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| Sharks (17) 50 |
| Tries: Hendrikse, Etzebeth, Mbonambi (2), Kok, Bosch, Mapimpi Cons: Bosch (6) Pens: Bosch |
| Munster (14) 35 |
| Tries: Daly, Kilcoyne, Barron, Haley, F Wycherley Cons: Crowley (5) |
The Sharks produced a dominant display to defeat Munster 50-35 in the Heineken Champions Cup last 16 and book their quarter-final place.
Both sides scored two tries in the first half, with Shane Daly and Dave Kilcoyne keeping Munster in touch.
However, the home side scored 33 points after the break to progress, despite Munster scoring five tries in the game.
In the last eight, the Sharks will visit the winner of Toulouse’s match against the Bulls.
Munster started Saturday’s match well, knowing that would be essential in the Durban sunshine if they were to avoid a repeat of last week’s first-half loss of 28 unanswered points against Glasgow in the United Rugby Championship.
The fast start was granted with Gavin Coombes releasing Daly, who showed good pace to grab the opening try.
The Sharks soon responded with Makazole Mapimpi stepping around Munster defenders before feeding Jaden Hendrikse, who dotted down. The South Africa international, though, was injured in the process of scoring, and had to go off with his left arm supported.
Eben Etzebeth, Hendrikse’s international colleague, used his power to add another Sharks try from close range, before Munster’s Kilcoyne responded with a similar score.
Etzebeth was himself forced off injured early in the second half, but the Sharks pack overcame the loss of the second row; Bongi Mbonambi scored off the back of a maul and moments later it was the same maul doing the damage as the hooker grabbed his second.
The Sharks’ dominance continued with the backs showcasing their skills as an opportunistic offload from Mapimpi sent Werner Kok clear for his side’s fifth score. Try six soon followed as Curwin Bosch gathered a loose Munster pass to run clear from halfway.
Diarmuid Barron restored some hope for the Irish side with their own rolling maul, but the impressive Mapimpi, who had only played eight games this season for the Sharks, ended any debate with an intercept try – picking off a Malakai Fekitoa offload.
The frenzy of tries continued as Mike Haley sliced through a well-worked set-piece move for Munster before Fineen Wycherley scored the visitors’ fifth try.
Cell C Sharks: Chamberlain; Kok, Am, Van Rensburg, Mapimpi: Bosch, Hendrikse; Nche, Mbonambi, Du Toit, Etzebeth, Grobler, Kolisi (capt), Tshituka, Notshe.
Replacements: Van Vuuren, Mchunu, Sadie, Van Heerden, Buthelezi, Williams, Tapuai, Abrahams.
Munster: Haley; Nash, Frisch, Fekitoa, Daly; Crowley, Casey; Kilcoyne, Scannell, Salanoa, Kleyn, Snyman, O’Mahony (capt), Hodnett, Coombes.
Replacements: Barron, F Wycherley, Archer, J Wycherley, O’Donoghue, Murray, Carbery, Kendellen.
Last 16 schedule
Saturday, 1 April
Stormers v Harlequins (15:00)
La Rochelle v Gloucester (17:30)
Leinster v Ulster (17:30)
Sunday, 2 April
Exeter v Montpellier (12:30)
Saracens v Ospreys (15:00)
Toulouse v Bulls (15:00)
*all times are BST.
