On the bright side, the Sharks ‘win’ Super Rugby
Sean Everitt's troops come out tops in a thrilling derby as they finish top of the log before the tournament's suspension.
Try time for Makazole Mapimpi of the Cell C Sharks during the Super Rugby match between Cell C Sharks and DHL Stormers at Jonsson Kings Park Stadium on March 14, 2020 in Durban, South Africa. (Photo by Gordon Arons/Gallo Images)
If you want to look on the bright side, the Sharks will end Super Rugby – suspended from next week onwards due to the coronavirus pandemic – top of the overall log with a bruising 24-14 victory over the Stormers at Kings Park on Saturday.
The players surely would’ve known by kick-off that they’ll be inactive for months, but it didn’t reflect in the intensity of this derby.
On balance, the Durbanites deserved their victory for winning the important battles.
They enjoyed the majority of possession, won the breakdown battle and had the better of the Stormers’ Springbok-laden scrum.
Yet there were flutters in the Sharks camp in the final quarter as they struggled to turn their dominance into points as the Capetonians scored two tries on the counter, with eighthman Juarno Augustus prominent.
In fact, he was outstanding.
But the Sharks’ squeeze eventually allowed Makazole Mapimpi to pounce on a tighthead at the final scrum, who broke away on the blindside for the clinching score.
In the greater scheme of things though, it doesn’t quite matter.
Point scorers:
Sharks – Tries: Aphelele Fassi, Makazole Mapimpi. Conversion: Curwin Bosch. Penalties: Bosch (4).
Stormers – Tries: Herschel Jantjies, Paul de Wet. Conversions: Damian Willemse (2).
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