The Sharks XV beat the Pumas 19-13 in a final round Currie Cup fixture in Durban on Friday night, but you had to feel for the Mpumalanga team that are trying to make the semi-finals, while the Durbanites were warming up senior players for the looming United Rugby Championship (URC).
There are three more Currie Cup games on Saturday that will determine the four teams for the playoffs.
The Sharks, who will likely finish third from the bottom of the Currie Cup, have got what they wanted out of the tournament.
There has been pain for their fans, but coach John Plumtree has a better idea of which youngsters are good enough to feature in the European competitions.
Also, his leading players have concluded their pre-season with a good hit-out against the game Pumas.
Unashamedly, the Sharks, Bulls, and Stormers have used the competition to develop talent while the Pumas, Griquas, Lions, and Free State have been going for glory.
Whatever your stance on the Currie Cup, it has been a two-month platform for emerging talent to state their case, while giving the aforementioned unions a trophy to play for.
Earlier in the afternoon, a Sharks Invitational team lost to Saracens in the curtain-raiser.
The London team have been in South Africa on a pre-season tour and have enjoyed a rewarding twinning programme with the Sharks.
In that game, Springbok Lukhanyo Am made a successful return from injury. Saracens fought back from 19-5 down to claim a 38-26 victory.
In the Currie Cup match, the first points were scored by Pumas flyhalf Clinton Swart, who kicked two penalties around the first-quarter mark for a 6-0 lead.
The Sharks were clearly trying things, as you would in a trials match, and we saw flyhalf Siya Mausku kicking a series of speculative cross-kicks to his wings, some of which came close to tries.
The match had its moments of incredulity. One of them was when the referee was annoyed when Pumas hooker Eduan Swart crashed into Masuku laughingly late, high, and armless.
It was a red card for all money, but the ref wagged his finger at Swart and said, “Be careful”, and then gave the penalty to the Pumas!
That said, the Pumas led 6-0 at half-time, and their opponents, packed with URC players, would have spoken about shaking off the rust and delivering a more clinical performance in the second half.
The Sharks scored first in the second half, via the industrious fullback Yaw Penxe, but the missed conversion attempt left it at 6-5 to the Pumas.
The Sharks took the lead when Phepsi Buthehezi came on at N o 8 and finished superbly.
The 12-5 lead did not last long.
The Pumas needed the win more to qualify for the semi-finals, and a good series of phases saw right wing Lundi Msenge score in the corner, and Swart convert for a 13-12 lead.
The Sharks took a winning lead after their best period of the game, with multiple phases propelling centre Francois Venter clear for the try. It was well deserved. Venter was the best player on the park and enjoyed several excellent line breaks.
Scorers
Sharks — Tries: Yaw Penxe, Phepsi Buthehezi, Francois Venter. Conversions: Siya Masuku (2).
Pumas — Tries: Lundi Msenge. Conversions: Clinton Swart. Penalties: Swart (2).
