Ken Borland

The Sharks avenged their recent home loss to Griquas when they beat them 28-24 in their Currie Cup semi-final at Kings Park on Saturday, but it was hardly sweet revenge because it was a poor performance by the hosts.

The Sharks have therefore booked a place in next weekend’s final against the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld, but that will be a daunting prospect if they perform like they did on Saturday evening. Apart from their rolling maul, and staunch defence close to their tryline, there was little else that consistently worked well in the Sharks’ arsenal.

They led 17-9 at halftime but that scoreline flattered them as Griquas had what would have been the try of the match disallowed due to an earlier knock-on, and the Sharks scored a soft try just before halftime when centre Marius Louw burst straight through two tacklers to score under the posts.

The Sharks’ other try came via hooker Kerron van Vuuren at the back of a lineout drive.

Griquas collected three penalties through flyhalf George Whitehead and gained rich reward for swarming all over the breakdowns. The Sharks allowed much of the disruption there because their cleaners were too slow to do their jobs.

By the 50^th minute, the Sharks only enjoyed a small three-point lead after outstanding lock Adre Smith scored from close range for Griquas. Brilliant wing Eduan Keyter sparked the attack and showed great hands to send flank Hanru Sirgel charging to just short of the line.

The Sharks had some short-lived relief four minutes later when Van Vuuren scored his second try from the maul, but for the rest of the second half it was their own errors that forced them into grim defence.

Despite Louw receiving a yellow card in the 70^th minute, and Griquas pounding on the tryline, the Sharks defence showed great determination to keep them out. Fullback Curwin Bosch, who had earlier had a penalty disallowed because he took too long, slotted a crucial long-range penalty in the 73^rd minute to stretch that lead to 28-17.

Griquas eventually got a maul rumbling over the line in the 79^th minute, replacement lock Johan Momsen scoring a try that gave them a small glimmer of hope.

But Griquas could not exit from the restart and the Sharks were able to triumph, but the celebrations will be muted.

Scorers

Sharks – Tries: Kerron van Vuuren (2), Marius Louw. Conversions: Curwin Bosch (2). Penalties: Bosch (3).

Griquas – Tries: Adre Smith, Johan Momsen. Conversion: George Whitehead. Penalties: Whitehead (4).

Western Province came to Loftus Versfeld full of running and adventurous rugby, but it was the Bulls who scored the bulk of the tries – six of them – as they cruised to a 48-31 victory in their Currie Cup semifinal in Pretoria on Friday night.

Western Province were simply battered into submission by the Bulls pack, who dominated the set-pieces and bossed the collisions with utter ruthlessness. But it was far from 10-man rugby by the home side as flyhalf Johan Goosen not only kicked superbly out of hand and from the tee, but sparked the backline with his tremendously skilful passing and adept vision.

Goosen’s ability to spot space out wide and his skill in throwing long, flat passes across the face of the defence led to two tries in the first 10 minutes, putting the Bulls 17-0 ahead.

Western Province recovered from their hesitant start through the first of two tries to wing Edwill van der Merwe, but the Bulls’ mixture of power, great support play and running lines, and their eye for space saw them score three further tries before the break for a commanding 38-12 lead at halftime.

If Western Province were ever going to get back in the game, they needed to score a couple of tries early in the second half. They started well, with Van der Merwe going over for his second try after fullback Sergeal Petersen had broken through close to a ruck.

But Van der Merwe was denied his hat-trick try when the TMO ruled he did not have control of the ball when he finished superbly in the corner, despite the tackles of powerhouses Harold Vorster and Arno Botha. The winger was certainly not in touch and to rule he did not have control of the ball was a hopelessly harsh conclusion based on the replays.

Had the try stood, the gap could have closed to 26-38, but instead the dominant Bulls scrum won a penalty under their poles and the home side were back on attack.

With 12 minutes remaining, the exuberant Cornal Hendricks literally dived over the defence to score and seal the  triumph and an amazing performance by the Bulls.

Van der Merwe did eventually get his hat-trick try in the final minute, kicking through a dropped pass and then skinning Hendricks. Western Province’s one shining light is now off to the Lions though. Has rugby in the Western Cape ever been in such a dreadful state?

Scorers

Bulls – Tries: Cornal Hendricks (2), Johan Goosen, Arno Botha, Lionel Mapoe, Marcell Coetzee. Conversions: Goosen (6). Penalties: Goosen (2).

