Sharks v Glasgow Warriors: Five takeaways as 'Bok Squad' is the ...

Following the Sharks’ 28-24 victory over Glasgow Warriors in the United Rugby Championship clash in Durban, here are our five takeaways.

A match billed as a preview of what to expect at Murrayfield on November 10 as the Springboks-laden Sharks hosted the defending United Rugby Championship winners and Scottish-stocked Glasgow Warriors and it did not disappoint.

While this was very much a club match in many respects it had glimpses of Test rugby quality and not just with the stars on display as there was plenty of feistiness and a mighty battle in the key areas of the game: the air, set-piece and the breakdown.

In the end, it was the South Africans who emerged victorious bouncing back from their humiliating 38-10 defeat to Benetton last time out.

It was tries from Springboks stars Siya Kolisi – in his first appearance back in the black jersey after his stint in France – Aphelele Fassi and Grant Williams that steered the Sharks to victory.

For the visitors, sensational scrum-half George Horne grabbed a brace with Rory Darge scoring late to give his side a chance but Franco Smith’s side left it too late as Johnny Matthews scored with time up on the clock.

Many of the Sharks’ star men had not played since the September 28 clash in the Rugby Championship against Argentina and it showed.

Much of the opening 20 minutes was spent packing and repacking scrums as both teams struggled to keep hold of the slippery ball which comes with the territory in Durban.

There were still trademark moments with Kolisi making hulking carries and thundering into the breakdown, with Eben Etzebeth and Bongi Mbonambi doing much of the same, while Makazole Mapimpi chased the high bombs well and timed his tackles to perfection but all-in-all, it was sluggish.

And champions Glasgow pounced as the brilliant Scottish nine Horne spotted the slow folding Sharks defence and attacked the blindside. From there centre Sione Tuipulotu timed his pass perfectly to send Kyle Rowe tearing down the touchline, he linked up nicely with Stafford McDowall who put Horne through for the try that he started.

That try seemingly galvanised the Sharks who finally kicked into second gear after stuttering in first for much of the game to that point.

Rassie Erasmus has made the Springboks’ Bomb Squad famous but for the Sharks it was the return of their men who regularly don the Green and Gold that really made the difference even though it was for the starting XV.

The response to Horne’s first try was a perfect illustration of that as the Sharks marched upfield with a penalty and Mbonambi hit his jumper from the ensuing lineout. Etzebeth worked hard to almost sneak over the line before Kolisi ran a wonderful line to shrug off the attempted tackle from McDowall.

Smelling blood, the Sharks kept circling in the Warriors’ 22 and while standing strong for the onslaught, a soft moment when conceding a penalty proved costly as the fantastic Fassi tapped quickly and forced his way over the line like an oversized scrum-half.

After even exchanges in the earlier scrums, this period was also when the Sharks’ world-class front row of Ox Nche, Mbonambi and Vincent Koch started to turn the screws on the Glasgow heavyweights and gain the upper hand which paid dividends until they were replaced.

The Sharks endured a troublesome 2023/24 season winning just four of their 18 URC matches and while a Challenge Cup title eased concerns, going one from three before today would have put pressure back on the coaching staff.

However, we witnessed today what the Durbanites are capable of when fully-stocked with their star men. Springboks captain Kolisi was slammed during his time in Racing for his performance with president Jacky Lorenzetti dubbing him ‘transparent’ but the flanker was far from that today. He was not his blockbuster best which we saw during the Rugby Championship but he scored a crucial try and was excellent in the scraps and troubled the Warriors’ defence with his carries.

WATCH: Springboks captain Siya Kolisi POWERS over 27 minutes into his Sharks return

The starting front row were excellent – the Sharks do need more from their bench front three – while Etzebeth shone in the tight exchanges.

There were further positives in the performances of Lukhanyo Am and Mapimpi but the star of the show was the “Weekend Special” Aphelele Fassi. He is certainly making a strong statement to retain that starting Springboks’ no.15 jersey with another stunning attacking performance while being just as good under the high ball.

For a matchday 23 that only had their first training as a team on Wednesday, it was a seriously impressive performance in the end.

It is no coincidence that the Glasgow Warriors are the defending URC champions and while the start of their title defence has not gone smoothly losing two of their first five games, there certainly are signs that they can make a good fist of going back-to-back.

Perhaps no player underlined their effort today than the excellent back-rower Matt Fagerson who pestered and pilfered in an all-action performance. With plenty of competition in the Scotland loose trio, Fagerson made a good account of himself against an abrasive pack and worked well in tandem with Jack Dempsey and Darge.

Last season, it was rather nip and tuck in the final rounds of the round-robin stages of the URC and with that in mind Smith will be pleased with the fighting effort of his charges right to the final whistle. His team were down 28-17 in the last ten minutes but they leave Durban with two league points thanks to Matthews’ bonus point score and finishing within seven points.

Only time will tell how crucial those two points will be in the final standings but with the northern hemisphere sides traditionally struggling in the republic, it is still a solid result in defeat.

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For the Sharks, this result is a massive boost in what is a challenging run of fixtures as they next face the first two winners of the United Rugby Championship in the form of Munster and the Stormers.

Defeating Glasgow with minimal preparation as a full-strength squad will give them plenty of confidence when they face Munster next week but Plumtree’s men must capitalise on the opportunity of three straight matches at home with a massive Springboks contingent.

What will concern the Sharks was their finish to the match as their soft underbelly was on full display as the Warriors ran riot.

Meanwhile, Smith will hope his charges can end their South African tour on a high when they tackle the inaugural champions Stormers in Cape Town. John Dobson’s team has endured a tough start to their campaign but have the firepower to match the Scottish giants.

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