Kolisi Scores Brace In Final Match As Sharks Crush Zebre

Siya Kolisi brought his Sharks career to a fitting close with a brace of tries, while debutant Vusi Moyo delivered a standout performance, contributing 15 points and scoring a try of his own.

The Sharks ran in eight tries to secure a convincing 54-19 victory over Zebre Parma, ending their United Rugby Championship campaign in style.

It was a scrappy start, with a determined Zebre side ensuring the hosts did not have things all their own way during the opening quarter. The tone was set by a turnover from André Esterhuizen before Kolisi burst 60 metres into the red zone, only to be brought down just short of the line.

The Sharks showcased impressive handling between phases and, in the 13th minute, were rewarded when Jaco Williams crossed in the corner. Assisted by Nick Hatton, Williams finished brilliantly despite being surrounded by defenders.

Moyo missed the conversion as the Sharks took a 5-0 lead.

Zebre showed they had come to compete and would not be outdone, as a clever combination of a cross-kick and a dink into space on the right wing was chased down superbly by fullback Mirko Belloni.

The Sharks’ defence was left scrambling as an inside ball found wing Malik Faissal with plenty still to do, but he powered through two defenders to score a superb try against the run of play.

Giovanni Montemauri added the conversion to give Zebre an unlikely 7-5 lead.

The Sharks regained the advantage in the 25th minute after a well-worked lineout move caught Zebre off guard. Eduan Swart played a short ball to Ox Nché, who in turn put Kolisi through with another neat pass for the flanker to crash over.

Moyo made no mistake with the conversion as the Sharks moved into a 12-7 lead.

Zekhethelo Siyaya then showcased his immense talent, spotting space where there appeared to be none. He dropped his left shoulder, sliced through the defensive line, and beat the final defender for a sensational individual try — his first for the Sharks.

Moyo added the extras to make it 19-7 after half an hour.

With half-time approaching, Zebre scrum-half Alessandro Fusco was sent to the sin-bin before Kolisi claimed his second try of the match from an unstoppable rolling maul. Moyo remained flawless from the kicking tee, giving the home side a commanding lead heading into the break.

HALF-TIME: SHARKS 26-7 ZEBRE

Moyo scored his first try for the Sharks — and the team’s fifth — when he backed himself to barge over following a tap-and-go from a scrum penalty. He then converted his own try to extend the lead to 33-7.

The Sharks were camped inside Zebre’s red zone, and with the pressure mounting, it seemed only a matter of time before the defence cracked again.

It was then the forwards’ turn to roll up their sleeves, and after a series of sustained phases, Manu Tshituka powered over from a pick-and-go in the 55th minute for the Sharks’ sixth try.

Moyo continued his excellent afternoon with the boot, adding the conversion to stretch the lead to 40-7.

On the hour mark, Kolisi left the field to a standing ovation, bringing an emotional end to his Sharks career in Durban.

Shortly afterwards, a moment of ingenuity allowed Simone Gesi to run in a well-taken try amid confusion in the Sharks’ backline. Montemauri made the difficult conversion look simple as Zebre moved into double figures.

An unselfish pass from Esterhuizen then allowed Le Roux Malan to score on his final appearance for the Sharks before Esterhuizen assisted another try for Ross Braude.

Jean Smith added the extras with two straightforward conversions.

Despite spending much of the second half under pressure, Zebre grabbed a third try through a powerful driving maul that allowed Giovanni Quattrini to dive over, bringing the scoring to a close.