Defence, goal-kicking aided Sharks

Composed goal-kicking, and gutsy defence in the second half, enabled the Sharks to secure a 25-22 win over the Jaguares, according to SARugbymag.co.za's Opta-powered stats.

Pat Lambie made his first start of the season against the Jaguares, and his composure and experience in the hostile conditions in Buenos Aires proved to be invaluable for the Sharks.

He slotted six out of seven penalties, a number of which were tricky efforts, none more so than the angled penalty late in the game that handed the Sharks a hard-fought win.

However, the foundation for victory had again been laid with defence, with the Sharks having had to make nearly double the number of tackles compared to the Jaguares (136 to 72).

Uncharacteristically, the Sharks slipped some 13 tackles in the first half, but it was their character-filled defence when under immense pressure in the second half that repeatedly thwarted a Jaguares onslaught. Despite spending an inordinate amount of time on defence in the second period, the Sharks only slipped another eight tackles.

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Photo: Gabriel Rossi/Getty Images

Post by

Craig Lewis