Leinster sink spirited Sharks in tryfest

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Despite snapping at the heels of their opponents for the majority of their Vodacom United Rugby clash on Saturday, the Sharks suffered their first campaign defeat after Leinster ran riot in the second half.

With a strong start, and flashes of brilliance in the second half, the Sharks put on a show in Dublin, but Leinster’s execution after the break was a cut above as they ran in eight tries to five for a comfortable 54-34 victory.

This loss, in their final tour game before heading home, is the first of the Sharks’ campaign.

The defeat will sting but the Sharks will take confidence from a successful 2-1 tour campaign and a spirited performance against a strong Leinster outfit.

In a tit-for-tat first 40 minutes, Leinster drew first blood before the Sharks hit back with a try through some silky backline play with the ball drifting into the hands of Aphelele Fassi, who dotted down under the poles.

Tries from both Sharks wings, Werner Kok and Thaakir Abrahams, kept the visitors in pole position for most of the opening half, but two tries from Gary Ringrose ensured a slender 21-20 lead for Leinster heading into half time.

The Sharks did have something to celebrate after Abrahams, growing in stature with every match, pulled off a moment of individual brilliance to score his second try.

But this moment gave way to a purple patch for the hosts as Leinster blitzed the tourists with four tries in the final 25 minutes.

Aphelele Fassi responded with an impressive solo try but any hope of a comeback was dashed when Rohan Janse van Rensburg was red-carded for two high tackles in quick succession.

Photo: Twitter/@LeinsterRugby

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Rienk De Beer