DURBAN, July 6 (Reuters) – The Sharks kept their Super Rugby
playoff hopes alive with a 32-10 drubbing of the Bulls in their
South African derby at Kings Park on Friday.
The bonus-point win lifted the hosts to sixth in the
standings with one round left. The top six contest the playoffs.
The Sharks had not played a competitive match since June 2,
when Super Rugby went in to a three-week break during the
international season, but showed no sign of rustiness and ran
the ball whenever they could to chalk up four tries in front of
a 29,515 crowd.
“”I’m proud of the way we played,” said captain Keegan
Daniel. ““We knew we had to stop their lineout drives and we did
well to kill their ball at source.”
The Sharks took the lead in the 12th minute when burly
hooker Bismarck du Plessis forced his way over for a converted
try after a bulldozing run.
The Pretoria-based Bulls hit back with a penalty from
flyhalf Morne Steyn before Sharks centre Frans Steyn restored
the home team’s seven-point buffer with a massive 54-metre
penalty.
The Sharks grabbed their second try in the 26th minute when
wing JP Pietersen darted over in the right-hand corner for a
converted score.
Flyhalf Frederic Michalak then kicked a penalty to hand the
home team a commanding 20-3 lead at halftime.
The second period began as the first had started for the
Sharks and after four minutes forward Daniel spun his way out of
a tackle to crash over in the left-hand corner.
Continued…