Western Province – Tries: Edwill van der Merwe (3), Hacjivah Dayimani, Andre-Hugo Venter. Conversions: Tim Swiel (3).

Taking over as captain at short notice in a three-match series in which you are already 1-0 down may seem like an unenviable task, but Keshav Maharaj is confident that the Proteas can bounce back as he leads them in the second ODI against Sri Lanka at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Saturday.

Team management confirmed on Friday that regular captain Temba Bavuma is out of the tour with a fractured thumb after an unfortunate incident that saw him struck while batting by an errant throw by a Sri Lankan fielder. It not only crucially halted the Proteas’ momentum as they were well-placed in their run-chase, but has also left their backs against the wall following the 14-run defeat in the opening game.

Left-arm spinner Maharaj, who was outstanding with the ball, will now lead South Africa for the first time. The 31-year-old has only recently been a regular in the ODI side, playing just 12 of the 55 games since his debut in 2017, and the elevation to the captaincy is an amazing turn for this remarkable cricketer.

“Losing the first game is not ideal and we were obviously disappointed. But the morale is still high, we came so close, so just one more step and we are pretty much there. There were a lot of positives, we will reassess and hopefully implement the right strategies. There’s been a lot of reflection, which is good because it shows growth and maturity. As a collective there are good signs.

“But it is a process. We have to fight for World Cup qualification points, but more growth is also important. We have to get back to winning ways, but we need to take it one step at a time and take the learnings from our losses,” Maharaj said on Friday.

This new Proteas white-ball outfit is almost unidentifiable from previous national teams because they rely so heavily on spin rather than fiery pace bowling, which has been the undisputed king in the past. But Maharaj has pinpointed better work by the seamers up front, especially in terms of conceding fewer wides and no-balls, as something within their control. Between them, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Andile Phehlukwayo conceded 171 runs in 24 overs.

“It took us a little longer to adapt at the start and we did not limit our extras well enough. Maybe it was a bit of rustiness, but we can be a lot better there. We’ll have to reassess our lines and lengths, but the wides and no-balls we can control. And we also need to make sure we get our fields right for the lines and lengths.

“Spin is generally the way to go in the subcontinent, but the seamers can still do a job and they showed that in their second or third spells. Aiden Markram also did a remarkable job for someone who is not a frontliner, and we are in a good space in terms of bowling resources,” Maharaj said.

It must have been a big call for coach Jacques Nienaber to bin Francois Steyn from his match-day 23, given the utility back’s tremendous experience and vital role off the bench in the World Cup triumph. But young Damian Willemse has given no reason for the Springbok management to rue that decision.

The 23-year-old has featured in the last five Tests, four of them as a replacement, while he started at fullback in the opening Rugby Championship match against Argentina. Willemse himself on Friday acknowledged how lucky he felt to be preferred over the more experienced options available to Nienaber, and he also praised Steyn for being so helpful to him.

“There are a lot of quality players who are missing out on the 23 – guys like Frans Steyn, Jesse Kriel and Morne Steyn, who all have more than 40 caps. So I feel very fortunate to make the playing squad. I’ll be happy to continue my run of playing and I’m looking forward to the next four weeks in Australia. The coaches’ trust in me is a big thing for me.

“I’ve been training with Frans and he’s always so calm and communicates well, I’m really enjoying it. He helps the youngsters a lot, Morne and Jesse too. Aphelele Fassi [wing/fullback] and I are always learning from them,” Willemse said from the Gold Coast on Friday.

Although Willemse has also been earmarked as a back-up inside centre, Damian de Allende has been so commanding in that position that the Stormers star has almost entirely featured at fullback in the Green and Gold this season. That is one of the decision-making positions for the Springboks and Willemse said although he is working hard on his game-management skills, it has not been a case of him having to temper his normally adventurous approach.

“We have a specific plan, the way Willie le Roux manages play. We want to force pressure on the opposition and turn the ball over to get our wings in the game and scoring their brilliant tries. It’s about playing smart rugby and not making as many errors, especially the decision-makers. I had a conversation with Aphelele today about how small the margins are at this level.

“The smallest mistake can cost you five or seven points, and we know Australia and New Zealand have a lot of skilful backs in their armoury. I’ve been working very hard with Mzwandile Stick [backline coach] on the high balls and my game-management at fullback. I’m enjoying the challenge,” Willemse said.