The Cell C Sharks’ inaugural match of Heineken Champions Cup rugby was filled with drama, but ultimately it was the Durban side who prevailed 39-31 over the visiting Harlequins side at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on Saturday afternoon.
Just as Cell C Sharks Director of Rugby Neil Powell warned, it was clear right from the start that Quins were going to play an attacking style of rugby, running the ball from their own 22 and opting for an attacking lineout rather than kicking for posts when they earned their first penalty.
Sending the ball out wide earned the visitors the opening score, the touchline conversion giving them a seven point lead inside the opening 10 minutes. Their joy was short-lived; a dominant Cell C Sharks lineout drive over the tryline from Bongi Mbonambi, with Curwin Bosch converting from wide leveled the scores inside the opening quarter hour.
Moments later, Bosch pushed his team into the lead with a well-taken 40m penalty and then Makazole Mapimpi showed his class with a mesmerising run right through a mas of defenders to score under the posts, Bosch having no trouble extending the lead to 10 points.
The Bok speedster had his brace a few minutes later, a blind-side move off a dominant scrum and this time there was no defence to talk of. At 22-7 after half an hour, it was just reward for an energetic showing from the Cell C Sharks.
With less than five minutes of the first half remaining, the advantage changed in Quins’ favour as they scored their second try, a strong maul that, together with the conversion, cut the lead to eight points which is how the half ended, the teams heading for the change rooms with the Cell C Sharks leading 22-14 at the break.
Ten minutes into a dominant second half from the home side, and out of nothing at all, Werner Kok received the ball in the midfield, kicked it ahead and chased it to the deadball line, dotting down just before the ball rolled out, Bosch slotting the conversion for a 29-14 lead.
Then came the high drama as the Cell C Sharks lost Mbonambi and Ox Nche to a yellow and red card respectively, although Bosch added a penalty for the next score before former Sharks Andre Esterhuizen scored his double for the visitors to cut the lead to 11 and then six points with 10 minutes remaining.
The action never abated and when the visitors scored their fifth try, hearts were in mouths throughout the stadium. The conversion went wide, Quins trailed by a solitary point and all the Cell C Sharks needed to do was wind down the clock.
They did more than that though, beautiful hands kept the ball alive down the flank to set up Boeta Chamberlain’s try under the posts, and with the conversion, pushed the game beyond a losing bonus point and a wonderfully satisfying victory for the Cell C Sharks.