The Southern Kings return from their bye week and host the Sharks with the aim of winning their third consecutive match.
The Kings have played the Durban side five times in Super Rugby; the Sharks have won all five.
But, the Port Elizabeth franchise is on the rise, winning a historic away match against the Waratahs in their last game on their tour down under.
They followed that by thrashing the Rebels 44-3, the week after returning from Sydney and the PE men will be fresh after last week’s bye.
The Sharks are back on track following their dour 9-9 draw against the Rebels, threatened to derail their season, beating the Jaguares away in Argentina after comfortably beating the Force at Kings Park.
We are waiting for the kick-off.
1.00: BEEP! BEEP! Federico Anselmi blow his whistle as Lionel Cronje gets us under way in Port Elizabeth.
2.00: The Kings win an early penalty and opt for goal.
3.00: PENALTY! Lionel Cronje gets his team on the board.
5.00: TRY Alshaun Bock! The Kings take a quick lineout, Cronje kicks across field and Bock gathers to score. Great start by the home team. The sharks are in trouble early on here in PE.
6.00: MISS! The conversion is missed.
7.00: The sharks feed the scrum and send it wide to Lwazi Mvovo.
10.00: The Sharks are turning the screw now. They are making metres, but can they make it count. The hosts’ defence is holding well, though.
11.00: The Sharks win a penalty for not rolling away and opt for goal.
12.00: PENALTY! Pat Lambie gets the Durbanites on the scoreboard.
14.00: Masixole Banda makes a play out wide, but the ball is lost; scrum to the visitors. Good game here in PE.
16.00: The Sharks win another penalty. Lambie calls for the tee.
17.00: PENALTY! Lambie makes it two from two and reduces the Southern Kings’ lead to two points.
19.00: The Sharks have found their groove. However, Lambie kicks out on the full. Lineout to the Kings inside the opposition’s half.
22.00: The Sharks win a penalty, Lambie kicks to touch and the Durbanites have a 5-metre lineout.
24.00: TRY Daniel du Preez! The No 8 picks up close to the whitewash and barges over to give the visitors the lead. That was a very good lineout and finish.
25.00: Conversion! Lambie makes it three from three from the kicking tee.
28.00: A kicking battle is ensuing as both sides look for territory.
30.00: BIG SCRUM! The Kings power-drive with their legs earns them a penalty.
32.00: Berton Klaasen pops the pass up for Lionel Cronje, who comes bursting through – all the skipper has to do is gather cleanly and the try line is his but he cannot hang onto the ball.
33.00: DROP-GOAL! Cronje slots a drop and it’s a two-point ballgame.
34.00: Lambie leaves the field for an HIA. He always seems to be in the wars.
36.00: The Kings attack, but Etienne Oosthuizen wins the penalty at the breakdown for the Sharks. Good work in the ruck by the big man. His team breathe easily again.
36.00: PENALTY! Garth April, on for Lambie, extends the Sharks’ lead before the break, with a massive 53-metre kick.
38.00: TRY Lionel Cronje! Bock sees the gap, sells a dummy and puts his standoff away for the game-tying score. It’s a full house for the flyhalf.
39.00: YELLOW CARD! Rhyno Smith is off and will spend 10 minutes in the bin for a high tackle on Cronje.
41.00: Conversion! Cronje adds two to his five and the Kings lead at half-time. What a time to score!
Half-time score was Kings 18 Sharks 16
41.00: BEEP! BEEP! We are back underway in Port Elizabeth.
41.00: TRY Alshaun Bock! Louis Schreuder makes a great break and times his pass perfectly to Bock who races away and goes over for his second score of the match. What a start to the second-half!
42.00: Conversion! Cronje extends the Kings’ lead. This is incredible by the home side.
44.00: It’s the Lionel Cronje and Alshaun Brock show at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. The sharks are stunned.
45.00: A scrap breaks out as frustrations reach boiling point. The Kings get a scrum and are dominant. They are all over the visitors in every department at the moment.
50.00: The Kings win a penalty, Cronje kicks to touch, but they lose the ball. It is stolen by Stephan Lewies, the Sharks counter-attack and wins a penalty.
