themes and events
Point scorers
Sharks – Tries: Lwazi Mvovo (3), S’bu Nkosi (2), Ruan Botha. Conversions: Garth April (3), Benhard Janse van Rensburg.
Sunwolves – Tries: Takeshi Hino, Shuhei Matsuhashi. Conversions: Yu Tamura (2). Penalty: Jumpei Ogura.
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