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Glasgow swallowed whole by Sharks in Durban
By PA
Two tries from Tom Gordon were not enough to prevent Glasgow from slipping to a heavy 40-12 defeat to the Sharks in Durban.
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Gordon scored once in each half for the Warriors, but Tom Jordan’s conversion of the first represented their only other points in the match.
Sharks winger Anthony Volmink also registered a brace, while Springbok hooker Bongi Mbonambi stepped off the bench to go over on the hour and Aphele Fassi added the bonus-point try.
Boeta Chamberlain was heavily involved for the home side and kicked 15 points while also providing the cross-kick that teed up Werner Kok to add some late gloss.
The Sharks handed debuts to World Cup winner Eben Etzebeth and fellow close-season arrival Vincent Tshituka, while their star-studded bench featured Siya Kolisi, Makazole Mapimpi, Bongi Mbonambi and Ox Nche.
Chamberlain kicked the hosts in front after 13 minutes, but it was Glasgow – in the absence of head coach Franco Smith due to visa delays – who claimed the game’s first try, with Gordon carving a route through the Sharks defence to touch down next to the posts. Jordan added a simple conversion before another Chamberlain penalty reduced the gap to a single point.
Jordan sent his next effort from the tee off target, but he was given something of a let-off when Chamberlain was similarly wasteful from his next attempt.
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Chamberlain atoned for his miss when he exploited a gap in the Glasgow defence before setting up Volmink to go over and adding the extras.
Gordon emerged from a maul to touch down early in the second half, but Jordan was again wayward with the follow-up.
Kolisi and Mbonambi were among a group of replacements sent on after 50 minutes and the Sharks immediately re-established a cushion, showing fantastic hands to get the ball out to Volmink, who raced down the left wing to score.
Chamberlain – again involved in the build-up – failed with the conversion but added a subsequent penalty to make it 21-12 to the hosts.
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Mbonambi then touched down at the back of a driving maul before Fassi went over to wrap up the bonus point, with Chamberlain converting both.
Chamberlain capped a strong individual performance by finding Kok with a cross-kick for a late try, although the conversion bounced back off a post.
