Cell C Sharks will be looking back to the match against Cardiff as one of the missed opportunities where they could not convert their second-half dominance into winning points. Cardiff led with 7 points at the halftime break, which proved adequate to secure a win with 23-17.
Cardiff had a great start to lead 10-0 after 20 minutes, however, the Sharks clawed their way back into the match, and eventually dominate proceedings for most of the second half. The Sharks were unable to convert their dominance into points due to poor goalkicking and a lack of precision on the attack.
06:39 Rhys Priestland converted the first penalty Cardiff (03-00).
09:46 Matthew Morgan take advantage of the substandard defence of the Sharks to score Cardiff's first try (10-00).
20:00 Cardiff had a great start, however, with 5 minutes left of the first quarter the Sharks got their hand on some quality ball and clawed their way back into contention.
26:32 Willis Halaholo ran a brilliant line to once again beat the defenders in the backline of the Sharks (17-00).
30:49 Thomas du Toit scored the Sharks first try as the Sharks kept on the pressure after a 5m lineout (17-07).
41:24 Boeta Chamberlain converted the Sharks 1st penalty (17-10)
40:00 The Sharks are back in the game, however, their insistence to stick with the aerial battle are a mystery. The Sharks have shown that they are in control when they chose to play a direct and physical game.
60:00 The Sharks dominated most of the 3rd quarter, however, they could not convert their onfield dominance into points.
67:38 Rhys Priestland converted his 2nd penalty for Cardiff (20-10)
70:28 Marnus Potgieter scored the Sharks' 2nd try after launching wave after wave attack on Cardiff's try line (20-17).
76:37 Rhys Priestland converted Cardiff's 3rd penalty (23-17)
Scorers:
Cardiff: Tries: Matthew Morgan, Willis Halaholo. Conversions: Rhys Priestland (2). Penalty: Rhys Priestland (2).
Cell C Sharks: Tries: Thomas du Toit, Marnus Potgieter. Conversion: Curwin Bosch, Boeta Chamberlain. Penalty: Boeta Chamberlain.
Teams:
Cardiff Rugby: 15. Matthew Morgan, 14. Aled Summerhill, 13. Owen Lane, 12. Willis Halaholo, 11. Josh Adams, 10. Rhys Priestland, 9. Tomos Williams, 8. Dillon Lewis, 7. Seb Davies, 6. Rory Thornton, 5. Josh Turnbull (c), 4. Ellis Jenkins, 3. Will Boyde, 2. Kirby Myhill, 1. Rhys Carré. Replacements: 16. Kristian Dacey, 17. Rhys Gill, 18. Dmitri Arhip, 19. Teddy Williams, 20. Shane Lewis-Hughes, 21. Lloyd Williams, 22. Ben Thomas, 23. Hallam Amos.
Cell C Sharks: 15. Curwin Bosch, 14. Marnus Potgieter, 13. Jeremy Ward, 12. Murray Koster, 11. Anthony Volmink, 10. Boeta Chamberlain, 9. Ruan Pienaar, 8. Phepsi Buthelezi (c), 7. Henco Venter, 6. Dylan Richardson, 5. Hyron Andrews, 4. Ruben van Heerden, 3. Thomas du Toit, 2. Kerron van Vuuren, 1. Ntuthuko Mchunu. Replacements: 16. Dan Jooste, 17. Khwezi Mona, 18. Wiehahn Herbst, 19. Reniel Hugo, 20. Gerbrandt Grobler, 21. James Venter, 22. Tian Meyer, 23. Werner Kok.