The Hollywoodbets Sharks and Dragons played out to a 17-all draw in a tight Vodacom United Rugby Championship clash on Friday evening.
Driving rain and a howling, gusting wind greeted the two teams at Rodney Parade and the severe conditions never let up for the entire match as the sides battled a wet ball and wind that played a big role in how the game was played.
Head coach John Plumtree had retained the exact same pack and they rewarded his faith with a completely dominant scrum performance, exacting penalties at the set-piece almost at will.
Given the conditions, it was always going to be a tight game and any running rugby from either side was short-lived.
Relentless pressure exerted on the home side who never got out of their half, indeed spent the opening period defending inside their 22, saw Marvin Orie scoring the first try of the game in the eighth minute of the game, the forwards in determined mood and patient in the build-up to the opening score, with flyhalf Jean Smith adding the extras.
Despite the hardship suffered by the Dragons, they struck back a few minutes later with an enterprising attack, levelling matters in the 16th minute.
Smith converted a penalty just shy of the 20 minute mark following an indiscretion at the breakdown from a Phepsi Buthelezi break to retake the lead, but the see-saw nature of the game continued as the home side scored their second try, thrusting through the defence to swing the advantage back again, the conversion taking them 14-10 ahead in the 26th minute.
Another composed build-up from the Hollywoodbets Sharks forwards saw them build and build before captain Vincent Tshituka smashed his way over for the second try, with Smith’s conversion taking his team into a 17-14 lead just before half-time.
The Dragons had an early try denied by the TMO for a knock-on in the build-up, and the two teams spent the opening quarter trying to break the deadlock before the home side equalised with their first penalty of the match with the final quarter hour remaining.
Having conceded penalty after penalty at scrum time, Dragons found themselves a man down for the final 10 minutes after yet another set-piece was dominated to the full extent.
It was always going to be a tense closing period given the parity on the scoreboard, but this added to the drama.
Both sides pushed desperately in the dying minutes, with Dragons producing the final shift, almost five minutes of pick-and-go attack on the goal line, but brave defence held out and the game ended with the home side losing the ball forward in the act of trying to score.