The Sharks fought back from being three players down to seal a place in the Currie Cup final after a dramatic extra-time draw with the Vodacom Bulls in Pretoria on Saturday.
Trevor Nyakanye scored the decisive try in the 98th minute of play as the Sharks sealed a 40-40 draw with the Vodacom Bulls at Loftus Versfeld.
The Sharks progressed to the final on the tries scored rule, having dotted down six times to the Bulls’ five.
It was an incredible result, given that the visitors found themselves reduced to 12 players in the closing stages of regular time, after Francois Venter was shown his marching orders for a dangerous tackle, before Dian Bleuler and Jordan Hendrikse were sent to the sin bin.
Added to that, the Sharks found themselves trailing in both halves – by 13 points in the first half – but kept coming back and eventually drew themselves level in the final minute of 100.
However, the Vodacom Bulls spurred multiple opportunities to win the match, as while their scrum was dominant, their lineout malfunctioned when they needed it most, with Johan Goosen missing a 50-metre penalty in the final play of regular time to book their ticket.
The dramatic two periods of extra time saw the Bulls claim what they thought was the winner when Stravino Jacobs burst over for his second try.
To their immense credit, the Sharks kept fighting, guided by the boot of veteran flyhalf Lionel Cronje. Of all players, it was tighthead Nyakane who found himself getting the ball in space and sprinting in for the decisive try, with Cronje holding his nerve to convert and draw the game leve.
There was yet more drama to follow, as the Bulls earned a penalty in the touchline from the kick-off, with Boeta Chamberlain stepping up to the tee. However, against his former side, Chamberlain came up short, allowing the Sharks to gather and hoof the ball into touch to bring an end to a 100-minute playoff.
The Sharks will face the Lions in the final at Ellis Park, after the Johannesburgers knocked out defending champions the Cheetahs in the first semi-final earlier on Saturday.
Photo: Lee Warren/Gallo Images
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Src: sarugbymag.co.za
