Winger Sibongile Novuka scored a hat-trick of tries as the Vodacom Bulls held on to beat the Sharks in a Currie Cup match at Kings Park on Friday.
The Bulls survived a late onslaught from the Sharks to come away with a 24-20 bonus-point victory in Durban.
An early penalty from Sharks flyhalf Fred Zeilinga opened the scoring before Novuka dotted down to put the visitors in the lead.
The Bulls stretched the advantage to 19-3 with a try from hooker Jan-Hendrik Wessels followed by Novuka crossing for his second strike before half time.
The Sharks pushed back in the second half, winger Phikolomzi Sobahle scoring shortly after the restart before a second Zeilinga penalty cut the Bulls’ lead to just six points.
Novuka’s third try provided breathing room for the Bulls, but Sharks replacement halfback Zee Mkhabela scored their second try to make it a four-point ballgame.
Fending off multiple waves of Sharks attack, the Bulls were rewarded for their defensive efforts when a side entry from the hosts and subsequent penalty signalled the end of the game.
The Vodacom Bulls defence holds on to hand them a 24-20 win over the Cell C Sharks in the #CurrieCup ? pic.twitter.com/mlGdJrKUNS
— SuperSport ? (@SuperSportTV) April 14, 2023
Photo: Darren Stewart/Gallo Images