Sharks dine on Griffons

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The Sharks shook off a slow start to overhaul Currie Cup Premier Division newcomers the Griffons at Kings Park on Saturday.

The hosts turned the screws in the second half to claim a bonus-point victory. This after a brave start gave Griffons an early 10-point advantage.

But courage wasn’t enough to sink the Sharks who had too much in the tank after the break, coming away 32-16 winners in Durban.

Well-organised and steady in possession during the opening minutes, Griffons were rewarded for their patience when outside centre Carel-Jan Coetzee showed great pace and footwork to burst away for the visitors’ first try.

Griffons went down to 14 men for 10 minutes when winger Granwill Matthys tripped Sharks winger Yaw Penxe, and the hosts instantly responded with a try from hooker Fez Mbatha.

Scrumhalf Jaywinn Juries’ penalty extended the visitors’ lead to eight points, but persistent pressure from the Sharks resulted in a second try for Mbatha with the score 13-10 in favour of the men from Welkom heading into the break.

Juries opened the scoring in the second half with another penalty, but that was the last time Griffons put the score-keeper to work in this one.

Two quick-fire tries from inside centre and captain Murray Koster and replacement flanker Damon Royal gave the hosts the lead for the first time.

A 58th-minute try from replacement prop Khutha Mchunu and a penalty off the boot of replacement flyhalf Bradley Davids 10 minutes later, put the Sharks 32-16 up.

The remainder of the match went scoreless as it came to an underwhelming end that finished even worse for Griffons when replacement No 8 Ludio Williams was shown red for a dangerous cleanout on the 80-minute mark.

Photo: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images

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