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Impressive and complete start for the Sharks
The Sharks picked up a try-scoring bonus point as they scored six tries to one in a match that they took physical control of from the outset. It was a sharp start from the Sharks after being a little slow out of the blocks in some previous seasons.
The ease with which they outplayed the Sunwolves was probably an indication that the Durban franchise did the right thing in opting for physical warm-up matches against the Lions and the Bulls in their build-up.
They looked ready for the game whereas the Sunwolves at times looked rusty and a bit lethargic, something that they can never afford to be as the weight they give away to many opponents means they have to be innovative with their attacking game and make full use of every scrap of possession that comes their way.
There were some scraps that the Sunwolves picked up in the early stages, and they who scored the first try in the game. It was scored by South African-born centre Shane Gates as he ran onto a fortunate bounce following a clever kick from flyhalf Hayden Parker.
The Japanese team, if you can call it that when there were so few Japanese players in the starting team, led 7-3 after seven minutes as they made an early fist of their attempts to move the bigger Sharks around. They increased their lead to seven points (10-3) when Parker kicked a penalty after another impressive Sunwolves attack had given the hosts good field possession. At that point the Sunwolves were threatening to be competitive.
It didn’t continue though, and the Sharks managed to achieve exactly what they set out to do - they dominated possession and set up camp in the Sunwolves half. But the Sharks' win was not just built on their physical and territorial dominance.
[embed:video:id=1043984] BRUTE FORCE AND SKILLThat is something one might have said when they scored a half century against the Sunwolves in Durban in the early part of last season, but this was a far more complete performance from the Sharks and the attacking edge they brought to their game augurs well for them going forward.
Make no mistake, the platform for the win was laid by their massive pack, which started with a 50-kilogram advantage on the Sunwolves unit.
Daniel du Preez was strong with his ball carrying and a constant physical presence. The same can be said of lock Ruan Botha, while Akker van der Merwe was his usual irrepressible self and dotted down two driving maul tries that effectively meant he started the new season in the same manner he ended the last one.
There were other stand-outs up front, and from a national viewpoint it was good to see the combative and mobile Coenie Oosthuizen back in Super Rugby, and Beast Mtawarira starting the season strongly.
But as we knew all of that about the Sharks already, perhaps the most pleasing thing to come from the game for their fans was the excellent attacks they put together from set-pieces, and the way they blended brute force with skill. That was showcased by the try that Bok wing Sbu Nkosi rounded off just before halftime.
It came from a scrum in the middle of the field inside their own half, with Robert du Preez passing the ball back behind him to Louis Schreuder in an attempt to get around the rush defence after the scrumhalf and captain had opted to go to the right.
Lukhanyo Am then popped up in the move and it was effectively his deft little touch that created the space which Nkosi squeezed through down the right touchline.
Van der Merwe had dotted down his first try in the 17th minute as the Sharks opted to do what you should do against the Sunwolves by being as direct as you can be, and then Daniel du Preez followed up with another forward-derived try in the 34th. That made it 24-10 to the Sharks at halftime.
If there was a Sharks backline player who can be described as being solid gold in terms of what he delivered for his team on the day, it would be Am, who helped create the fourth try for the pacy Makazole Mapimpi seven minutes into the second half.
By now the Sharks were playing like an impressive mix of physical force, skill and pace, so they may feel they laboured a bit before their next score, which was hooker Van der Merwe’s second driving-maul try.
By then though the Sharks’ pressure on the Sunwolves during the Sunwolves’ most stubborn period of resistance had been translated into a yellow card, with lock James Moore being the man to pay the price for a few too many warnings from the referee.
You might blame the Sunwolves’ indiscipline as they conceded a slew of penalties, but it was really the Sharks who were forcing them to be undisciplined.
Replacement centre Jeremy Ward completed the scoring for the Sharks on a day when they sent out a strong message that the processes in Robert du Preez’s first two years as head coach might be translated into something more complete and therefore more trophy challenging in 2019.
SCORES
Cell C Sharks 45 - Tries: Akker van der Merwe 2, Daniel du Preez, Sbu Nkosi, Makazole Mapimpi and Jeremy Ward; Conversions: Robert du Preez 5 and Rhyno Smith; Penalty: Robert du Preez. Sunwolves 10 - Try: Shane Gates; Conversion: Hayden Parker; Penalty: Hayden Parker.
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