The Beast goes on a rampage in decent Sharks victory

Humid conditions and all, the Sharks improved their handling and execution markedly to record a satisfactory 50-22 Super Rugby win over the Sunwolves in Duban on Saturday.

In an open game, Robert du Preez’s men managed to keep enough structure throughout to comfortably remain in control though there’s probably an argument to be made that they did slack off later in the second half.

That said, try machine Makazole Mapimpi made his mark at his new home with a brace of tries while various fringe members like hooker Akker van der Merwe delivered fine performances.

Du Preez had said during the week he wanted to test his depth and he was generally rewarded.

Who was the star in this match?

There were numerous members of the home side that put their hands up but the showing of a veteran named Beast Mtawarira simply had to be highlighted.

In more attritional games, the Springbok shows his worth by being a solid scrummer and defender yet in this one he showed that he still has the appetite to move all around the park.

Mtawarira made 10 tackes, ran 34m and beat defenders at will. It was a superb performance.

Key moments and themes

• The influence of new backline coach Dick Muir is starting to show. Naturally there’s still work to be done but there’s a new fluidity and skillfulness to the Sharks’ attack. They look for space, run good angles and keep momentum. The way a usually physical player like Andre Esterhuizen now off-loads is a great example. Muir and a stint in Japan is doing him good.
• The Durbanites will also be chuffed with the variety they showed in scoring their seven tries. There were nifty skip passes like the one Mapimpi snaffled, powerful tackle breaking from Van der Merwe and flanker Jacques Vermeulen and brilliant support play in No 8 Tera Mtembu’s try.
• Even if they lost intensity in the second half, the Sharks will be chuffed that they tackled well – 86% completion rate – and held up well in the set-pieces. At least they still did the basics well.
• While there will still be question marks over the legitimacy of the Sunwolves in this tournament, it’s pretty clear that they’re a much fitter side. They stay in the game for 80 minutes and definitely finished the stronger of the sides. But proven class remains the biggest snag.

Point scorers:

Sharks – Tries: Makazole Mapimpi (2), Akker van der Merwe, Tera Mtembu, Jacques Vermeulen, Sbu Nkosi, Cameron Wright. Conversions: Robert du Preez (5), Curwin Bosch. Penalty: Du Preez.

Sunwolves – Tries: Lomano Leleki, Yutaka Nagare, William Tupou. Conversion: Kotaro Matsushima, Ryoto Nakamura. Penalty: Harumichi Tatekawa.

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