Sale Sharks feast on Durban Tuna in Champions Cup Shark Fest

It was always going to be a case of sharks circling sharks, but on a cold evening in Manchester, it was the English variety who proved to have the sharper teeth, with the young Durban Sharks eventually being eaten like tuna by their Sale namesakes.

The home team won the battle of the ocean predators, claiming a 26-10 Champions Cup victory, but to their credit, the South Africans didn’t arrive just to make up numbers.

For large stretches, especially early on, the relatively young Sharks showed plenty of bite. Their scrum was a standout, more than holding its own against a powerful Sale pack and providing a solid platform that gave a small hint of a good fight on Saturday.

However, youth have a habit of showing themselves in the tight moments, and that’s where the visitors suffered. Attacking decision-making let them down repeatedly, with small errors killing momentum at crucial times. Fullback Hakeem Kunene and centre Jurenzo Julius both had flashes of promise, but their inexperience was exposed under pressure as chances went begging.

Sale’s defence at the CorpAcq Stadium proved decisive in both halves.

The visiting Sharks circled inside the five-metre channel on more than one occasion in the opening 40 minutes, but the home side’s line speed and physicality shut the door every time. Despite some promising shapes from the South Africans, they went into the break empty-handed when it came to five-pointers, trailing 7–3 and already feeling the toll of missed opportunities.

The match never truly found fluency, with knock-ons, wayward passes and ill-discipline disrupting both teams. The Durbanites were competitive for around 50 minutes, but once Sale found their rhythm, the resistance crumbled.

A maul score early in the second stanza gave the hosts some needed breathing room, and from that score, they began to smell blood. Sale added a couple of exhilarating tries, through winger Tom O’Flaherty, to put the “which sharks are more dangerous” debate firmly to rest. His double score in the second half proved to be the difference between the two sides.

There was still a bright moment for the visitors in the second half when Manu Tshituka powered over after a superb pick-and-go, outstripping England international flyhalf George Ford in the process. But by then, the damage was done.

In the end, the young KwaZulu-Natal side showed plenty of promise — but against seasoned predators, promise alone wasn’t enough to avoid becoming fish food.

Points scorers: Sharks 10 (3): Try: Manu Tshituka. Conversion: Siya Masuku. Penalty: Masuku. Sale 26 (7): Tries: Rekeiti Ma'asi-White, Bevan Rodd, Tom O'Flaherty (2). Conversions: George Ford (3).