Sharks break Currie Cup duck

Jurenzo Julius scored a brace of tries on debut as the Sharks XV claimed their first Currie Cup win in style against the 14-man Lions in Johannesburg on Saturday.

Two tries from Junior Bok centre Julius to go with 15 points from the boot of veteran flyhalf Lionel Cronje took the Sharks to a 35-22 bonus-point victory at Ellis Park.

Building on his impressive U20 Championship campaign, Julius scored his first try from a 60m run, while he showed his skills for his second try, kicking a loose ball ahead, gathering and dotting down.

Lock Reniel Hugo grabbed a try for the Sharks in the first half, before Yaw Penxe got the bonus-point try in the second half, latching onto Cronje’s grubber kick.

The Lions, who lost lock Ruben Schoeman to a red card for a dangerous tackle early in the second half, hit back late in the second half, with Renzo du Plessis scoring his first try, before setting up Layton Horn with a powerful run downfield.

Next up for the Sharks is a trip to Nelspruit to tackle the Pumas, while the Lions will face Griquas in Kimberley.

Photo: Gerhard Duraan/BackpagePix