Africa-Press – South-Africa. Griquas suffered from stage fright in front of their biggest home crowd of the Currie Cup campaign to date as a grateful Sharks claimed a narrow 13-6 victory on Wednesday evening.In a match littered with handling errors and chaotic breakdowns, it was the Durbanites’ hooker Fez Mbatha’s try from a maul in the 9th minute that proved the difference between the two sides.That score deceptively suggested that the Sharks – who boasted a nice blend of youth and experience – would set up a platform to control the rest of the game from.Instead, the Peacock Blues recovered from an iffy first quarter to essentially dominate the rest of the match without, agonisingly, having anything to show for it.Momentum seemed to have properly shifted when Sharks captain and opensider James Venter was sent to the sin-bin late in the first half for repeated infringements in his own red zone.Griquas, wisely at the time, opted to kick at goal and use the start of the second 40 to build on their one-man advantage.But that type of game management went missing as they opted to either run everything or kick to touch.With two prodigious goal-kickers in pivot George Whitehead and inside centre Zander du Plessis in harness, the hosts’ unwillingness to first take the points and then become more expansive was strange.Team management though will argue, with some justification, that Griquas merely needed to show accuracy and patience in two of their myriad opportunities close to the Sharks’ try-line to prove their attacking intent as the correct tactic.Wing Luther Obi was penalised for a double movement when he rather should’ve placed the ball back for another phase, hooker Simon Westraadt was destined for the line if he merely could find a bind to a disintegrating maul, and two attacking line-outs were botched too.Meanwhile, the Sharks were required to play on the back foot and handled the pressure relatively well.There were some crucial interventions at ruck time and the way they managed the final six minutes, which led to flyhalf Tito Bonilla’s clinching penalty, probably deserved the reward of a scrappy win. Point scorers:Griquas – (6) 6Penalties: George Whitehead (2)Sharks – (10) 13
Try: Fez MbathaConversion: Tito BonillaPenalties: Bonilla (2)
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