Coach John Plumtree praised replacement Bradley Davids for holding his nerve in the Sharks’ 6-4 penalty shootout win against Munster at Kings Park.
Jaden Hendrikse, Jordan Hendrikse and Davids all nailed their two attempts at the end of the Vodacom URC quarter-final, with 22-year-old Davids sealing the win.
Munster replacement Rory Scannell was the only kicker to miss in the penalty shootout, as Jack Crowley and Conor Murray were also on target.
Plumtree admitted the Sharks hadn’t prepared for such an eventuality.
“We were scrambling in the [coaches] box to get the pitch map for the kickers,” he told SuperSport after the match, which finished 24-24 after both regular time and extra time.
“With 10 minutes [of extra time remaining] we talked about getting Bradley on, because we know he’s a classy little kicker. So we got him on with two minutes to go.
“And wow, what a moment for him, kicking the goal to win the match. Huge BMT for a young fella, so I’m proud of him.”
And breathe… The Hollywoodbets @SharksRugby take the W after a tense place-kick shootout! 😮💨🦈@Vodacom #URC | #SHAvMUN pic.twitter.com/rp43Cd0P3y
— vodacomrugby (@VodacomRugga) May 31, 2025
The Sharks had trailed by 11 points after 61 minutes, before hitting back with two tries to lead 24-21. Murray then kicked a late penalty goal for Munster to take the game into extra time.
“It was a tough battle,” said Plumtree. “I’ve never been involved in a game like this. I’m just proud of the boys.
“We didn’t play particularly well in the first 20-30 minutes of the game, but then we got on top. We had a couple of bad moments when they got to 21-10 and then we just clawed our way back in [to the game].
“And going down to the kickers like that, I was just so proud of them.”
RECAP: Sharks to face Bulls in URC semis
A penalty shootout was also a new experience for Sharks captain Eben Etzebeth.
“I thought it would be over before the 100 minutes,” the Bok veteran told SuperSport. “And then going to goal kicks … I don’t know how those guys felt. Having to take those kicks must be very stressful. Thank goodness we won that lottery.”
Etzebeth lauded the impact made by the Sharks replacement forwards, who helped turn the game around in the second half.
“They were unbelievable. The scrums were great after they came on and they were good in the carries.
“I think we’ve come from behind in four of the last five games, so the guys are showing character, but hopefully we can be better and not leave it to the last minute.”
The Sharks now travel to Pretoria to take on the Bulls, with Leinster hosting Glasgow in the other semi-final.
Photo: Shaun Roy/Sportsfile via Getty Images
