Sharks scrum beast on 'special' win
05/24/2024 11:52 PM
Two-time Springbok world champion Vincent Koch said becoming the first South African team to win a European cup title with the Sharks was "unbelievable".
Scrum dominance proved decisive as the Durbanites beat Gloucester 36-22 in the Challenge Cup final in London on Friday night.
Phepsi Buthelezi, Aphelele Fassi and Makazole Mapimpi all scored tries for the Sharks, with Siya Masuku landing eight of his nine goal-kicks in a 21-point haul at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
But it was Koch who was named Man of the Match after anchoring the Sharks' scrum. “This is probably the most special [trophy] for me,” the double World Cup told TNT Sports.
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“Being in South Africa with a South African team…I haven't won any trophies in South Africa so being with the Sharks first year back, it's unbelievable,” added Koch, who twice lifted the elite Champions Cup with London club Saracens.
“We knew they [Gloucester] had a good scrum and line-out. We had to be at our best and the boys showed that today.”
Victory saw the Sharks qualify for next season's Champions Cup.
By contrast, defeat meant English Premiership side Gloucester failed to add to their Challenge Cup final victories of 2006 and 2015.
“The guys have put a lot in, worked really hard to get to this final, we didn't really get a foothold in the game,” said Gloucester boss George Skivington.
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“We started well and we finished well but between that we got sucked into a battle of scrums.”
Both the Sharks and Gloucester were looking to put poor domestic seasons behind them.
The Sharks, despite a squad featuring several Bok World Cup winners, including skipper Eben Etzebeth, Mapimpi, Ox Nche and Koch, are languishing in 13th place in the 16-team Vodacom URC with one round of the regular season remaining while Gloucester finished second-bottom in the English Premiership.
© Agence France-Presse
Photo: Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images
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