Sharks grind out win against Bulls and secure home semi

23 September 2017 - 18:27 By Liam Del Carme
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Handre Pollard of the Blue Bulls during the Currie Cup match between Cell C Sharks and Vodacom Blue Bulls at Growthpoint Kings Park on September 23, 2017 in Durban, South Africa.
Handre Pollard of the Blue Bulls during the Currie Cup match between Cell C Sharks and Vodacom Blue Bulls at Growthpoint Kings Park on September 23, 2017 in Durban, South Africa.
Image: Steve Haag/Gallo Images

By the time Handre Pollard made his long-awaited Currie Cup return at King’s Park in Durban on Saturday‚ the Blue Bulls were in desperate need of a spark.

In the opening 50 minutes of their 18-5 victory the Sharks had bossed the collisions against the Blue Bulls and had built a bit of a cushion — by no means luxurious‚ but enough to absorb what the visitors were likely to throw at them.

Pollard‚ although workmanlike‚ neither has the recent game time‚ nor confidence to turn matches on their head. Besides‚ in the teeming rain it was nigh impossible to provide a spark.

As it turned out the Sharks are now assured a Currie Cup home semifinal and it will require some effort if they are going to be denied a path to the final.

They displayed adaptability to quell the challenge of the Blue Bulls‚ and the slow grind they were forced to employ got them home‚ eventually.

It is no fluke that they top the Currie Cup points table by such a generous margin. The Bulls had patches in which they held the whip hand in territory and possession but they never really looked like breaking the Sharks’ winning sequence at home.

To be fair‚ the wet ball and soggy underfoot conditions might have helped Bulls of the past but the current crop are a fair-weather bunch.

This was not the place to push the envelope‚ or reset their personal boundaries. Their coach John Mitchell is in the throes of embedding a bold new playing style that places a high premium on skill and manoeuvrability‚ and the latter requirement was denied them here on Saturday.

Short‚ deliberate passing was the order of the day and the Sharks found the close combat‚ if not much to their liking‚ then certainly a requirement to which they warmed to more.

The hosts quickly tuned into the frequency required by the conditions and there was some hard grinding from lock and captain Ruan Botha‚ Jacques Vermeulen and loose forward Daniel du Preez.

At the back‚ Sibusiso Nkosi celebrated his Bok call-up with an early try and an overall performance that only enhanced his burgeoning reputation. When the rare opportunity presented itself‚ fullback Garth April teased the Bulls defence.

It also helped that flyhalf Curwin Bosch’s all-weather boot banged them into positions of promise. He missed a few attempts at goal but crucially he banged over enough to keep his side out of reach.

SHARKS (12) 18

Tries: Sibusiso Nkosi‚ Keegan Daniel. Conversion: Curwin Bosch. Penalty: Bosch. Drop Goal: Bosch

BLUE BULLS (0) 5

Try: Aston Fortuin

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