Sharks swim to summit
The Sharks moved to the top of the table after claiming a 35-14 bonus-point victory over the Brumbies.
Last Updated: 28/03/09 6:01pm
The Sharks capitalised on their rivals' slip earlier in the day to move top of the table after claiming a 35-14 bonus-point victory over the Brumbies on Saturday.
The title-chasing South Africans, who were back on home soil after securing a decent return on the road, continued their impressive 2009 form with five thrilling tries to leave themselves three points clear at the Super 14 summit.
Straight from the kick-off this contest was all-action as the lively Bismarck du Plessis snapped up the loose ball before putting his boot through it.
Odwa Ndungane was chasing hard - showing the pace of last week in Perth - but scrum-half Joshua Holmes proved quick enough to ground the ball ahead of the winger.
Breathtaking opening
That was not the end of a breathtaking opening though as the Sharks were well-and-truly into their stride, this time Ryan Kankowski straightening the line well with the recycled ball finding their other finisher, JP Pietersen, on the left.
However, he was met strongly by Christian Lealiifano, who displayed fine defensive work to hold up the winger after what seemed like an age of waiting for the TMO official to make his decision.
The Australians did not survive for long, though, as Mark Gerrard made a complete mess of a Francois Steyn's tester.
The full-back thought his boot was in touch when first in contact with the effort until he saw he was just short of the whitewash. He subsequently had another go that gifted lineout possession to the hosts.
And it proved their downfall as a hint of poetic justice finally got the Sharks on the board when Rory Kockott's flat pass saw Pietersen stroll in from halfway, with the scrum-half converting his first of a 100 per cent record with the boot.
Home joy was surprisingly short-lived though as the ever-improving Lealiifano demonstrated good running intelligence to slice past Steyn and then beat the final man to level matters midway through the opening half.
That was the watershed of an Australian onslaught as George Smith's side found their feet in a hefty period of away territory and possession.
Cruel game
But, unfortunately for the Brumbies, rugby is a cruel game and two minutes later the Sharks pulled away again within a blink of an eye.
This time it was Adrian Jacobs who started the break-out from deep with Ndungane in support and running well. And against the run of play veteran Stefan Terblanche, who was handed the ball by Ryan Kankowski, finished off.
The turnaround led to one-way traffic as the Sharks gained the ascendancy with the in-form Kockott scoring a similar converted try to last week's effort on 44 minutes, making it 21-7.
And the hosts were not done yet as flanker Jacques Botes added the all-important bonus-point before Kankowski finished off his solid performance to put the seal on matters.
Replacement prop Salesi Ma'afu did cross for an away consolation late on but the Brumbies were well beaten on their travels.
