Sharks v Leinster: Five takeaways as Springboks stars ‘at the forefront’ of hosts’ onslaught in memorable win over champions
Leinster fly-half Sam Prendergast (inset) and Sharks speedster Edwill van der Merwe.
Following the Sharks’ 26-20 over Leinster in their United Rugby Championship (URC) clash at Hollywoodbets Kings Park in Durban on Saturday, Planet Rugby picks out five takeaways from the thrilling action.
The top line
As expected, this encounter was tightly contested and there was little interesting to report during the early exchanges as the sides’ defences cancelled each other out during that period. However, the visitors eventually opened the scoring in the 11th minute when Robbie Henshaw crossed for the first try which was converted by Caspar Gabriel.
Ten minutes later, Manu Tshituka dotted down for the Sharks with Vusi Moyo adding the extras and the home side finished the half stronger as Litelihle Bester also scored a try on the stroke of half-time. Moyo also converted that score which meant the hosts held a 14-7 lead at the break.
Leinster were fastest out of the blocks in the second half as Thomas Clarkson crossed for their second try in the 47th minute soon after he returned to the field following a stint in the sin bin for continuous scrum infringements.
Gabriel’s conversion attempt was unsuccessful, but the visitors eventually regained the lead when Sam Prendergast slotted a penalty in the 67th minute.
The Sharks needed a response and that came three minutes later when Andre Esterhuizen crossed for their third try before Edwill van der Merwe clinched his side’s win and a crucial bonus-point when he crossed the whitewash after 78 minutes.
Leinster did not surrender and made sure they secured a bonus-point for losing by less than seven points when Andrew Osborne dotted down in the game’s dying moments.
Sharks’ Springboks get the job done
The Sharks had several Springboks who were on duty during their shock defeat to the Wallabies in Perth last weekend and their international stars were at the forefront of their onslaught in this clash.
Backline duo Esterhuizen and Van der Merwe as well as front-row Thomas du Toit, who was not on duty in Perth despite being in the Boks’ extended squad, were in the starting line-up and all three delivered outstanding performances as the Sharks’ Bok contingent made a triumphant return to the URC.
Meanwhile, experienced second-row Eben Etzebeth, powerhouse prop Ox Nche and exciting outside back Ethan Hooker were amongst the replacements but made their presence felt with strong performances off the bench.
Van der Merwe and Etzebeth combined brilliantly in the build-up to Esterhuizen’s try and the former soon crossed the whitewash after he intercepted a wayward pass from Osborne.
After the game, the speedy Boks flyer’s efforts were rewarded with the official man-of-the-match award but that prize could easily have gone to Esterhuizen or Du Toit as they also delivered outstanding performances.
Leinster’s high error rate proves costly
Leinster were competitive throughout and the match was in the balance until late in the final quarter but they only have themselves to blame for this defeat as they delivered an error-ridden performance.
They did well to get themselves into good attacking positions inside their opponents’ half of the field but they soon lost the initiative as they then committed unforced errors.
Although they managed to take the ball through multiple phases on several occasions, they eventually conceded needless turnovers through handling errors.
Their discipline also let them down and apart from conceding penalties in the scrums, they were also blown up for going off their feet at the breakdowns and for straying offside on defence.
This was their second defeat in as many matches, as they also lost their season opener against the Lions, and although the URC is still in its early stages, they must decrease their error rate if they want to secure their first win of the campaign against Cardiff at home next weekend.
Sharks’ scrum dominance paves the way to victory
Although the entire Sharks team deserve credit for this victory, their forward pack deserves special praise as they laid the groundwork for this triumph with a powerful scrummaging display.
From the outset, the home side held the upper hand at the set-piece with Du Toit delivering a dominant performance in his direct battle with Clarkson. That resulted in Leinster conceding several scrum penalties and Clarkson subsequently resorted to collapsing several scrums.
That tactic eventually led to referee Craig Evans being forced to issue a yellow card to Clarkson late in the first half. A few minutes after Clarkson returned to the action, the Sharks replaced Du Toit with Nche, who is renowned as the most destructive scrummager in the game and there was more misery for the Ireland international at the set-piece.
It was not just Du Toit and Nche who were dominant in the scrums as Sharks tighthead Vincent Koch also won some penalties at the set-piece against his direct opponent Andrew Porter. Those penalties was used as a good attacking launchpad for the home side with their backline revelling throughout.
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Sam Prendergast cameo catches the eye
Although Gabriel was solid as Leinster’s starting fly-half during his time on the field, they looked sharper on attack when his replacement Prendergast entered the fray in the 51st minute. The Ireland playmaker caught the eye with impressive game management as he got his team into the right areas of the field as they went in search of victory.
Although he was only on the field for 29 minutes, Prendergast was influential during that period as he kept the Sharks defenders on their toes with his impressive attacking skill-set.
The 23-year-old kept composure to slot a 35-metre penalty which gave his team the lead in the 67th minute but also showed his class with a superb 50/22 kick and a delightful dink behind the Sharks’ defence which Osborne gathered before crossing for his try.
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