Sharks topple Leinster in dramatic Durban showdown
by Craig Taylor · KickOffThe Sharks have won their United Rugby Championship clash against Leinster 26-20 in Durban on Saturday in a match that went to and fro throughout the 80 minutes.
It was a ferocious encounter from the get-go, with both sides going hammer and tongs at each other.
The Sharks started the match by going to the air often, but Leinster dealt with the aerial threat well, and on the occasions that the Sharks got the better of the aerial battle, they couldn’t secure the ball, with several knock-ons the result.
The early scrum battle was intense too, with no quarter asked or given.
After dealing with an early Sharks onslaught, Leinster worked their way into the match and in the 15th minute, after several phases near the home side’s line, they were first to score through centre Robbie Henshaw, who went over close to a ruck.
Caspar Gabriel kicked the conversion to give the visitors a 7-0 lead.
The Sharks had an excellent attacking opportunity soon after when they set up an attacking lineout after winning a scrum penalty. Darrien Landsberg went close from the resulting lineout but was ruled to be held up over the line.
The Sharks, however, were on a penalty advantage and set up another attacking lineout, only for Leinster to produce a superb defensive effort and force their maul into touch.
The Sharks stayed in the Leinster 22m area, getting the better of several scrums, which resulted in penalties.
Instead of kicking for goal, the Sharks continued with the set-piece approach as Thomas du Toit more than had the measure of Leinster tighthead Thomas Clarkson.
It turned out to be the right decision when, with go-forward from another scrum, Jaden Hendrikse picked up and, despite the attention of a Leinster defender, offloaded to Manu Tshituka, who crashed over the line. Moyo added the extras to tie things up at 7-7 in the 26th minute.
Leinster were next to spend time on the attack, but the Sharks’ defence held out, eventually securing the ball and relieving some intense pressure from the Irish side.
The Sharks scrum continued its dominance over the visitors’ pack, and that resulted in a yellow card for Clarkson in the 38th minute.
The Sharks decided on another scrum, and again, it paid dividends as they scored through Lili Bester as the Sharks spun it wide to put the winger away in the corner for a converted try and a 14-7 lead at half-time.
It was Leinster that started the second half well, as they camped in the Sharks’ 22m for a long period of time. It was Clarkson, who was back on the field following his yellow card, who got the reward for their effort as he worked his way over the line from a ruck in the 49th minute for an unconverted try as the visitors cut the Sharks’ lead to 14-12.
Leinster hit the front again in the 66th minute thanks to a Sam Prendergast penalty as the match hung in the balance with 14 minutes to go.
The Sharks produced something special just a few minutes later with a try from their own 22.
It started with Eben Etzebeth, who threw an audacious dummy and handled again in the move that sent André Esterhuizen over for a converted try to give the home side a 21-15 lead in the 70th minute.
Leinster put immense pressure on the Sharks as they chased the game, but the home side defended like Trojans, stopping a Leinster maul and then winning another scrum penalty to relieve the pressure in the 75th minute.
Leinster won a critical penalty with four minutes to go, which put them back on the attack for the final few minutes.
Instead of mauling, they opted to run the ball from the resulting lineout, but Prendergast swung a forward pass out wide, which gifted the Sharks a defensive scrum to relieve the pressure.
The home side then secured the win, and a bonus point, when Edwill van der Merwe read a Leinster play as they chased the game, taking an intercept and rushing away to score to push the score out to 26-15.
Leinster scored a consolation try after the hooter had sounded as Andrew Osbourne got over in the left-hand corner.
But the night belonged to JP Pietersen's charges, as they show they will be a force to be reckoned with this season.
Scorers
Sharks 26 (14)
Tries: Manu Tshituka, Lili Bester, André Esterhuizen, Edwill van der Merwe
Conversions: Vusi Moyo (3)
Leinster 20 (7)
Tries: Robbie Henshaw, Thomas Clarkson, Andre Osbourne
Conversion: Caspar Gabriel
Penalty: Sam Prendergast