Pumas down one-dimensional Sharks in grim semifinal

A semifinal that was more reminiscent of the wild scribbling of a toddler than a Renaissance oil painting saw the Pumas overcome the Sharks and give themselves the chance to defend their Currie Cup crown in Bloemfontein next week.

While it would be foolish to expect a free-flowing creative affair in a play-off match, this semifinal made for tough viewing. Not that the Pumas will give a damn. They won it 26-20 by drawing the Sharks into a grim affair that resembled trench warfare on Saturday evening. 

The lack of a Plan B from the Sharks, particularly in the second half, when they were chasing the game, was alarming. Their forwards kept smashing into the opposition and while the Pumas deserve credit for a courageous defensive effort, they were assisted by the Sharks' inability to do anything else besides having their forwards carry the ball.

The Pumas gave themselves an advantage from the kickoff by turning over possession from which their forwards punched holes in the Sharks before prop Corne Fourie burst over. 

A poorly executed kick from the home team, gave the Pumas pressure-free possession and when the Sharks then erred in defending at the ruck, the Pumas sought the line-out maul from which they scored a second try, using the driving maul for tighthead prop Simon Raw to score. 

The Sharks’ forwards gradually asserted themselves, and a series of rucks close to the Pumas try line saw Corne Rahl muscle his way over for a vital score. It was the Sharks who were in the ascendancy but they erred again, trying to run the ball out of their own 22 after a turnover, with Pumas wing Andre Kota scoring an intercept try. 

Fortunately, a Fez Mbatha try, on the stroke of halftime, off another line-out maul five metres from the Pumas try line, saw the hosts cut the lead to two points. 

While their forwards were in the ascendancy and they had more of the possession, the Sharks’ one-dimensional game plan proved simple to defend against. The Pumas created one opportunity after Sharks eighthman Henco Venter was yellow-carded for a head high tackle, and the resulting maul saw hooker Pieter Jacobs driven over the try line. 

A red card for centre Alwayno Visagie, in which he failed to get out of the way of Etienne Taljaard, which saw the Pumas wing fall on his head, didn’t help the hosts. Still with all that possession, they should have tried more than just hitting up with their forwards. 

The Pumas defence was excellent, led by their tight forwards, with Jacobs and Shane Kirkwood prominent, while eighthman Kwanda Dimaza produced another forceful display. 

Flyhalf Tinus de Beer, cut a composed figure behind his gutsy pack, and along with full back Devon Williams produced several relieving kicks in the second half. 

They will again head to Bloemfontein as underdogs, but that won’t bother them. They are a team built on guts, and the Cheetahs won’t be given an easy ride next week.