Champions Cup: Five takeaways from Bordeaux-Begles v Sharks as the South African side announce themselves as title contenders

Jared Wright
Curwin Bosch of the Sharks

The Sharks secured a 19-16 victory over Bordeaux-Begles in their second Champions Cup fixture on Friday, thanks to a Werner Kok try and 14 points from Curwin Bosch.

Here are our five takeaways from the match as the Sharks produced yet another statement performance.

Sharks announce themselves as contenders

An intriguing match-up pitted two sides who recently had coaching changes against one another, and the visitors came away with the spoils in a tight contest.

Victory for the Sharks has all but confirmed them a place in the round of 16. In contrast, Bordeaux’s Champions Cup journey for this season is seemingly over.

Bordeaux have been particularly difficult to defeat at home this season, winning their last five games on the trot. Their previous loss before was the 26-25 defeat to Toulouse back in September.

The likes of Stade Francais, Racing 92, Toulon, and Brive all failed to pick up wins at the Chaban-Delmas recently, adding further shine to the South African side’s triumph.

Grinding out a narrow win over a top French outfit away from home will give the Sharks confidence, particularly after they knocked Harlequins over last weekend.

With a star-studded squad, which welcomed the return of Lukhanyo Am, and a new coach at the helm, the South Africans are a serious threat in the competition.

Discipline costs Bordeaux

While it was Werner Kok who spent time in the sin bin early on, Bordeaux’s ill-discipline ultimately cost them.

In the first half, the French side conceded five penalties in the Sharks’ half as they wasted attacking opportunities and gifted the Sharks easy exits.

Trailing by three points in the final 10 minutes, Bordeaux steamed into the Sharks’ half, but a turnover and then back-to-back penalties killed the opportunity off, and momentum quickly shifted.

Bosch’s attempt at goal from just inside his own half fell short, but the Durban-based side quickly countered back into Bordeaux territory, and time just ran out for the hosts.

The Top 14 side’s penalty count hit 16 by full-time, more than double that of the Sharks.

Bosch kicking the Sharks’ revolution into gear

Over the past year or so, the Sharks have somewhat lacked direction, but under the tutelage of Neil Powell, Bosch looks to be back at his best and driving the side’s revolution.

Bosch’s return from injury coincided with Powell taking over as head coach, but it is no coincidence that the Sharks look like a far better-drilled and structured side.

When he is on song, Bosch is immaculate from the tee and bosses proceedings with his incredibly well-rounded kicking game, and he flexed those attributes against Bordeaux with a long-range penalty and a drop goal in the opening stages of the match.

While he kicked well out of hand and missed just one of his five shots at goal, Bosch mixed his game up superbly with 23 passes and seven carries.

His running game still has a few sloppy points, but Boeta Chamberlian operating at full-back takes some pressure off Bosch.

Thomas du Toit bounces back from Boks’ disappointment

Opportunities for non-regulars in the Springbok front-row are few and far between, even for someone as proficient in the dark arts as Thomas du Toit. However, he spoiled his opportunity this November when he was red-carded for his tackle on Luke Cowan-Dickie.

On his return to action, Du Toit wasted no time getting back to his best as he put in a man-of-the-match 78-minute shift.

His scrummaging was back on point, despite the early hiccups, while he was busy around the park finishing one tackle shy of the Sharks’ top tackler.

He gained good metres with his carries and won a turnover at the breakdown. The kind of bounce-back performance that will impress the national coaches.

Breakdown beast

While the Sharks look a far better side than the one that suffered a crushing 35-0 defeat to Cardiff, there are still some inefficiencies in their game.

Luckily there is one key factor in their game that continues to impress, the breakdown. The Sharks’ prowess in the department saved their blushes on several occasions, with Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth, Du Toit, and Vincent Tshituka being the standout performers in this category. Still, it is an area in which most of the side is proficient.

Sloppy passes, one-off runners and poor attacking decisions were all mopped up by the side’s excellence in clearing out the breakdowns.

READ MORE: Champions Cup: Leinster run in nine tries as they nil Gloucester while Sharks claim narrow win at Bordeaux-Begles