Durban — The weather is supposed to be the Sharks’ friend in Durban at this time of year but the humidity they are used to gave way to a torrential downpour and they slipped and slithered to a despairing 21-5 defeat to the better composed Edinburgh.
The teams ran out into teeming rain which had been falling all afternoon and the Scots would have felt right at home in conditions cosily familiar to them.
For the Sharks, the quagmire negated one of their primary strengths, their fleet-footed outside backs, and although Edinburgh also enjoy running the ball, the conditions unquestionably were a leveller.
Edinburgh was also boosted by the return of seven internationals from Six Nations duty, including flyhalf Blair Kinghorn, who started in their last match against Ireland, and he was significantly influential especially when his opposite number struggled...
After six minutes of splashing about, the Sharks won a penalty deep in the Edinburgh half but , ominously, Curwin Bosch hooked it wide to being an unfortunate evening for him.
Twelve minutes into the game, the tide turned in favour of Edinburgh when Marius Louw over-enthusiastically tackled flyhalf Blair Kinghorn in the air and when the Scotland international came sploshing down to earth, Italian referee Andrea Piardi reached for the yellow card.
And in Louw’s absence, the visitors capitalised when Kinghorn eased through the Sharks’ midfield after scrumhalf Grant Williams had had a kick from his goal-line charged down and Edinburgh won the ball back.
As halftime approached, Bosch missed another sitter at posts and there was a growing suspicion that it just was not going to be the Sharks’ night but as the hooter sounded, Edinburgh lock Pierce Phillips was sin-binned for deliberate offside.
Bosch this time kicked to the corner but the maul was stopped and then the ball was ripped from Williams’ grasp, and the players trooped off with the Sharks having failed to score a single point to the seven of the Scots.
They did have a numeral advantage for the first ten minutes of the half and, importantly given the treacherous conditions, the Sharks had a significant ascendancy in the set scrums and they needed to make that count.
Scrum penalties did come their way, as did the kicks to the corner and the resulting lineout drives, but so did the errors, including Ox Nche dropping the ball over the line after a surge from Sikhumbuzo Notshe.
Eventually, Thomas du Toit wrestled over from close quarters and again Bosch was wayward with his kick but the Sharks were on the board at last at 7-5.
At this point, Boeta Chamberlain came on at fullback for Anthony Volmink to try and rectify the goal-kicking issue, but it was the Edinburgh fullback, Emiliano Boffelli, who next made an impact when he scored under the crossbar after a break by Kinghorn, and with the game hitting the three-quarter mark, the Sharks were in trouble at 5-14.
And they were doomed ten minutes from time when Kinghorn scored a brilliant solo try in which he grubbered the ball twice towards the try-line before gathering and scoring.
Scorers
Sharks — 5: Try: Thomas du Toit
Edinburgh — 21: Tries: Blair Kinghorn, Emiliano Boffelli. Conversions: Boffelli (3).
IOL Sport