The Griquas concluded their home assignments in Kimberley in the Currie Cup with a hard-fought 26–17 win over the Sharks to push them to the summit of the standings.
With the strong wind behind their backs in the second half, Griquas bounced back from a 7–10 deficit at the break to see off a much-improved Sharks outfit.
Griquas will spend at least 21 hours at the top of the standings, with three matches still to be played in the fourth round of fixtures. However, they will now play their remaining Currie Cup matches away from their Diamond City fortress.
The Sharks, on the other hand, suffered their fourth successive defeat of the competition, with JP Pietersen’s team now still occupying the seventh position in the eight-team Premier Division. Only Western Province — with zero points — have had a worse start to the campaign.
But Pietersen would have been buoyed by his young team’s display, as they fought hard on the hard surface in chilly and windy conditions. Unfortunately, while playing against the strong wind in the second half, they were eventually blown away by the home team.
Junior Springbok flyhalf Vusi Moyo put the Sharks ahead with an early penalty. But the visitors were down to 14 men soon after when captain and No. 8 Nick Hatton was sent to the sin-bin for stopping Griquas from taking a quick tap close to their tryline.
Nippy Griquas scrumhalf Caleb Abrahams then went over from close range, with flyhalf George Whitehead converting from the kicking tee.
The Sharks, however, hit back with a try of their own when their scrumhalf Ceano Everson also went over from close range. Moyo slotted the conversion to put the Durban side back in the lead.
The Sharks’ discipline really let them down in the second half when flank Matt Romao was sent to the sin-bin for cynical play. Griquas then set up a maul close to the Sharks’ line, before Louwrens Oosthuizen barged over from close range.
But the Sharks refused to back off, and Diego Apollis put them back in the lead after showing a clean pair of heels to beat the Griquas defence on the hour mark.
But Griquas hit back almost immediately, with Dylan Maart scoring a brilliant try after a scorching run down the right touchline. Whitehead smartly converted from the touchline, as the lead changed hands again.
The Sharks would concede their third yellow card of the match six minutes from the end, with Jean Smith sent for an early shower after the team was penalised for repeated infringements.
Griquas then sealed the win a minute later when Cameron Hufke ran through the Sharks defence, and Whitehead added the conversion.
Point-scorers:
Griquas – Tries: Caleb Abrahams, Louwrens Oosthuizen, Dylan Maart, Cameron Hufke. Conversions: George Whitehead (3).
Sharks – Tries: Ceano Everson, Diego Apollis. Conversions: Vusi Moyo (2). Penalty: Moyo.
