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Unstoppable Sharks devour Cats to reach Super 12 final
DURBAN, South Africa (AP) -- Springbok flyhalf-elect Butch James led his forces brilliantly Saturday to give the Sharks a 30-12 victory over the Cats in the second Super 12 semifinal at King's Park. James was simply outstanding as the Sharks scored five tries without reply from the Sharks. Although the Cats were in control for much of the second half, they could not breach the Sharks' defense. On the strength of this performance, the Sharks look as if they are the only combination that has a chance to stop the Brumbies in next Saturday's final. While the Cats seemed to have the edge with a big tight five and an all-Springbok loose trio, it was a fine performance by the Sharks' loose trio. Flanker Charl van Rensburg scored the Sharks' first try in the 28th minute of the first half. After the Sharks had weathered the second-half storm, he scored another 34 minutes into the second half. Van Rensburg linked successfully with his flank-mate Warren Britz just four minutes later for Britz to put matters beyond doubt with a final try. Only Louis Koen's boot kept the Cats in the game. When he kicked his fourth penalty in the 31st minute, the Cats were just eight points down, but the Sharks rallied and were worthy winners.
James' play took a quantum leap forward in this match. After being heavily criticized earlier in the tournament for his allegedly illegal tackling, he switched the focus to attacking. He mixed intelligent distribution with some delightful kicking - both sneaky grubbers and delicate chips over the top - and was responsible for the tries by Trevor Halstead and Stefan Terblanche in the first half. Those tries gave the Sharks the commanding 20-6 lead at halftime. Cats captain Johan Erasmus said that he thought the better team had won. "The pressure got to us today, but we'll be rooting for the Sharks next week," he said. Mark Andrews, captain of the Sharks, paid tribute to his team. "We had to soak up an awful lot of pressure in the second half. But we were able to grab the few chances which came our way and turn them into points," he said. Scorers: SHARKS 30: Tries, Charl van Rensburg (2), Trevor Halstead, Stefan Terblanche, Warren Britz; conversion, Butch James; penalty, James. CATS 12: Penalties, Louis Koen (4).
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