Set-piece supremacy and steel defence drive Sharks past Stormers in famous URC victory

A clear plan to disrupt the Stormers’ set-piece and key threats Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Damian Willemse powered the Sharks to a dominant performance and a long-overdue United Rugby Championship (URC) win in Cape Town.

Following their 30-19 bonus point victory at the DHL Stadium on Saturday, the Durbanites took another massive step in the right direction to get their season back on track, jumping into the 11th spot on the official URC log.

They dominated their hosts in the lineouts, with their rolling mauls and for a large part of the game in the scrums, but the defensive efforts of captain André Esterhuizen led the charge in halting the Stormers’ dangerous backs.

Put that all together, and they delivered a massive performance to upset the Stormers for the first time in the Mother City in the tournament and ended the Cape side’s unbeaten run this season.

JP Pietersen, Sharks coach, was pleased with his team’s efforts afterwards and pointed out that they planned to target the Capetonians at the set piece.

“We executed our plan well, but sometimes we also failed to do so, but that is part of the game,” Pietersen said.

“What I liked from the boys is that whenever we got things wrong, they showed some fight and scrambled well on the defence to get the ball back. Credit to the players for staying in the fight. The key was our fast start, and we put them under pressure from the start of both halves.

“It was key to test them and to see how they respond under that pressure. They did well, because we scored first and then immediately after, they scored again. The contest was good under the high balls, on defence, and at set-piece time. We just took our opportunities more than they did.

“They made some unforced errors when they got into our 22m area, which is part of the game. I think they will kick themselves. They created chances but could not finish them. There’s something for them to work on, and they will come back harder.”

The Sharks fought through some injuries both before and during the game, but despite those disruptions, they could still bag the five points.

Springbok hooker Bongi Mbonambi was withdrawn following a calf injury on Friday, while Manu Tshituka rolled his ankle early in the game. Veteran Siya Kolisi, coming on as a substitute, only lasted a while in the second half after sustaining a hamstring injury, while try scorer Phepsi Buthelezi injured his toe.

Pietersen said they will be assessed to see if they will be ready for Saturday’s return derby at Kings Park.