Garth April showers Highlanders with penalties as Sharks clinch narrow Super Rugby win
Fly-half kicks five-from-five to deliver victory for Durban-based outfit, while Rebels storm home in 36-14 thrashing of Cheetahs
Fly-half Garth April kicked five penalties from five attempts to give the Durban-based Sharks a 15-14 win over the Highlanders on Friday in one of the most contentious matches of the Super Rugby season.
In Melbourne, outside centre Reece Hodge scored a try in each half as the Rebels stormed to a 36-14 win over Cheetahs.
The defending champion Highlanders played the majority of the match with 14 men after losing centre Jason Emery to a red card in the 13th minute for a reckless tackle on Sharks fullback Willie le Roux.
We’ve really been working hard and I think we stuck to our task today and came through
“After last week’s disappointing loss to the Blues, the boys really deserved this one,” Sharks captain Tendai Mtawarira said. “We’ve really been working hard and I think we stuck to our task today and came through.”
The Sharks lost two players – lock Stephan Lewies and center J.P. Pietersen to yellow cards – in a match marked by errors and fouls in Dunedin.
The Highlanders led 14-12 after winger Matt Faddes scored the only try of the match in the 58th minute, but April’s fifth penalty reclaimed the lead for the Sharks.
The 24-year-old April made his starting debut for the Sharks on Friday after establishing himself at Gauteng, Boland and Western Province in South Africa’s Currie Cup competition.
The win injected new life into the Sharks’ flagging campaign and severely damaged the Highlanders’ title defence, dealing them their second-straight loss on either side of a mid-season bye.
