Morné van den Berg Lions scrumhalf Morné van den Berg was buzzing all over the pitch against the Sharks at Kings Park on Saturday. Photo: Steve Haag Sports
Image: Steve Haag Sports
COMMENT by Ashfak Mohamed
The Sharks may have turned out to be the victors on the day, but the big winner at Kings Park on Saturday was undoubtedly Lions scrumhalf Morné van den Berg.
The Durban outfit walked off the pitch after a titanic battle with the Johannesburg side with a 25-22 triumph, as well as the SA Shield for being the best local team in the derbies after claiming a bonus point to edge out the Stormers by one.
Both teams at times played as if they were trying their best to lose the encounter, with a few critical knock-ons in the respective 22s – which were probably due to the humidity and hot weather in Durban.
Captain Siya Kolisi will hit the headlines for scoring two tries – and the Springbok skipper became more influential at No 8 the longer the game wore on – and coach John Plumtree will be delighted with how his team hung in at the end to close out the victory.
But the man of the moment was definitely livewire Lions No 9 Van den Berg. He was deservedly chosen as the Player of the Match after a terrific display that would certainly have caught the attention of Bok coach Rassie Erasmus.
He actually didn’t have a good start, with a floaty pass to lock Darrien Landsberg inside the Sharks 22, and then a forward pass to Marius Louw cancelling out a certain try in the 11th minute.
But his next error only came just before halftime when he kicked the ball out on the full.
Van den Berg was full of energy, keeping the Sharks defence hooked with his darts from behind the ruck, thereby creating space for his inside backs to roam.
Flyhalf Gianni Lombard and inside centre Marius Louw benefited greatly from that, and made good ground with ball-in-hand.
The highlight of Van den Berg’s performance was his thrilling line-break from inside his 22, leaving Bongi Mbonambi for dead as he raced all the way into the Sharks 22, but the move broke down due to a lack of support.
Mind you, his direct opponent, Grant Williams, didn’t have a bad game either. The incumbent Bok scrumhalf showcased his incredible pace early on to score the opening try, and he mixed his play well throughout a hot afternoon in a humid Durban.
But Van den Berg may have lost the battle on the scoreboard, but won the war between the two No 9s.
It was the absolute best time for the Lions halfback to do so, as he will now travel to Cape Town for the Springbok alignment camp that starts on Monday.
Van den Berg was even warmly congratulated by Kolisi at the post-match presentation, but couldn’t hide his disappointment with the defeat.
“Bittersweet moment, hey,” he told SuperSport TV. “We fought back so well, just to not gather the one kickoff and give them the momentum back...
“Ja, it’s heartbreaking – it’s not a good feeling. It was one mistake today.
“Credit to the Sharks. They really came at us in that first half and really put us under a lot of pressure. But credit to our boys. We came out after halftime and fought so hard.
“I’m so gutted that it came down to our one mistake. (Lions are) always alive.”
But Van den Berg can take solace from the fact that he has seriously put his name in the hat to battle with Williams, Jaden Hendrikse – who kicked the winning penalty for the Sharks – Cobus Reinach and Faf de Klerk for the Bok No 9 jersey.
Points-Scorers
Sharks 25 – Tries: Grant Williams, Siya Kolisi (2), Nick Hatton. Conversion: Jordan Hendrikse (1). Penalty: Jaden Hendrikse (1).
Lions 22 – Tries: Tapiwa Mafura, Richard Kriel, Franco Marais. Conversions: Gianni Lombard (2). Penalty: Lombard (1).