Durban — The Sharks’ unbeaten run in the Heineken Champions Cup came to a 39-29 end at the sun-drenched Stoop ground at the Twickenham precinct on Saturday afternoon but they went down with honour to Harlequins and they nailed a crucial bonus-point try at the death.
The Sharks looked like they would controversially fall short of the bonus-point try — which they desperately needed to stay in the hunt for a home play-off in the competition — after a touch judge ruled that a Sharks forwards had held onto the leg of a Quins forward in the build-up Marnus Potgieter’s 75th-minute try.
This was painful nit-picking and the try should not have been disallowed for something that had nothing to do with the flow of the game.
But the Sharks did have the satisfaction of overcoming that robbery when Aphelel Fassi wriggled over two minutes from time.
This game was a clash of styles if ever there was one. The Sharks have a world-class pack of forwards, most of them current Springboks, while Harlequins have one of the most enterprising backlines in the English Premiership, spearheaded by former Shark Andre Esterhuizen and England flyhalf Marcus Smith.
Another former Shark in the famous chequered jerseys was captain and lock Stephan Lewies while former Blue Bulk Irne Herbst and former Stormer Wilco Louw were in the tight five.
Less than two minutes after the kick-off, the Sharks opened the scoring in spectacular fashion. They spread the ball wide from a set scrum and on the touchline, Fassi kept the ball in play with a chip inside which was gathered by Thaakir Abrahams, who put Lukhanyo Am home for a splendid try.
But it did not take long for the home team to reply and it was scrumhalf Danny Care who darted over to celebrate his 350th appearance for the club.
And when the Sharks conceded a penalty from the kickoff, Quins attacked again and space was created out wide for No 8 Alex Dombrandt to score, and Smith’s second conversion made it 14-5.
Curwin Bosch pulled back three points with a 15th-minute penalty but it was Quins doing most of the attacking and the visitors were again opened up out wide for wing Cadan Murley to score.
The Sharks were never going to fold, though, and they bounced back with a sensational try. The powerful Potgieter broke through a tackle on his wing and unleashed Jaden Hendrikse for a 50m scamper to the corner flag.
Bosch’s conversion narrowed the Quins' lead to 21-15 only for Smith to nail a penalty but the Sharks then ended the half in the most bizarre way when Eben Etzebeth spotted that the ball was free to be picked up at the base of a ruck and he plucked it out of Care’s hands and galloped 30m to the line for an ingenious score, and it was 24-22 at the break.
Lewies would have enjoyed scoring his team’s bonus-point try early in the second half when he finished off a lineout drive from a penalty to the corner and then ten minutes later fullback Nick David counter-attacked brilliantly from his own 22 to score an 80m solo try.
Smith nudged his team into a 39-22 with 11 minutes to go but the plucky Sharks kept on fighting until they clinched the vital fourth try.
Scorers
Harlequins — 39 Tries: Danny Care, Alex Dombrandt, Cadan Murley, Stephan Lewies, Nick David. Conversions: Marcus Smith (4). Penalties: Smith (2).
Sharks — 29 Tries: Lukhanyo Am, Jaden Hendrikse, Eben Etzebeth, Aphelele Fassi. Penalties: Curwin Bosch. Conversions: Bosch (3)
IOL Sport