Sharks come from behind
The Sharks ran in four second-half tries to seal a 34-16 win over the Brumbies in their Super 15 match at Kings Park on Saturday.
Last Updated: 07/05/11 10:04pm
The Sharks ran in four second-half tries to seal a 34-16 win over the Brumbies in their Super 15 match at Kings Park on Saturday.
The home side had trailed 16-6 at half-time but proceeded to score 28 unanswered points to secure their seventh win in 11 matches.
They have therefore moved to within four points of the Stormers in the South African conference.
In contrast, the Brumbies' loss was their third such in a row, with their early lead as much a result of errors by their opponents as it was their own endeavours.
"It was a massive second half performance from my guys and I'm just happy we came away with the five points," Sharks captain Stefan Terblanche said.
The visitors were by far the more impressive team in the first quarter and they were rewarded with a try for Christian Lealiifano and two Matt Giteau penalties.
Lealiifano scored from his own 10-metre line after the Sharks had conceded a turnover on the Brumbies' tryline.
It came about after right wing Andrew Smith chased an up-and-under, with quick hands from the Brumbies setting up the flying inside centre.
The Sharks struggled with their composure early on and they turned down two kickable penalties, while also losing three of their own lineouts in the opening 20 minutes.
Breakthrough
Their breakthrough finally came in the 26th minute when Patrick Lambie kicked a penalty, with the Sharks fly-half adding another three minutes later.
Brumbies captain Giteau then kicked his third before half-time to restore their 10-point advantage.
The Sharks were clearly more focused at the start of the second half and finally crossed the whitewash three minutes after the resumption.
It was JP Pietersen who scored, the wing stretching over to touch down in the tackle.
The hosts finally took the lead in the 53rd minute when lock Steven Sykes crossed from close range.
Their third try came with 15 minutes left, with Sharks replacement centre Adrian Jacobs taking an inside pass from hooker Bismarck du Plessis before sprinting 30 metres.
In the closing moments, replacement lock Anton Bresler crossed for the bonus point try.
"I thought we were pretty good in the first half but our intensity and physicality dropped off in the second half and you can't afford that against a team like the Sharks," Giteau said.
