Nutshell: Hat-trick hero Lwazi Mvovo leads Sharks to win

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

• Coach Robert du Preez certainly seems to have found the solution to the holes left by Pat Lambie and Curwin Bosch. Mvovo was excellent under the high ball at fullback and showed he has lost none of his finishing ability with a hat-trick of tries. Garth April was assured at flyhalf and constantly probed the defensive line, to good effect.
• 21-year-old S’bu Nkosi continues to suggest he is going to be a superstar as his second Super Rugby start brought him two tries – both set up by intercepts by the impressive Lukhanyo Am at outside centre. Nkosi also did some great work on defence and his ability to read the game is excellent.
• Going into the last five minutes, the Sharks looked as if they were sleepwalking as the Sunwolves were constantly threatening to cut the 17-21 deficit. But from another solid scrum, replacement eighthman Tera Mtembu burst clear, followed by a lovely run by replacement hooker Franco Marais. It in turn led to replacement lock Etienne Oosthuizen offloading well and Mvovo fighting through two tacklers to score and make the game safe at 26-17.
• The Sharks showed that they can certainly play wonderful, ball-in-hand rugby, but they need to add a measure of composure and accuracy to their efforts. A top-class side will surely punish them if they have a 30-minute ‘flat’ period against them.

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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