Devastating melee, Gloucester demolished: the Challenge Cup belongs to the Sharks

The Sharks win the 2023-24 Challenge Cup, demolish Gloucester 36-22 and do it with an almost perfect game, at least from the 15th minute onwards. The start, in fact, was entirely English, but no points were awarded despite the 15 against 14 caused by Fassi’s yellow. When the Sharks regained control of the match, there was nothing they could do: dominant scrum, Etzebeth decisive in defence, English increasingly in trouble and punished by Buthelezi in the 26th minute. Then the kicks of the usual Siya Masuku (8 out of 9 from the pitch for him) take care of digging an unbridgeable furrow for the English. For the first time in history a South African team wins one of the two European cups, the Challenge Cup. For Gloucester there remains the regret of not having properly exploited the 15 minutes of initial domination, but perhaps in the long run the South Africans would still have managed to have the Better.

Look also: Video: Etzebeth’s incredible rescue. She puts her hand and knee on it and avoids a goal already made

Challenge Cup: the Gloucester-Sharks chronicle

Good start for Gloucester, who struggled to advance in the face of South African physicality but was helped by the usual Sharks indiscipline. First a tackle in the air by Fassi and then a high intervention by Mapimpi gave the English their first chance in the 22: Mercer was confident in his grip, the maul advanced and was collapsed irregularly, complete with a warning from Raynal to captain Etzebeth. Gloucester tries the penalty again, but this time the Sharks defense is perfect and the English drive is dragged out.

Gloucester pushes again, returns to the 22 with a nice pocket from Englefield and then gives life to a long multi-phase with the front and backs alternating in the attacking phases. The Sharks commit another foul, it is the fourth in just 6 minutes, and Raynal keeps his promise and sends Fassi (author of 2 of the 4 South African fouls) out for 10 minutes. The next move sees Hastings look for May wide with a nice kick, but the English winger doesn’t control it. There was still an advantage, we go to the throw-in and on the next play it is Chris Harris who finds the hole: he is tackled a meter from the goal line, he manages to stretch out to dunk but Etzebeth works a miracle and puts his hand before it Scot can score.

After 10 minutes of hell the scrum takes care of taking the Sharks’ chestnuts out of the fire, at the first opportunity the Nché-Mbonambi-Koch trio demolishes the opponent’s pack and makes things clear, then Masuku takes care of definitively clearing the South African red zone after a series of foot exchanges. In the 13th minute, following an introduction from Gloucester, it is again the Sharks scrum that makes the difference and wins the kick which is worth the first 3 points of the match with the usual Siya Masuku. Sharks in front despite the numerical inferiority, Gloucester shaken by the double blow in the melee which loses the verve of the start of the match and ends the 10 minutes 0-3 in 15 against 14.

Santiago Carreras gives the shock with two textbook volleys. On the occasion of the second, in the 20th minute, another foul comes from the Sharks, with Etzebeth not rolling away after the Argentine goes to the ground. Carreras himself tries from afar but can’t find the equalizer points. In the 23rd minute Gloucester tries again from distance: this time Englefield takes responsibility for the 59-metre penalty, and the ball goes in to make it 3-3. The balance, however, lasts very little: in the 26th minute Koch charges through direct lines and serves the onrushing Buthelezi from the ground, who opens the throttle and goes into bulldozzer mode: 40 meters of pitch, Gloucester players bounced and the goal makes it 10-3. Gloucester’s players protest at an alleged obstruction by Mapimpi in the previous phase of the action, but for Raynal and the TMO it’s all good.

At the half hour mark the Sharks went beyond the break for the first time with a place by Masuku, then two minutes later it was the sensational 50-22 by Kock – a right prop prop – that brought the South Africans back into the attack. Gloucester save themselves thanks to the throw-in, but continue to suffer in the scrum, to the point of taking their 4th free kick in 35 minutes, complete with a warning from the referee. Masuku goes for the posts and scores 16-3. At the end of the half Gloucester tries to push again: Carreras tries to attack the space at the limit of 22, but isolates himself and ends up in the grip of Tshituka, who wins the turnover.

In the second half Gloucester tries everything: Skivington changes hooker and right prop by inserting Socino and Gotovtsev, the English seem to be able to try but at the best moment comes the interception by Grant Williams on a pass without looking by Mercer which ruins the plans and brings the Sharks on offense. Fassi misses two with a feint, Gloucester commits another foul and this time the South Africans go for the big target: the maul, however, is stopped, and after a series of charges comes Socino’s turnover which saves the situation. On the following scrum, however, yet another free kick arrives for the Sharks, and this time Masuku takes the 3 points. The South African midfielder did it again in the 53rd minute to make it 22-3.

In the 54th minute the Sharks closed the matter: another sensational play by Etzebeth who freed Mapimpi on the left side with a hook-sky. The South African winger comes up just short but Gloucester no longer has the strength to reposition himself. Williams and Masuku play towards the center of the pitch for Fassi who opens the throttle and flies between the posts. In the 57th minute there was also room for Stephen Varney in Englefield’s place, Gloucester reacted with pride and scored with a nice advancing maul finished by Tuisue.

Not even time to believe it again and the Sharks deliver the final blow to Gloucester. Another play from an amazing Siya Masuku, who with a splendid kick-pass serves Mapimpi on the left: there is a motorway in front and the goal arrives. Sharks ahead 36-10, and the score could even increase but a few minutes later comes the first error from the pitch by a perfect Masuku up until that moment. On the other side, a try to Varney is annulled: kick from Hastings towards May, who volleys the ball across the ball without controlling it and launches the run of the blue midfielder, who does well to beat Hooker in speed, but the TMO notes that he started in front of the players comrades at the moment of action. The flag goal however came in the 75th minute with Santiago Socino, after a good move inspired by Carreras. With time up, Clarke’s goal also arrives to make the score less bitter. It ends 36-22 for the Sharks, who deservedly win the Challenge Cup.

Francesco Palma

Challenge Cup: Gloucester-Sharks scoreboard

Gloucester: 15 Santi Carreras, 14 Jonny May, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Seb Atkinson, 11 Ollie Thorley, 10 Adam Hastings, 9 Caolan Englefield, 8 Zach Mercer, 7 Lewis Ludlow (c), 6 Ruan Ackermann, 5 Arthur Clark, 4 Freddie Clarke, 3 Fraser Balmain, 2 Seb Blake, 1 Jamal Ford-Robinson

Available: 16 Santi Socino, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Kirill Gotovtsev, 19 Albert Tuisue, 20 Jack Clement, 21 Stephen Varney, 22 Max Llewellyn, 23 Josh Hathaway

Goals: Tuisue 58′, Socino 75′, Clarke 79′
Conversions: Hastings 59′, 76′
Free kicks: Englefield 23′

Sharks: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Werner Kok, 13 Ethan Hooker, 12 Francois Venter, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Siya Masuku, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Phepsi Buthelezi, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 James Venter, 5 Gerbrandt Grobler, 4 Eben Etzebeth (c ), 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche

Available: 16 Fez Mbatha, 17 Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18 Hanro Jacobs, 19 Lappies Labuschagne, 20 Dylan Richardson, 21 Cameron Wright, 22 Curwin Bosch, 23 Eduan Keyter

Goals: Buthelezi 26′, Fassi 56′, Mapimpi 61′
Transformations: Masuku 27′, 56′, 62′
Free kicks: Masuku 15′, 31′, 36′, 50′, 53′

Cards: yellow for Fassi in the 6th minute

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