Sharks run depleted Cheetahs ragged

This was supposedly a top of the table Currie Cup clash, but the Free State Cheetahs team that took the field at King’s Park were little more than a Varsity Cup outfit, and it showed on the scoreboard.

The Sharks ran in seven tries on their way to a 45-15 victory and made of mockery of the standings as they tore through a team that looked, and played, as if they had come together for the time in the tunnel. And they practically had.

With the Cheetahs ‘first’ team in Belfast where they made their PRO 14 debut on Friday, the youngsters were asked to keep a full strength Sharks in check. They simply didn’t have the cohesion and skill to live with the much slicker Durban-unit.

The Sharks moved to the top of the standings on 29 points with their sixth consecutive win while Free State remain in second on 25 points.

Tries were shared liberally among the Sharks, with six different players scoring tries. But at times they became sloppy when their concentration slipped and they left at least another five tries out there.

The pack though laid a solid foundation with the big men providing momentum, which the backs exploited.

Impressive wing Sibusiso Nkosi gave another eye-catching performance. His mix of pace, power and finesse is exciting and if his development continues his time at a much higher level will come sooner rather than later.

Centre Lukhanyo Am is also back to his pre-injury Super Rugby form that saw him selected for the Bok squad in June. It’s only a matter of time before the national team come calling again.

He never crossed the line but had a hand in several while Nkosi’s hard work was rewarded with his first try on the hour and another nine minutes later. It was the least he deserved.

The Sharks simply ran the Cheetahs ragged, making 1233 running metres from 184 carries in a match where the ball was in play for 42 minutes.

On this evidence the Cheetahs are going to struggle for the rest of the tournament as their resources are stretched, but they might have just enough of a buffer to sneak into the semi-finals after their good start to the campaign.

Scorers:Sharks

Tries: Lukhanyo Am, John-Hubert Meyer, Inny Radebe, Louis Schreuder, Marius Louw, Sibusiso Nkosi (2)

Conversions: Radebe (3), Garth April (2).

Cheetahs

Tries: Marco Mason, Luther Obi

Conversion: Mason Penalty: Ryno Eksteen