RUGBY NEWS - Inny Radebe scored a late converted try to help the Cell C Sharks pip DHL Western Province 21-20 (halftime 14-17) in their Currie Cup Premier Division match at DHL Newlands in Cape Town on Saturday.
The Sharks, despite camping in Western Province’s 22m area for most of the second period, found themselves six points behind and with time running out. Coach Robert du Preez would have been pulling his hair out as his team squandered a few chances to put points on the board with the ball not going to hand or being lost forward in contact.
But with Province trying to run themselves out of their own danger area, Number 8 Nizaam Carr lost the ball forward in contact and from the resulting scrum, the Sharks moved the ball left for Radebe to fight his way over in the lefthand corner for what turned out to be the winning try.
But replacement fullback, Rhyno Smith, had the difficult task of landing the conversion from the touchline with the visitors still behind by one point and the right-footed kicker landed the attempt perfectly to send the Sharks to the top of the Currie Cup log.
Province’s efforts in defender their six-point lead was not helped by the fact that replacement loose forward, Steph de Wit, was shown a yellow card in the 70th minute after referee Jaco Peyper had given Chris van Zyl’s men a warning for repeated infringements.
The men from Durban were out of the blocks fast as referee Jaco Peyper awarded the Durbanites an early penalty try as early as the third minute.
The Sharks knocked an early penalty into the corner and from the resultant lineout, the men in black and white drove for the line but the Province defence sacked the maul and Peyper had no hesitation in awarding the penalty try.
But Province came back strongly with a penalty from flyhalf Damian Willemse and then two converted tries through centre Huw Jones, his third in two matches, and flanker Jaco Coetzee, with Willemse adding both conversions.
Province claimed the restart shortly after Willemse’s penalty and worked their way up the field with Jones chipping ahead.
The ball bounced favourably and left wing Ruhan Nel gathered and while going to ground, offloaded to Nizaam Carr, who picked the ball up brilliantly off his toes.
Carr offloaded inside to Dewaldt Duvenage as the scrumhalf followed up well and then passed inside to Jones to run in unopposed under the poles.
Five minutes later and Province extended their lead to 10 points as Province again attacked the advantage line with Coetzee bursting past loosehead prop, Juan Schoeman and then broke free of the attempted tackle by Radebe to score under the posts.
