Sharks do just enough to keep the Lions at bay in opener

The Lions showed tremendous heart as they kept coming back from the hits before eventually being foiled by a scrum penalty five metres from the Sharks line after the final hooter, giving the home side a 19-16 win in the opening Super Rugby Unlocked match at Kings Park in Durban on Friday night.

It’s a horrible way to lose after captain Elton Jantjies had elected to go for the win at 16-19 down when the Lions were given a penalty deep inside the Sharks 22. It was made even worse by the irony of ironies that the Sharks had been under pressure in the scrum all night.

Thomas du Toit and Ox Nche struggled to handle the pressure exerted on them by Sti Sithole and Carlu Sadie, and with the Sharks lineout also a bit hit-and-miss in breezy conditions, it deprived the Sharks of a vital platform for their attacking intent.

The Sharks opened the match with the sort of ball-in-hand continuity and expansive play that made them such hits in proper Super Rugby earlier this year, but their supercharged play lost momentum after the first quarter.

They had raced into a 13-0 lead in the first half-hour as Lukhanyo Am, surely one of the best outside centres in world rugby, combined superbly with livewire flank Phendulani Buthelezi to send Werner Kok racing down the left touchline to score.

But this current Lions side, in a rebuilding phase, showed that even if they lack the electrifying skills of the side that took them to three successive Super Rugby finals, have enormous grit and are willing to scrap for whatever they can get.

Under the calm leadership of Jantjies, and with their pack cutting off the Sharks set-piece supply and successfully slowing down the flowing game they prefer, they very nearly stole the spoils at Kings Park.

Scorers

Sharks – Try: Werner Kok. Conversion: Curwin Bosch. Penalties: Bosch (4).

Lions – Try: Jamba Ulengo. Conversion: Elton Jantjies. Penalties: Jantjies (3).

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