The Hollywoodbets Sharks got their EPCR Challenge Cup campaign off to the best possible start on Saturday when they scored a 45-5 bonus point victory over French side Section Paloise at Hollywoodbets Kings Park.
The home side were full value for their win, taking their chances with alarming (for the opposition) regularity and denying their opponents scoring opportunities of their own through some quite heroic defence.
Pau didn’t help their cause with some poor discipline, but ultimately this was a Hollywoodbets Sharks’ performance that mixed sheer hard work with the sublime.
A cool and wet Saturday afternoon greeted the teams, but the weather didn’t seem to dampen the Durbanites’ fervour and excitement and they led from start to finish with their committed and effective play.
There were positive signs from the home side, showing their intent to play attacking rugby by putting early pressure on the visitors and after being repelled – illegally so a few times – the Hollywoodbets Sharks struck first blood inside the opening 10 minutes, captain Lukhanyo Am running a straight line and taking the ball at pace from where there was no stopping him. Flyhalf Curwin Bosch made no mistake from right in front.
Five minutes later, Pau had an attacking scrum in the Hollywoodbets Sharks’ half, the ball was quickly sent wide and kicked ahead for the chase to the tryline which the French won to open their account on the scoreboard, although the touchline conversion was marginally wide.
Am went over for his second try after 25 minutes, this time showing brute strength, eluding one tackler before taking two more over the tryline after a patient build-up through the phases that had Pau defending desperately, but eventually unable to hold the dam wall. Bosch converted for a 14-5 lead with a quarter of an hour remaining in a tight half, dominated by the home side.
Shortly after being penalised for an off the ball tackle, Pau conceded a second penalty for taking out scrumhalf Grant Williams, Bosch added another three points to his side’s tally to punish the opposition’s indiscipline and extend the lead to 12 points with eight minutes of the half remaining.
Rugby World Cup winning Springbok Eben Etzebeth closed out the half, smashing his way through the defence for try number three after Aphelele Fassi had delivered a monster kick – more importantly a 50-22 from inside his own 22 – and from the ensuing lineout maul, the Hollywoodbets Sharks were initially repelled just short before the Bok lock had simply too much momentum to halt. Bosch converted and the home side took a valuable and well-deserved 24-5 lead into the half-time break having dominated for all but a handful of moments.
A minute into the second half, Marnus Potgieter went over for the bonus point try after Pau had failed to secure the kick-off and the Hollywoodbets Sharks were clinical and lethal in their response, Bosch converting to take the lead to 26 points.
Pau’s indiscipline continued to plague them as they lost a man to the sin-bin five minutes in after conceding three penalties in quick succession. It cost them again as Eben Etzebeth smashed his way over for his second try and his team’s fifth, with the TMO called to adjudicate and giving the action the green light. Bosch’s touchline conversion was bang on target for a 38-5 lead.
Pau once again failed to take the kick-off and there was no stopping the rampant Hollywoodbets Sharks as forwards and backs were all involved in the sixth try, finished off by Makazole Mapimpi with half an hour still remaining. Bosch’s conversion took his team to within five points of the half century.
As the game went into the final quarter, Pau probably enjoyed their best period of possession in the game, but magnificent defence from the Hollywoodbets Sharks kept them out, gang tackling the French players and often knocking them backwards.
The match lost some shape during the final period, but not through lack of trying from either side. Pau tried hard but simply weren’t allowed to imprint their style given the pressure they were put under and they will go away from this game knowing they lost to the better side.