Sharks Pass Tough Test

If Gordano expected a repeat of last years easy victory they were in for a surprise when St Brendans came out fighting, remained in contention throughout and refused to give up hope of giving Sharks only their third defeat this season. In a tough game where the advantage swung to and fro, both sides displayed speed and tenacity although ball handling was erratic in the cold conditions and whilst they were never behind, Gordano were forced to dig deep to maintain a slender lead.

Saints opened the game confidently, pegging the visitors back into their own half for twenty minutes. In the face of such aggression Sharks defence was confused and indecisive and it took accurate kicking to touch by captain Alex Walder to provide some much needed relief and an opportunity to regroup. Sharks' only clear area of dominance was in the scrum and this provided the foundation of the opening try when after 30 minutes the Pack turned over and the ball was passed across the pitch for winger Jamie Whitfield to score. Five minutes later and it was another long range Whitfield run which extended the lead and Sharks looked to be pulling away. However the Gordano lineout and defensive tackling were proving unreliable and Brendans struck twice in four minutes narrowing the scoreline to two points at halftime.

Ten minutes into the second half and Whitfield completed his second hat trick in successive weeks but Saints hit back and it was all level. Gradually, Sharks Backs began to function, recycling the ball and keeping Saints on the back foot until prop Dan Swaby went over in the corner to re establish a slim lead. The home side fought back strongly for fifteen minutes but despite sustained pressure, Sharks defence held strong and they began to threaten again as the game closed.

Overall this was a mixed performance with moments of passion and inspiration interspersed with unforced errors and miscommunication. In the Forwards, great scrummaging was countered by indifferent lineouts and tackling quality in the Backs was unusually patchy. However it was good to see that even when they were under severe pressure facing a side who were clearly determined to put on significantly better performance, Sharks remained disciplined and ground out the victory.

HT 12-14

FT: 19-24

Scorers

Saints Tries: Will Brown, Ben Onyahasi, George Curnock

Conv: George Curnock

Sharks Tries: Jamie Whitfield (3), Dan Swaby

Conv: Alex Walder (2)