Masuku clutch kick clinches Sharks win in Maritzburg thriller

A 42-metre penalty six minutes after the hooter enabled the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV to edge out the Boland Kavaliers 33-31 in a thrilling Carling Currie Cup match played in front of a big and appreciative crowd at the Woodburn Stadium in Pietermaritzburg on Saturday evening.

The Sharks led for most of the game, but then, as they have done for much of the domestic season, the Bolanders fought back to take a lead with a penalty of their own from Kearsney old boy James Tedder with just over three minutes remaining.

Boland, who, had they won, would have been in the pound seats for a home semifinal and would have ended the penultimate weekend of league play, should kick themselves for not closing the game out when they had the opportunity.

The Sharks snatch the win from Boland with a stoppage-time penalty kick 😲🦈#CurrieCup | #SSRugby pic.twitter.com/LgfY9j4TCH

— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) August 30, 2025

The visitors had a put-in at a scrum near the halfway line with just a few seconds left, and they secured the ball, but then, instead of setting up a loose scrum and then kicking into touch to end the game, as they should have, scrumhalf Godlen Masimla kicked ahead for his own chase.

He nearly pulled it off, in which case Masimla, who has the pace of a wing, would have been a hero. But instead the Sharks scrambled, and from a position near their own line, they launched a counter-attack to the right that in turn forced the Boland defence to scramble.

They conceded a penalty, which allowed the Sharks to transfer play back into the Boland half, and then came the penalty that presented the young Sharks team with the opportunity to win the game. Masuku, making his first appearance of the season as he starts his preparation for the forthcoming Vodacom United Rugby Championship campaign, had come on as a replacement after he’d started on the bench due to a bout of flu during the week.

Young Jean Smith had started in the No 10 jersey and had been outstanding both with his all-round game and with his place-kicking, and hadn’t missed to that point. So it must have been a tough call to make, but in the end, the ice-cool and proven temperament of Masuku in clutch situations won the day, and it proved the correct decision as the crowd and the Sharks team erupted in joy as the flags were raised to signal the successful kick.

HANDY LEAD WAS ERODED BY TENACIOUS VISITORS

The Sharks had earlier seen a handy lead of 13 points eroded in the final quarter by a typically tenacious and committed Boland fightback. The Sharks had been in charge for most of the way before that, with Boland being too indisciplined, particularly in the first half, when they were forced to do most of the defending.

The Sharks scored two driving maul tries, dotted down by man of the match Jacques Marais, the hooker, and another from Albie Bester. The game did not see a score until Marais’ first try in the 26th minute and it was quickly followed a few minutes later by an excellent team try, in which there was a great offload from flanker Tino Masevere, rounded off by Junior Springbok centre Albie Bester.

Boland, down 14-0, and let it be said that was a deserved lead for Nick Hatton’s young Sharks at that point, quickly hit back with a good driving maul try dotted down by Sauliegh Arendse. Smith though, kicked the first of three penalties from his accurate boot to make it 17-7 to the home team at halftime.

Another Smith penalty made it 20-7 six minutes into the second half, but Boland struck back by scoring the try of the match as a brilliant little backflip pass from fullback Tedder gave the dangerous Boland wing Donovan Don the modicum of space he needed to blitz through for the try that turned it into a six-point game.

Marais’ second driving maul try after the Sharks gained field position from yet another penalty against Boland, then re-established the buffer - 27-14 - but it was mostly Boland after that.

When they notched their two pick-and-go tries and then kicked the Tedder penalty to take the lead when they were near the Sharks line and were playing 15 against 14 after the Sharks reserve scrumhalf had been carded for a tap down, it did look like the surprise package team of this Currie Cup season were going to pull through another Houdini Act.

WIN WAS MEASURE OF SHARKS’ GROWTH

However, the Sharks XV, like they did last year, have got incrementally better with each game they have played and while they won’t retain the trophy they won last year, they will end the competition knowing that they have both learned a lot and have grown. This is what the Currie Cup is about these days for the unions represented in the URC.

By scoring four tries and losing by less than seven, Boland did pick up two bonus points, which will see them finish the weekend in second position on the log, two behind leaders Griquas, with the Cape derby against DHL Western Province next Saturday as their last game of the league phase.

SCORES:

HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS XV 33 - Tries: Jacques Marais 2 and Albie Bester; Conversions: Jean Smith 3; Penalties: Jean Smith 3 and Siya Masuku.

SANLAM BOLAND KAVALIERS 31 - Tries: Sauliegh Arendse, Donovan Don, Dayan van der Westhuizen and HP van Schoor; Conversions: James Tedder 4; Penalty: James Tedder.