The big day is almost here! On 26 October, Hollywoodbets Sharks will go head to head with Munster Rugby. This is the last game with our Springboks before they start preparing for the Castle Lager Outgoing Tour.
The Munster match comes after a 38-10 loss to Bennetton on 12 October, followed by a redemptive 28-24 home win in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship over Glasgow Warriors on 19 October.
The Glasgow Warriors match was an exciting match that saw the reigning VURC champions pitted against the Carling Currie Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup champions. The Springboks were back in black and white following their required rest period following the Rugby Championship, and it shows in the energy they brought to the field.
Notable players include Siya Kolisi, who scored the team’s first try, and Player of the Match Aphelele Fassi who a took a quick tap penalty and dove through the disorganised defence. This, after another urgent attack which took us to a 15-7 lead with five minutes of the first half remaining. Jordan Hendrikse kicked his team into a six point lead five minutes into the second half, and then again into a 21-12 lead with 15 minutes remaining and crucially beyond a converted try.
Grant Williams completed a flawlessly executed break from Makazole Mapimpi, followed by a kick chase that secured the victory. With Hendrikse’s conversion, the Hollywoodbets Sharks took an unassailable 28-12 lead with under 10 minutes left. And winning on home ground made this match even sweeter.
It wasn’t a perfect win, however, according to Hollywoodbets Sharks head coach John Plumtree. He notes that conceding the two late tries weren’t ideal.
“We were a bit naïve to allow them to run back at us, we just weren’t good enough. We’ll definitely make sure that doesn’t happen again,” he said.
We’re excited to see how the team pull together for the Munster match and learn from the last two matches. Click here for the exclusive team release for the upcoming game.
