Photo by Jorina Raath/Speedshots.co.za
The Cell C Sharks continued their recent good form to beat the Jaguares 33-19 and move to the top of South African Log with 20 points.
The Cell C Sharks lead against the Jaguares 22- 12 in an extremely intriguing and above all else, pulsating first 40 minutes of rugby. The Sharks scored the first 12 points of the contest and it looked as if it would become of 'how much' for the hosts, however, the Jaguares have hung tough and responded when needed. A late try to Joaquin Tuculet on the stroke of the half-time siren saw the Jaguares still within striking distance.
The Sharks' with a much stronger second half showing proved the be the difference at the end. With the Jaguares not far off the pace all day, a critical 10 minute period saw the Sharks kick two penalty goals. On the back of it, the hosts were able to build a strong defensive base in which they were able to quell the Jaguares' normally free-flowing attack and despite a late flurry, the Sharks were always in control. It's the Sharks who took the points as they stroll to a 14-point win at home.
Scorers:
Cell C Sharks: Tries: Andre Esterhuizen, Sikhumbuzo Notshe, Hyron Andrews, Kerron van Vuuren. Conversions: Curwin Bosch (2). Penalties: Curwin Bosch (3).
Jaguares: Tries: Joaquin Tuculet, Santiago Carreras, Sebastian Cancelliere. Conversion: Joaquin Diaz Bonilla, Domingo Miotti.
The teams:
Cell C Sharks: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Sibusiso Nkosi, 13 Lukhanyo Am (captain), 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Sikumbuzo Notshe, 7 Tyler Paul, 6 James Venter, 5 Hyron Andrews, 4 Ruben van Heerden, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Kerron van Vuuren, 1 Ox Nche. Replacements: 16 Craig Burden, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 John-Hubert Meyer, 19 Le Roux Roets, 20 Henco Venter, 21 Sanele Nohamba, 22 Jeremy Ward, 23 Madosh Tambwe.
Jaguares: 15. Joaquin Tuculet, 14. Santiago Carreras, 13. Matias Moroni, 12. Jeronimo De La Fuente, 11. Emiliano Boffelli, 10. Joaquin Diaz Bonilla, 9. Gonzalo Bertranou, 8. Rodrigo Bruni, 7. Marcos Kremer, 6. Tomas Lezana, 5. Matias Alemanno, 4. Guido Petti Pagadizaval, 3. Joel Sclavi, 2. Julian Montoya, 1. Mayco Vivas. Replacements: 16. Santiago Socino, 17. Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 18. Santiago Medrano, 19. Lucas Paulos, 20. Santiago Grondona, 21. Sebastian Cancelliere, 22. Domingo Miotti, 23. Santiago Chocobares.