Pat Lambie kicked a late penalty to help the Sharks edge the Jaguares 22-25 at Velez Sarsfield, Buenos Aires in Argentina.
The Jaguares dominated possession but Lambie kept the Sharks in the lead for most of the match through penalty kicks.
The Jaguares drew level on 22 points with nine minutes remaining but even though the Sharks were a man down they held on and Lambie kicked the match winner in the 78th minute.
The victory moves the Sharks above the Bulls in the South African Group and into one of the wild card places for the play offs.
The Jaguares outscored the Sharks by three tries to one but Pat Lambie kicked six penalties to Nicolas Sanchez’s one penalty which was the difference.
The victory may have come at a cost though as the Sharks lost Jean Deysel in the first half when he fell on his neck in a tackle and had to be stretchered off in the medical buggy.
No 8 Dan du Preez scored the Sharks’ solitary try on the night, while Lambie scored 20 points with the boot.
The Jaguares took the lead in the seventh minute after Joaquin Tuculet broke down the field before releasing Tomas Lavaninni to score the opening try of the match.
The Sharks hit back three minutes later when Lambie slotted a penalty after the Jaguares were penalised in their own half. And the Springbok flyhalf soon made it a one-point game when he kicked another penalty for the Sharks.
The Jaguares, though, were full of running, and Martin Landajo scored their second try of the game in the 17th minute. But Lambie kept the scoreboard ticking over for the Sharks, and he kicked his third penalty 10 minutes later.
Lambie kicked a fourth penalty in the 29th minute, but the Sharks would take the lead soon after the Jaguares’ Pablo Matera was shown yellow in the 33rd minute. Du Plessis went over for a try in the 34th minute after a strong push by the Sharks’ forwards.
Jaguares flyhalf Nicholas Sanchez and Lambie traded penalties at the start of the second half, but the Argentine side got stronger and stronger as the game wore on.
The Sharks found themselves down to 10 men in the 69th minute after the replacemenrt back S’bura Sithole, who was had only been on the field for two minutes, was shown a yellow card for an infringement at the breakdown.
Like the Sharks, the Jaguares took advantage of their one-man advantage and prop Santiago Garcia Botta scored for the home side to draw the scores level at 22-22 in the 72nd minute
But Lambie showed great composure with a pressure penalty to win the game for the South African side in the 79th minute.
Next week the Jaguares return to South Africa as they face the Lions in Johannesburg and the Sharks host the Kings in Durban.
Final Score Jaguares 22 (17) Sharks 25 (19)
Scorers
Jaguares
Tries -T.Lavanini, M.Landajo, S.García Botta
Pen – N.Sanchez
Con – N.Sanchez 2
Drop –
Cards – P. Matera (33rd min yellow)
Sharks
Tries -D. du Preez
Pen – P.Lambie 6
Con – P.Lambie
Drop –
Cards -S’bura Sithole (69th min yellow)
Match Officials
Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen
Assistant Ref 1:Juan Sylvestre
Assistant Ref 2:Damian Schneider
TMO :Santiago Borsani
Teams
Jaguares
1. Santiago García Botta, 2. Agustín Creevy (C), 3. Ramiro Herrera; 4. Matías Alemanno, 5. Tomás Lavanini; 6. Pablo Matera, 7. Javier Ortega Desio, 8. Leonardo Senatore; 9. Martín Landajo, 10. Nicolás Sánchez; 11. Manuel Montero, 12. Juan Martín Hernández, 13. Matías Orlando, 14. Emiliano Boffelli; 15. Joaquín Tuculet.
Replacements : 16. Julián Montoya, 17. Facundo Gigena, 18. Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 19. Guido Petti, 20. Facundo Isa, 21. Gonzalo Bertranou, 22. Santiago González Iglesias, 23. Lucas González Amorosino.
Sharks
15. Willie le Roux , 14. Odwa Ndungane , 13. Paul Jordaan , 12. Andre Esterhuizen , 11. JP Pietersen , 10. Patrick Lambie (C) , 9. Stefan Ungerer , 8. Daniel du Preez , 7. Jean Deysel , 6. Keegan Daniel , 5. Stephan Lewies , 4. Lubabalo Mtyanda , 3. Coenie Oosthuizen , 2. Franco Marais , 1. Tendai Mtawarira
Replacements , 16. Chiliboy Ralepelle , 17. Dale Chadwick , 18. Lourens Adriaanse , 19. Etienne Oosthuizen , 20. Tera Mtembu , 21. Joe Pietersen , 22. Garth April , 23. S’bura Sithole
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