Dramatic Haashim Pead try after the hooter sinks Sharks in thriller in the Tank

JP Pietersen’s dream start to life as Sharks head coach came to end in dramatic fashion at Kings Park on Saturday afternoon, when a try after the hooter by Junior Springbok scrumhalf star Haashim Pead secured the visitors a narrow 23-22 United Rugby Championship victory.

The visitors started the match the brighter of the two teams, and flew into an early lead at a sun-baked but breezy Shark Tank, courtesy of a penalty off the boot of flyhalf Chris Smith in the third minute.

They were 15 points ahead a few minutes later when Lions skipper Francke Horn also crashed over in the opposite corner to stun the home fans into silence.

The Sharks finally got on the scoreboard in the 15th minute, with skipper Andre Esterhuizen inspiring the fightback with a barnstorming run before Manu Tshituka crashed over the whitewash after a number of phases of play. Flyhalf Jordan Hendrickse failed to add the extra two points. 

The Sharks were beginning to find their footing, and were winning the territorial battle.

A bit of ill-discipline in the 24th minute saw a Lions penalty  reversed, allowing the Sharks to take play up to the Lions’ five-metre line. They were made to pay for that indiscretion, after Bok skipper Siya Kolisi peeled off the lineout maul brilliantly to score the Sharks’ second try. Hendrickse made no mistake this time, to cut the visitors’ lead to three (15-12).

A mazy Kelly Mpeku run took the Lions wing into the Sharks’ 22 and Smith kicked the resultant penalty over with less than 10 minutes left in the half. A yellow for Lions flank Ruan Venter for head contact in the tackle also proved costly.

Former Lions flyer Edwill van er Merwe Showed some fancy footwork with a beak down the middle of the field that was rounded off by the Sharks’ big men, with lock Jason Jenkins touching down to take the home team into the break trailing by one point (18-17).

The home team were denied the go-ahead score by a knock-on. Venter’s yellow was then upgraded to red early in the half, consigning the Lions loose forward to 20 minutes in the sin bin. There would be little further drama in the opening 10 minutes of the stanza, with play becoming increasingly scrappy.

Flyer Van der Merwe’s try in the 58th minute, after his grubber down the right wing was perfectly weighted, brought home fans to their feet as the Sharks led for the first time (22-18). They were almost in again after a beak from deep in their 22, but Van der Berg did great work In cover defence.

The Sharks had a great chance to extend their lead with a scrum close to the Lions try line in the 68th minute, yet they spurned the opportunity to go for posts after winning the penalty, and the determined visitors turned the tables to relieve the pressure with a strong scrum of their own.

The Lions did well to hold the ball up over the line with more than five minutes to go in the match, and were still in with the chance of a late smash-and-grab. 

The Lions made a final push for victory, winning a succession of penalties in the final two minutes. The Sharks were fighting for their lives, but their resolve was eventually broken by Pead, who stole a dramatic win after the hooter, sneaking over the try line in the far left corner.

Points-scorers

Sharks 22 (17) 

Tries: Manu Tshituka, Kolisi, Jenkins, Van der Merwe. Conversions: Hendrickse.

Lions 23 (18)

Tries: Ootshuizen, Horn, Pead. Conversions: Smith (2). Penalty: Smith.