It didn't not turn out to be the cracker of a game that both coaches had predicted, as the Sharks edged out the Stormers 24-14.
Saturday’s result leaves the Durbanites on top of the league with Super Rugby suspended “for the foreseeable future” over Coronavirus fears by Sanzaar following this weekend’s action.
It has become a well-worn narrative in matches between these sides that the favourites flounder and the written-off team prospers.
And that was so nearly the case once more, with the Stormers taking the lead for the first time as the game hit the three-quarter mark (14-13) before the Sharks roared home via superbly taken penalties by Curwin Bosch and, inevitably, a try by the lethal Makazole Mapimpi.
The Sharks enjoyed most of the game, and certainly the territory, but sloppy handling let them down – mostly because of the scorching conditions but also because they forced too many 50-50 passes, and at times attacked injudiciously.
There had been a dramatic start to a game when from the very first kick-off, Stormers flank Johan du Toit thundered into Louis Schreuder in the air.
LETHAL FINISHER: Makazole Mapimpi. Picture: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix.
TMO Willie Vos advised red but referee AJ Jacobs bizarrely chose to limit the censure to yellow.
The first-half points had compromised a well-taken try by Aphelele Fassi, who had been threaded through a gap by a deft Andre Esterhuizen pass, to which the Stormers immediately hit back with a break-out try by Herschel Jantjies, from deep in their half.
Curwin Bosch nailed a drop goal on the hooter and then kicked a penalty 12 minutes into the second half, but then it was the Stormers that set themselves up to burgle the spoils when replacement scrumhalf Paul de Wet scored after a break by Man of the Match Juarno Augustus.
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/TheSharksZA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheSharksZAremain top of the South African Conference with a hard-fought 24-14 win over @THESTORMERS in Durban. #SuperRugby #SuperRugby25years #SHAvSTO pic.twitter.com/N3EuEtJEE0
— Super Rugby/TRC (@SuperRugby)
The Sharks regained the lead thanks to the cool Bosch, from 52m out and on the angle. His team’s tails went up and the Stormers had no answer.
Scorers:
Sharks:
Tries: Aphelele Fassi, Makazole Mapimpi. Conversions: Curwin Bosch. Drop goal Bosch. Penalties: Bosch (3).
Stormers:
Tries: Herschel Jantjies, Paul de Wet. Conversions: Damian Willemse (2).