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Mapimpi brace helps Sharks claim bonus-point win over rivals Lions
By PA
The Sharks secured a bonus-point win in the BKT United Rugby Championship with a 37-10 victory over the Lions in Durban.
Wing Makazole Mapimpi scored two of the Sharks’ five tries as the Lions were blown away by 22 unanswered points from their South African rivals in the second half.
Early tries from Mapimpi and Boeta Chamberlain gave the Sharks a 12-0 lead, but Edwill van der Merwe’s converted score reduced the deficit at half-time.
Curwin Bosch and Jordan Hendrikse exchanged penalties after the restart before the Sharks stretched clear.
Grant Williams sprinted clear for a sixth URC try and Bosch’s replacement Lionel Cronje made an instant impact with a 40-metre penalty.
Replacement Siya Kolisi profited from Chamberlain’s quick thinking to register the bonus-point try, and player of the match Mapimpi rounded off the scoring after the Lions had spilled possession.
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Latest Comments
I'm honestly not so sure. I initially thought just reckless mainly because no player should be capable of doing that intentionally.
There's a strong argument that he's working both the eyes. It's his left hand he uses which is furthest from the ball he's contesting. His fingers are also clenched which I don't think is a natural way to try and rip a ball.
Go to comments"I see those teams, SA in particular, as only improving their performances in EPCR."
well, its gone the opposite direction so far!
"I don't like your model that requires them to reach Semi Final level in the Challenge trophy, given the bottleneck that will be URC with 16 teams playing for only 4 places."
my model would have given SA 3 spots in a 16 team CC this year, which is the same number as they have in the 24 team version that is actually taking place. But yes, if they keep getting worse it would get harder for them to get places. It would also get harder for you to argue that they deserve places though!
"I suggest by giving say Englands two semi finalist first seeds of the english teams, then the next best 4 on the league table as much better (it catches improving teams faster)."
interesting argument, but it doesn't always go that way. Gloucester are improving, but they improved in cup competitions before league fixtures started going their way. The same is true of Sharks, and the same was true of la Rochelle. I think maybe this is just an argument for allowing more teams to qualify via the challenge cup!
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