This is what happens when you add Eben Etzebeth to your scrum
There aren’t many better sights in rugby than seeing a pack demolish their opponent’s scrum to win the ball against the head. The Sharks taught us recently that one way to do this is by adding a 120kg World Cup winning lock in the form of Eben Etzebeth to your team.
The lock made an impressive debut on Saturday against Glasgow Warriors at Hollywoodbets Kings Park, being named the man of the match. While it was a great individual performance, it was also a great team performance, as the Sharks ran away 40-12 winners.
One moment when the hosts really showed off their strength was in the 67th minute with a scrum to the Warriors. The Sharks pack showed some textbook scrummaging to drive Glasgow back and win the ball in what came close to the perfect scrum. Having Etzebeth’s sizeable frame in there certainly helped, as did having Springboks Ox Nche and Bongi Mbonambi in the front row. Take a look at the scrum:
Cell C Sharks: Aphelele Fassi, Werner Kok, Marnus Potgieter, Ben Tapuai, Anthony Volmink, Boeta Chamberlain, Jaden Hendrikse, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Kerron van Vuuren, Thomas du Toit (CAPT), Eben Etzebeth, Hyron Andrews, Dylan Richardson, Vincent Tshituka, Phepsi Buthelezi
Replacements: Bongi Mbonambi, Ox Nche, Carlu Sadie, Reniel Hugo, Siya Kolisi, Sikhumbuzo Notshe, Cameron Wright, Makazole Mapimpi
Glasgow Warriors: Ollie Smith, Sebastian Cancelliere, Sione Tuipulotu (CAPT), Sam Johnson, Josh McKay, Tom Jordan, Ali Price; Jamie Bhatti, George Turner, Zander Fagerson, Sintu Manjezi, Richie Gray, Scott Cummings, Thomas Gordon, Matt Fagerson
Replacements: Fraser Brown, Oli Kebble, Murphy Walker, JP du Preez, Ryan Wilson, Gregor Brown, George Horne, Ross Thompson
