Kolisi stars as Sharks shred Chiefs
12/07/2024 10:04 AM
Siya Kolisi scored two tries as the Sharks kicked off the 2024-25 Investec Champions Cup with an emphatic victory against Exeter Chiefs at Kings Park on Saturday.
The Springbok captain accounted for two of the Sharks’ five tries for a 39-21 victory, while Exeter scored three in a match that was sullied by no less than five yellow cards.
The Sharks lost flanker Vincent Tshituka to an injury in the early exchanges, the back row reconstituted by Phepsi Buthelezi before Exeter were reduced to 14 players when No 8 Greg Fisilau was sent to the naughty chair for a head clash with Aphelele Fassi.
An imposing Sharks pack bossed the scrum and collisions, but poor discipline and some sloppy handling squandered the advantage and it was the Chiefs who scored first when hooker Dan Frost burrowed over from short range for a 7-0 lead after 13 minutes.
Jolted by the deficit, the Sharks pulled it together to cross for four tries in the second quarter, scored by Buthelezi, Makazole Mapimpi, Grant Williams and Siya Kolisi, Jordan Hendrikse adding three conversions. The Chiefs lost replacement back Will Rigg to a yellow card for a ruck infringement in goal-line defence before Frost dotted down again to make it 26-14 at the break.
Too easy for Siya Kolisi
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Nobody was stopping Phepsi Buthelezi
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— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) December 7, 2024
The second half started much like the first, a Hendrikse penalty the only score of the third quarter until Kolisi burst through for his second.
Six minutes into the final quarter, the Sharks lost both starting locks to a yellow card in quick succession. Eben Etzebeth was sent off for a lineout infringement and Emile van Heerden followed him to the sidelines shortly after for collapsing the ensuing Chiefs maul.
In between, the Chiefs scored their third try when England flyer Manny Feyi-Waboso collected a cross-kick to cut the Sharks’ lead to 15 points with 14 minutes to go.
Hendrikse kicked three more points before the naughty chair almost had to be upgraded to a couch as Sharks winger Eduan Keyter was yellowed for what French referee Jeremy Rozier judged to be a deliberate knockdown. But a three-man advantage wasn’t enough of a leg-up for Exeter’s attack and the Sharks limited the visitors to seven points in the second half.
Next up, the Sharks travel to England to battle Handre Pollard and the Leicester Tigers in round 2, while Exeter return home to host defending champions Toulouse.
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