| Sharks (0) 0 |
| Cardiff (23) 35 |
| Tries: Penalty strive, Younger 2, Thomas Cons: Evans 2 Pens: Evans 3 |
Cardiff turned the primary Welsh area to win in South Africa because the United Rugby Championship’s enlargement with a bonus-point victory at Sharks.
In a rain-soaked first half in Durban, flanker Thomas Younger compelled a penalty strive earlier than dotting down one other.
Younger continued to star after the break, scoring from a driving maul earlier than Ben Thomas added a fourth strive.
Sharks’ day was summed up when Francois Venter touched down solely to be denied a strive on overview by the TMO.
Fly-half Jarrod Evans was on the coronary heart of Cardiff’s efficiency, placing a few early dealing with errors behind him to complete with 5 kicks out of seven, his tactical kicking and distribution additionally spectacular.
However Cardiff performed the tough circumstances much better than their hosts and dominated on the breakdown in a efficiency that can have director of rugby Dai Younger purring.
Cardiff have been with out 11 gamers resulting from Wales obligation and accidents, Taulupe Faletau, Tomos Williams, Rhys Priestland, Josh Adams, Josh Navidi, Willis Halaholo, Liam Williams, Dillon Lewis, Owen Lane, Matthew Morgan and Jacob Beetham not travelling to South Africa.
Sharks have been additionally trimmed by worldwide calls, with Jaden Hendrikse, Makazole Mapimpi, Thomas du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Siya Kolisi, Bongi Mbonambi and Ox Nche all on tour with the Springboks.
Cardiff began the day two factors and two locations forward of Sharks within the URC desk in seventh, however having performed two video games extra, and the outcome raises them to sixth with the South African aspect dropping to twelfth.
An early Evans penalty acquired Cardiff’s noses in entrance at a soggy and sparsely populated Kings Park.
When Evans spilled a greasy excessive ball and Cardiff compounded the error by infringing on the ruck, Sharks appeared to take benefit – kicking the penalty for an attacking lineout.
The guests’ strive line was underneath risk as Sharks moved in the direction of the posts, just for Josh Turnbull to place in a crunching deal with after which get his arms over the ball on the ruck to earn a relieving penalty.
However the skipper was sin-binned quickly after by referee Frank Murphy, after Turnbull clashed heads with Anthony Volmink as he tackled the Sharks full-back.
As circumstances worsened, Cardiff managed to climate the non permanent lack of their captain by driving possession across the fringes and kicking intelligently.
As Sharks tried to run the ball out of their 22 they once more allowed Cardiff defenders to recover from the inclined provider, this time prop Dmitri Arhip incomes a penalty that was in Evans’ vary to double the lead.
Turnbull’s return coincided with the departure of Sharks’ Marnus Potgieter to the sin bin.
The wing slapped the ball useless to forestall Thomas Younger, son of boss Dai, dabbing down his personal grubber kick within the in-goal space, giving up a penalty strive within the course of.
Sharks continued to attempt to run their means out of bother in circumstances that didn’t lend themselves to expansive rugby and Cardiff continued to put traps on the breakdown.
Centre Rey Lee-Lo was this time the participant on the jackal, handing Evans a 3rd penalty kick at objective that stretched the Welsh result in 16-0.
Sharks have been all at sea and shipped a second strive earlier than half-time, one other scrappy breakdown seeing the ball squirt free and hacked on by a Cardiff foot.
Volmink was again to cowl however spilled the ball as he appeared round for choices, and Lloyd Williams flicked the ball again for the rampaging Younger to attain within the left nook. Evans saved up his 100% document with the boot to fit the tough conversion.
A dominant driving maul resulted in a 3rd Cardiff strive quickly after half-time, with Younger the person to profit for his second of the match.
Evans crafted the bonus-point strive along with his delayed cross sending full-back Thomas to the road and added the conversion to nudge Cardiff’s result in an eye catching 35-0 with not even an hour on the clock.
Sharks thought they’d lastly acquired on the scoreboard when Venter gathered a ricochet to go underneath the posts, just for the attempt to be chalked off for an unintentional offside after the TMO’s late intervention.
Evans missed a pot at objective because the South African aspect continued to leak penalties, nevertheless it scarcely mattered with the shell-shocked Sharks to this point adrift and having change into the primary home South African former Tremendous Rugby aspect to permit a Welsh win on their territory.
Sharks: Anthony Volmink; Marnus Potgieter, Francois Venter, Rohan Janse van Rensburg, Werner Kok; Boeta Chamberlain, Cameron Wright; Dian Bleuler, Kerron van Vuuren, Carlü Sadie, Justin Basson, Gerbrandt Grobler, James Venter (capt), Vincent Tshituka, Sikhumbuzo Notshe.
Replacements: Dan Jooste, Khwezi Mona, Khutha Mchunu, Hyron Andrews, Phepsi Buthelezi, Bradley Davids, Lionel Cronje, Ben Tapuai.
Cardiff Rugby: Ben Thomas; Jason Harries, Rey Lee-Lo, Max Llewellyn, Theo Cabango; Jarrod Evans, Lloyd Williams; Rhys Carré, Liam Belcher, Dmitri Arhip, Lopeti Timani, Rory Thornton, Josh Turnbull (capt), Thomas Younger, James Botham.
Replacements: Kristian Dacey, Corey Domachowski, Will Davies-King, Seb Davies, Gwilym Bradley, James Ratti, Ellis Bevan, Mason Grady.
Referee: Frank Murphy (IRFU)
Assistant referees: Aimee Barrett-Theron & Stephan Geldenhuys (SARU)
TMO: Eoghan Cross (IRFU)