51.00: Smith is back on the field after his time in the sin-bin. April’s touch finder is not great, but the sharks have possession.
53.00: YELLOW CARD! Ross Geldenhuys is sent to the bin for not rolling away after repeated warnings by the referee.
55.00: PENALTY! April reduces the deficit to six with his second penalty of the game.
57.00: Jacobus Reinach kicks a loose ball downfield. Mapimpi gathers, but the ball is turned over by the Sharks and they send the ball wide.
58.00: TRY Lwazi Mvovo! The winger crosses the whitewash after some great work by the Sharks forwards at the breakdown. The visitors are back in this.
59.00: Conversion! April makes no mistake and the Sharks lead.
60.00: April is penalised, immediately after the restart, and Cronje calls for the tee.
61.00: PENALTY! Cronje puts his team back in front. This game is see-sawing and open.
64.00: Pieter-Steyn de Wet’s kick is charged down as the ball rolls into touch and the Kings have a 5m lineout from their own line
65.00: The Sharks attack is stopped after another knock on. The hosts get away with one there.
66.00: The visitors have clawed back the territory and possession stats, but they still trail, going into the last 10 minutes.
67.00: No they don’t; they win a penalty and April calls for the tee.
68.00: PENALTY! April’s third penalty gives his team the lead, again.
72.00: A disappointing kick into touch only gains a handful of metres, handing the Sharks an excellent attacking opportunity – the visitors have the line out throw right on the Kings’ 22.
74.00: A superbly executed rolling maul from the Sharks is rewarded with a penalty – Garth April will line up from right in front of the posts.
75.00: PENALTY! April’s fourth penalty gives the Sharks the lead with five to play.
77.00: The Kings win a penalty and kick to touch.
78.00: TRY Pieter-Steyn de Wet! The Kings have the lead with a minute to play. WOW!
79.00: Cronje adds the conversion.
80.00: The Sharks have a scrum. It is reset. The siren goes and that’s it. WOW! Stunning win for the Kings; their first against the Sharks.
Full-time
The score after 80 minutes is Kings 35 (18) Sharks 32 (16)
Scorers
Kings
Tries – Bock (2), Cronje, De Wet
Pen – Cronje (2)
Con – Cronje (3)
Drop – Cronje
Cards – Geldenhuys (Yellow, 53rd minute)
Sharks
Tries – D. Du Preez, Mvovo
Pen – Lambie (2), April (4)
Con – Lambie, April
Drop –
Cards – R. Smith (Yellow, 40th minute)
Match Officials
Referee: Federico Anselmi
Assistant Ref 1: Quinton Immelman
Assistant Ref 2: AJ Jacobs
TMO: Christie du Preez
Teams
Kings
15 Masixole Banda, 14 Alshaun Bock, 13 Berton Klaasen, 12 Luzuko Vulindlu, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Lionel Cronje (captain), 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Andisa Ntsila, 7 Tyler Paul, 6 Chris Cloete, 5 Wilhelm van der Sluys, 4 Irne Herbst, 3 Ross Geldenhuys, 2 Martin Bezuidenhout, 1 Schalk van der Merwe.
Replacements: 16 Kurt Haupt, 17 Chris Heiberg, 18 Dayan van der Westhuizen, 19 Lubabalo Mtyanda, 20 Stefan Willemse, 21 Johan Steyn, 22 Pieter-Steyn de Wet, 23 Nicolaas Hanekom.
Sharks
15 Rhyno Smith, 14 Jacobus van Wyk, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Jeremy Ward, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Patrick Lambie (captain), 9 Michael Claassens, 8 Daniel du Preez, 7 Jean-Luc du Preez, 6 Philip van der Walt, 5 Ruan Botha, 4 Etienne Oosthuizen, 3 Coenie Oosthuizen, 2 Franco Marais, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements: 16 Mahlatse Ralepelle, 17 Thomas du Toit, 18 Lourens Adriaanse, 19 Stephan Lewies, 20 Lubabalo Mtembu, 21 Jacobus Reinach, 22 Garth April, 23 Sibusiso Nkosi
