It was with more of a whimper than a bang that the Sharks surrendered their EPCR Challenge Cup title on Sunday night but this was always going to be the case when 13 first-choice players were watching the game from their sofas in Durban.
This 34-21 loss to Lyon was painful for Sharks fans but the bigger picture is that the big guns are preparing for a full-on assault on the United Rugby Championship (URC).
John Plumtree has in his sights the upcoming overseas games against Edinburgh and Ulster as the Sharks look to consolidate their fourth position on the URC log. There are four rounds left in the URC, and if the Sharks can win in the UK and follow up with home victories over the Ospreys and Scarlets, they might improve on fourth place.
The Sharks started with positive intent and they had the home team on the ropes for five minutes before Fez Mbatha crashed over from a line-out maul. That was after they had turned down an easy three points near the posts in favour of going for the try. Siya Masuku nailed a difficult conversion.
Unfortunately, the Sharks made the schoolboy error of failing to keep it clean after the restart. Lyon won a penalty and flyhalf Leo Beardu narrowed the score to 7-3.
The Frenchmen took the lead not long after when Sharks fullback Hakeem Kunene dropped an aerial bomb and from the resulting pressure former Bok and Bulls No 8 Arno Botha put his fullback, Alexandre Tchaptchet, in for a try in the corner.
Things fell apart for the Sharks when a shocking defensive error at a ruck saw Lyon lock Mickael Guillard pick up the ball and trot unopposed to the posts.
By the 30th minute was getting ugly when hooker Yanis Charcosset scored off the back of maul to push the score to 22-7. Half-time could not come quick enough for the visitors when, in the 37th minute, the Lyon backline conjured up a magical scissors movement between the centres that put their New Zealander, Josiah Maraku, clean through for a canter to the posts.
The Sharks started the second half brightly but shocking handling undid their good work.
The flip side to this game for the Sharks was that it was about opportunity for fringe players to show what they are made of. Some did well, including the busy Zimbabwean flank Tino Mavesere and the lively Junior Bok wing Litelihle Bester, but others blotted their copy book with unfortunate handling.
With the game pretty much won and lost at half time (27-7 to Lyon), the second half disintegrated into an untidy affair that was scoreless until 13 minutes from time when Lyon wing Vincent Rattez scored down the blindside touchline.
The Sharks responded with an excellent try that was made by the impressive substitute hooker Ethan Bester and finished by young lock Corne Rahl. Bester was also heavily involved in the final score if the match — he peeled around the front of a lineout and fed Mavesere, who did superbly to finish 40m later.
Scorers
Lyon (22) 34
Tries: Alexandre Tchaptchet, Mickael Guillard, Yanis Charcosset, Josiah Maraku, Vincent Rattez. Penalties: Leo Berdue. Conversions: Berdue (3)
Sharks (7) 21
Tries: Fez Mbatha, Corne Rahl, Tini Mavesere; Conversions: Siya Masuku (3)