GWK Griquas, deservedly beat the Natal Sharks in their opening 2010 Absa Currie Cup fixture at GWK Park on Saturday, by 40 points 34, collecting 5 points in the process.

Watching Friday’s opening matches, Blue Bulls being too strong for newcomers, Pumas by 38-15 and Golden Lions overcoming Leopards by 43-13 and to crown Saturday’s Vodacom Tri-Nations Test between The Springboks and All Blacks in New Zealand, where the Boks were hammered 32-12, by the better team on the day.

But back to the match at hand, where the Sharks dominated the first half, leading 22-8 at the halftime break. Griquas opened the score line in the first 5 minutes with a penalty, but nine minutes later, the Sharks came back when Lwazi Mvovo ran in a Rory Kockott converted try, to take the lead 7-3. But in the 22^nd minute, Shraks stretched their lead, when Steve Meyer, Shark’s flyhalf, scored a well constructed, seemingly forward pass try, initiated by prop Pat Cilliers, Kockott missing the conversion, Sharks 12-3 ahead. However, on the half hour, Griqua’s hooker, Ryno Barnes pushed his way over, 5 meters in from touch, for an unconverted try, narrowing the gap to 12-8, but Kockott came back with a penalty to increase the lead..

Four minutes from the halftime break, Michael Rhodes went over, from a tap and run penalty, to score close to the uprights, converted by Kockott, taking the score to 22-8, at the break, in the Shark’s favor.

Griquas came back with a bang at the start of the second half, with an excellent squeeze over try by Prop Steph Roberts, after a good run by the home team’s back line, converted by Naas Olivier, narrowing the gap to 22-15, to the visitors. In the 14^th minute, Bjorn Basson, Griqua’s Springbok winger, ran all of 100 meters to score the first of his two tries, under the posts, for Olivier to easily convert, leveling the score.

But two minutes later, Lwazi Mvovo, ran in his second try of the match, which was unconverted, handing the lead once again to the visitors, 27-22. Olivier replied, shortly after, with a penalty, score now 27-25, however seven minutes later Olivier kicked another penalty for the home team to take a narrow one point lead, 28-27.. In the 28^th minute, thanks to the bonus point try by Griqua’s, Wesley Wilkins, when he ran down the middle of field and a loose scrum, converted by Olivier, putting Griquas into a 35-27 lead, which was stretched to 40-27 when Basson scored his second try, unconverted, but Sharks’ prop, Pat Cilliers scored the final try, converted by Monty Dumond, final score 40 to GWK Griquas and 34 to Sharks, giving Sharks a bonus point.

Point Scorers: GWK Griquas; Tries Ryno Barnes, Steph Roberts, Bjorn Basson 2 and Wesley Wilkins, Conversions Naas Olivier 3 and Penalties Olivier 3. Total 40.

Sharks; Tries Lwazi Mvovo 2,  Steve Meyer, Michael Rhodes and Pat Cilliers, Conversions Rory Kockott 2 and Monty Dumond, and Penalty Kockott. Total 34

 Man of the Match was Griquas Wesley Wilkins..