The Sharks kept their Bankfin Currie Cup semifinal hopes alive with a hard-fought 24-17 Top Eight victory over the Blue Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday thanks to a try in the last minute by wing Deon Kayser.

It was a ding-dong affair and a draw would probably have been a fair result, but the Sharks had other plans. A scintillating move in which several players handed the ball led to Kayser's match-clinching try, his second of the day.
Flyhalf Herkie Kruger, who scored Natal's other try, converted and referee Andre Watson blew the final whistle.

The defeat basically spelled the end of the Bulls' semifinal aspirations. They tried bravely and made the Sharks work hard, but in the end the experience and tenacity of the Sharks won the day. The visitors took the field with a completely different side to the one that had been announced during the week.

There was no Ollie le Roux in the front row. The Springbok loosehead prop was dropped from the 22-man squad, with Eduard Coetzee coming in at loosehead and Etienne Fynn at tighthead. Gaffie du Toit instead of Justin Swart wore the fullback jersey, with Justin Swart at wing in place of Stefan Terblanche.

Albert van den Berg started at lock with AJ Venter after being named on the substitutes' bench, with John Smit taking over the captaincy from Charl van Rensburg.

The Bulls drew first blood when speedy wing Gavin Passens intercepted a pass from Fynn to run 70 metres for a try under the uprights. Flyhalf Jaco van der Westhuyzen converted, but that was his only successful kick of the day. After that he battled and he cost his side a handful of points through wayward placekicking.

Passens was in great form and he kept the defenders busy all day long. Kayser got one back for the Sharks when he intercepted a pass and pipped a flying Passens to the try-line. Herkie Kruger showed some neat footwork to step through the defence for a try before a great try by replacement scrumhalf Coenraad Groenewald, converted by Boeta Wessels, drew the teams level.

The Sharks, spurred on by the not so pleasant memories of two consecutive defeats, then pulled off a brilliant movement that led to the Kayser try.

Scorers:

Natal Sharks - Tries: Deon Kayser (2), Herkie Kruger; Conversions: Kruger (3); Penalty: Kruger.

Blue Bulls - Tries: Gavin Passens, Coenraad Groenewald; Conversions: Jaco van der Westhuyzen (1), Boeta Wessels (1).