The Cell C Sharks opened their Vodacom United Rugby Championship campaign with a nail-biting and drama-filled 42-37 victory against Zebre Parma on Friday evening.
A 28-10 half-time lead seemed to suggest it would be easy pickings for the tourists after dominating the first half emphatically, but scores either side of half-time from Zebre and then a late flourish threatened to overturn the good work from the Cell C Sharks. However, excellent game management in the final quarter and a lack of discipline from the home side meant the Cell C Sharks were able to kick off their campaign on a winning note.
Inside 10 minutes, Reniel Hugo closed out a well-worked, patient and clinical delivery of the opening score, the Cell C Sharks showing composure and intensity on attack against a home side earlier reduced to 14 men for foul play. Boeta Chamberlain converted from the touchline to put the Durbanites 7-nil ahead.
Zebre converted a penalty to reduce the deficit but lost a second man to the bin after a knock-down of the ball when the Cell C Sharks had a great attacking opportunity on the go. Zebre were in serious trouble and earned a warning from the referee after conceding a litany of penalty advantages in their 22.
A 13-man Parma could not plug the gaps or hold back the dam as the Cell C Sharks drove at them relentlessly until Kerron van Vuuren punished the Italians’ indiscipline, with Chamberlain adding the extras for a 14-3 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Although Zebre were back to 14 men, it wasn’t so much the numbers difference that separated the two teams, but rather the Cell C Sharks attacking intent and accuracy they showed which allowed them to dominate possession, and more importantly the scoreboard as Thaakir Abrahams combined with Werner Kok out wide for the third try, again converted by Chamberlain to take an emphatic 21-3 lead inside 25 minutes.
A minute later it was try number four, the perfect display of first phase attack off a dominant scrum with Boeta Chamberlain scything through the midfield and then feeding Rohan Janse van Rensburg to canter through for his maiden try on debut. The conversion took the Cell C Sharks beyond a point a minute of a highly entertaining first half.
The Cell C Sharks came close to scoring their fifth try shortly before half-time, but the Zebre defence managed to withstand the pressure and then worked their way down field before a 15-man driving maul earned them their opening try three minutes into extra time. Despite the successful conversion, the Italians found themselves 28-10 down at the break.
Boeta Chamberlain extended the lead early in the second half following a dominant scrum and subsequent penalty, but Zebre struck back with an ambitious effort on attack as they took the ball across the width of the field to score in the corner, the conversion taking them to within two converted tries.
With half an hour remaining and full of self-belief, Zebre scored their third try to cut the lead to nine points and with that, were right back in a game they were decidedly out of at half time.
But a devastating scrum from a newly installed Cell C Sharks front row earned a kickable penalty which Chamberlain had no problem converting to push his team 12 points clear.
Having managed the fourth quarter perfectly, Dan Jooste managed to get over from close-quarters after a strong build-up to take the Cell C Sharks into a 17 point lead with 10 minutes left to play. It was two vital scores at a time when the game could have gotten out of hand against a resurgent Zebre side.
They did earn the bonus point for their fourth try before the game launched into high drama as they scored their fifth try from the kick-off to deliver a breathtaking final five minutes. Zebre had a sixth try denied by the TMO and conceded a penalty in the process which Chamberlain converted to push the lead beyond a converted try.
Zebre had a penalty of their own moments later to keep their hopes alive with a minute left to play but the Cell C Sharks negotiated the closing moments successfully and took a full house of five log points out of this absorbing game.