On the evidence of Saturday’s 33-24 taming of the brave Lions, it would appear the Sharks are timing their Currie Cup run to perfection.
They had to add steely character in the second half to their complete domination of the first half in this most dramatic of Currie Cup semifinals at Kings Park.
The Lions were so outgunned up front, and so far behind on the scoreboard 10 minutes into the second half that they had no right to be just two points adrift with 10 minutes to go.
But their classy backline made the absolute most of the rare opportunities.
A blitz of two tries from the exceptional Courtnall Skosan set up the most exciting finale to a match this year’s Currie Cup has seen.
Having seen a 23-3 lead cut to a slender 26-24 advantage, the Sharks had to dig deep to make the game safe and they had the class and the courage to do just that.
From the outset, the Sharks indeed had a clear forward superiority, spearheaded by the excellent front row of Springboks Thomas du Toit, Akker van der Merwe and Juan Schoeman and completed by No.8 Dan du Preez, who scored a brace of tries.
Of course, the Sharks had two more Bok front-rankers to bring on in the second half in Coenie Oosthuizen and Chiliboy Ralepelle, so the pressure upfront was unrelenting.
The Sharks’ superior physicality also extended to their muscular defence, with some big hits going in on the Lions; Jeremy Ward in particular putting in some memorable efforts.
And they will be hoping to do more of the same in Saturday’s final against Western Province at Newlands.
Sharks – Tries:
Dan du Preez (2) and Sbu Nkosi (2); Conversions: Robert du Preez (2); Penalties: Du Preez (3).
Lions – Tries:
Nic Groom and Courtnall Skosan (2); Conversions: Elton Jantjies (3); Penalty: Jantjies.