Sharks Upset Western Province

The Sharks advanced to the Currie Cup Final after they edged Western Province 19-9 at Newlands in Cape Town on Saturday.

The team from Durban will travel to Pretoria to face the Bulls in next weekend’s Final.

The match was also billed as WP’s final match at Newlands and the result was certainly not the one WP’s fans wanted.

The two teams went hammer and tongs against one another, and both backlines were not shy to give the ball air on a balmy afternoon in Cape Town, where the occasional light drizzle made handling difficult.

The Sharks were under constant pressure in the scrums, but their line-out maul defence was brilliant and must have frustrated WP, who opted to put eight kickable penalties into touch, which played into the visitors’ hands.

Tactical play was also massively important in what was a proper arm wrestle by the two coastal giants – both making their fair share of unforced errors which cost them valuable momentum – but in the end, a solitary try by JJ van der Mescht (lock) and Curwin Bosch’s boot were the difference as the Sharks celebrated qualifying for their first Currie Cup final since 2018.