Gary April yesterday booted five penalties as the Coastal Sharks snapped a three-match losing streak against defending Super Rugby champions the Otago Highlanders, who had a man sent off early.
The Highlanders scored the only try of the game, but flyhalf April kicked all of the Sharks’ points to secure a crucial victory for the South Africans.
Captain Tendai Mtawarira said it was a confidence-booster after the Sharks lost to the Auckland Blues last week through a late try.
Photo: AFP
“After last week’s disappointment the boys really deserved this win,” he said. “They’ve really been working hard and we stuck to our guns today, held onto the ball, went through a couple of phases. I’m really happy.”
The loss is the Highlanders’ second by one point after they went down to the Queensland Reds 28-27, but skipper Ben Smith said he had no complaints.
“We got beaten by a better team at the end of the night, the Sharks played really well and deserved the win,” Smith said.
The Highlanders took an early lead through Lima Sopoaga’s penalty after the Sharks were penalized for obstruction.
The Sharks were on the attack and up 6-3 when Highlanders center Jason Emery was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Willie le Roux.
Emery charged into Le Roux as the fullback was leaping for a high ball, sending him cartwheeling in the air and landing on his neck.
While Le Roux was able to continue playing, referee Ben O’Keefe showed no hesitation brandishing a red card.
The Sharks pressed forward, but desperate Highlanders defense repeatedly kept them out, despite the disadvantage.
Sharks lock Stephan Lewies was sinbinned just before halftime, temporarily evening up the numbers, only for the Highlanders to be denied two tries after being held up over the line.
The sides continued to exchange penalties after the break before Matt Faddes touched down out wide to put the Highlanders ahead 14-12.
However, the home team’s discipline slipped one more time, allowing the nerveless April to make it five penalties from five.
Rebels 36, Cheetahs 14
Later yesterday, outside center Reece Hodge scored a try in each half as the Melbourne Rebels stormed to a win over the Central Cheetahs in their Super Rugby match in Melbourne.
After being down 10-14 at halftime, the Rebels scored 26 unanswered points in the second period to move to the top of the Australian conference, one point ahead of the ACT Brumbies, who play the Crusaders in Canberra tomorrow.
“It’s good to get the win, but it was a bit of a scrappy affair,” Rebels captain Nic Stirzaker said. “But hats off to the boys, we toughed it out for 80 minutes.”
Stirzaker said the Cheetahs had put enormous pressure on the Melbourne side, particularly through the forward pack.
“They’ve got a really good set piece and they put us under a lot of pressure at scrum and line-out time,” he said. “They threw a lot at us so I’m pretty proud of the defense, and it’s good to get the bonus point.”
Hodge, who has played a number of backline positions in his debut season of Super Rugby, was called in for his first start at number 13 to replace the injured Mitch Inman.
The rangy Hodge used his speed and deception to full advantage, both his tries coming after scything runs through the Cheetahs defense.
The Cheetahs, who thrashed the Sunwolves 92-13 last weekend, started the better of the two teams and opened the scoring midway through the half when hooker Torsten van Jaarsveld crashed over at the back of a rolling maul.
However, the Rebels hit back five minutes later when Hodge sliced through the defense and sprinted 35m to score out wide.
Cheetahs fullback Clayton Blommetjies put the visitors back in front when he crossed following some brilliant lead up work from winger Raymond Rhule.
The Bloemfontein-based outfit must have gone into the break full of confidence, but they were rocked from the kick-off when the Rebels regathered and Lopeti Timani touched down 45 seconds after the restart.
From there it was all the Rebels as fullback Jonah Placid scored and Hodge grabbed his second, before inside center Tamati Ellison, whose wife gave birth to his fourth child an hour before kick-off, took an intercept to secure the bonus point for the home side.
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