THE Sharks, with wingers Makazole Mapimpi and Eduan Keyter at the forefront, annihilated the Griffons in Durban yesterday, winning the Currie Cup clash 75-17 in a one-sided affair.
Mapimpi celebrated his return to the domestic competition with four tries and will be happy with his overall performance as he got some needed game time after being dropped from the Springbok squad.
Keyter, meanwhile, keeps growing in the deadly Sharks backline and dotted down thrice to help secure the bonus point win at King’s Park. It also means the Sharks secured their play-off place in the tournament with one match to go against the Bulls next weekend.
“The work from the starting 15 and the bench was outstanding,” David Williams, assistant coach, said after the match.
“We know next week it’s the Bulls here and it will be a real challenge for us and we are looking forward to it. We are happy with how the players slotted in with each other.
”A special mention to (captain) Nick Hatton and what he has done for the group and how he led with the change of coaches. He’s been outstanding and credit to him for what he is delivering.
“There were a lot of guys coming out of the pre-season and we are trying to maintain momentum with the Currie Cup squad, we are six games unbeaten now. So it’s a great performance from the guys. It was tough conditions and the Griffons kept coming back.”
While the two wingers will be the talk of the town, debutant Immanuel Tshituka also put in a powerful graft, helping to secure the possession with tackles and runs for the backline to move the ball around.
That was where the other debutant, Tshituka’s former Lions teammate Jordan Hendrikse, pulled the strings at fullback with veteran Lionel Cronje. Both Lions recruits scored on debut.
The Sharks scored 11 tries in the rout, and head coach John Plumtree will be ecstatic with how his returning United Rugby Championship (URC) players slotted into the side to bully the Griffons.
Currie Cup players such as eighth man Hatton, and scrumhalf Bradley Davids, impressed alongside Keyter and continue to put their hand up for URC selection.
The Sharks had the bonus point secured after just over 20 minutes of play and then already one could see a big hiding was coming for the visiting Purple People Eaters. There were a couple of errors, especially in the first half, but the growing pains were expected with the changes that Plumtree made to the side that beat Western Province last weekend.
But they gained valuable winning momentum ahead of the Bulls clash that could see them end third on the log if they can grab a win.
Points scorers: Sharks XV 75 (40): Tries: Makazole Mapimpi (4), Eduan Keyter (3), Jordan Hendrikse, Lionel Cronje, Francois Venter, Emmanuel Tshithuka.
Griffons 17 (12): Tries: Willem van den Hever (2), Gurshwin Wehr. Conversion: Andrew Kota