EPCR CHALLENGE CUP
John Goliath|Published
A youthful, reshuffled Sharks side produced a sensational display of grit, skill and relentless fight to secure a dramatic 40–33 EPCR Challenge Cup victory over Lyon at the Matmut Stadium de Gerland on Saturday.
With their Springbok stars rested for the encounter, and the sad news of former player Hyron Andrews' passing still fresh in their memories, the Durban outfit relied on a dominant scrum and a star-turn performance from fullback Zekhethelo Siyaya to snatch a famous victory deep in injury time to kick off their European campaign with a fullhouse of points.
The Durban side laid down an immediate marker in the opening exchanges, establishing early set-piece dominance that set the platform for a breathless afternoon of rugby.
In the seventh minute, a massive push from the young front row earned a scrum penalty, allowing flyhalf Jordan Hendrikse to kick for touch. From the resulting maul, scrumhalf Ivan van Zyl spotted space on the blindside to release winger Lili Bester, who crossed for the game’s opening try.
Lyon thought they had responded immediately four minutes later when Monty Ioane crossed the line, but the TMO correctly ruled the effort out for a forward pass in the build-up. The French hosts exerted intense pressure on the Sharks’ line shortly thereafter, but the visitors put their bodies on the line to force two crucial knock-ons before earning a relieving exit penalty at the scrum.
The Sharks’ defensive resilience paid dividends in the 18th minute when Jaco Williams intercepted a loose pass on the halfway line and raced the length of the pitch to score. Hendrikse added the simple conversion to push the lead to 12–0.
Lyon hit back in the 22nd minute through slick first-phase movement, as centre Adrien Séguret sliced through the backline to crash over, with Paddy Jackson adding the extras. However, the Sharks restored their cushion before the interval. Opting against a shot at goal in the 34th minute, the visitors kicked for the corner and set up a relentless pick-and-go attack, allowing flanker Manu Tshituka to leg-drive his way over for a converted try.
The second half delivered non-stop drama as both sides traded blows in a frenetic 40 minutes. The Sharks got some more attacking power on the field after centre Jorenzo Julius added some momentum with his strong running.
Lyon briefly turned the tables at scrum time early in the period, but Siyaya reignited the Sharks’ attack with a breathtaking 50-metre counter-attack from his own 22m line.
Despite Hendrikse pulling a 51st-minute penalty attempt wide, the Sharks kept their foot on the gas. Siyaya produced another brilliant line-break two minutes later, sending a precision cross-kick to Bester, who was only denied a second try by a minor handling error on the line.
The pressure finally told in the 55th minute. Following powerful carries at the line by the forwards, the ball was spread wide for captain Nick Hatton to run in a well-worked try. Hendrikse slotted the conversion to hand the visitors a 26–21 lead.
Siyaya was again at the heart of the Sharks’ next score in the 63rd minute. Attacking with pinpoint precision, the backline shifted the ball to Suleiman Hartzenberg, who offloaded in the tackle to send Siyaya diving over for a thoroughly deserved try.
Refusing to yield, Lyon exploited a lineout error in the 69th minute to release Gabin Lorre in the corner, with Jackson’s conversion cutting the deficit to 33–26.
The Sharks thought they had sealed the contest in the 73rd minute when replacement scrumhalf Bradley Davids won the race to a grubber kick into space. However, the TMO intervened to disallow the try for an off-the-ball obstruction earlier in the play.
Lyon capitalised on the reprieve in the 78th minute when Baptiste Couilloud chased down a kick in behind to score under the posts, before a quick drop-goal conversion leveled the scores at 33–33.
With the clock in red, the young Sharks refused to settle for a draw. Retaining possession straight off the restart, the visitors launched a daring multi-phase attack.
Siyaya once again proved the catalyst, drawing two defenders with sheer pace before throwing an exquisite offload to Bester, who dived over in the corner to secure a monumental victory.
Point-scorers:
Lyon – Tries: Adrien Seguret, Monty Ioane, Lilian Baret, Gabin Lorre, Baptiste Couilloud. Conversions: Paddy Jackson (4).
Sharks – Tries: Manu Tshituka, Litehile Bester (2), Jaco Williams, Nic Hatton, Zekhethelo Siyaya. Conversions: Jordan Hendrikse (5).