Mike Greenaway
Sharks (21) 47
Tries: Tshituka, Kok, Rahl, Fassi, Buthelezi, Hooker, Bosch; Conversions: Masuku (5), Bosch.
Zebre (3) 3
Penalty: Eden
The Sharks will host a Challenge Cup quarter-final against Edinburgh this Saturday after crushing Zebre at a rain-drenched Kings Park yesterday.
It will be a return to the Shark Tank for former coach Sean Everitt, who only a fortnight ago saw his Edinburgh team well beaten and it is difficult to see the team from the Scottish capital reversing their fortunes.
That game was the Sharks’ follow-up to beating Ulster the week before and coach John Plumtree always said that he hoped to have his team click against Zebre in their third outing in as many weeks and with their chief players back from the Boks and injuries.
The rain that has engulfed the East Coast for the last few days hampered Plumtree’s plans but only to a degree.
The wet conditions were a leveller because the Sharks could not spread the ball wide to their dangerous back three as often as they wanted but it also brought their all-Springbok front row more into the game.
Zebre do have a combative pack of forwards — their pack paved the way when they beat the Sharks in November — but it was only a question of time before the Sharks would wear them down.
With Vincent Koch, Bongi Mobambi and Ox Nche in the vanguard, it is virtually impossible to go backward and highly likely that the scrum will go forward.
This Sharks side is close to the strongest they can field. They still have Eben Etzebeth to return from a rib injury and it is hoped that if the Sharks beat Edinburgh, he will be fit for the semi-final that will be played in London.
Funnily enough, it was Zebre that exerted the early pressure and flyhalf Tiff Eden kicked the first points of the match. That was the last time the Italians troubled the scorers.
Ominously for the visitors, the first time the Sharks got decent possession, the young inside centre Ethan Hooker burst through the defence and the supporting Vincent Tshituka went on to score an excellent try.
The initial break had been made by Siya Masuku who had his best outing for his new team since leaving the Cheetahs and was the deserved man of the match.
The first quarter ended promisingly for the Sharks. Pure power from the front row had Zebre conceding a scrum penalty and the penalty kicked to the corner subsequently had Werner Kok splashing over for a try.
The Sharks’ pack was growing in the ascendancy and an attack from the line-out after a penalty saw flyhalf Masuku produce a moment of magic. He chipped over the defence for Lukhanyo Am to gather and pass to supporting lock Corne Rahl, who had built up a head of steam and went over the line like a runaway train.
After half-time, another clever Masuku kick — this time a deft grubber — split the defence and Aphelele Fassi darted through to collect and score. Phepsi Buthelezi rumbled over for the fifth try close to the three-quarter mark and the Sharks were knocking on the floodgates at 33-3.
Hooker scrambled over in the corner for a deserved try before Curwin Bosch scampered through a bunch of tired Italians for a try that will give him a lot of confidence. He converted his try to make it 47-3.