Gutsy Sharks overcome poor red card call to snap Pumas' unbeaten streak

A tentative first step towards bridging the gulf between a Bok-studded first team and the backup resources?

That's the intriguing question to emerge from the Sharks' imperfect but important 19-12 Currie Cup victory over the Pumas at Kings Park on Friday night.

The issue has dominated the Durbanites' patchy season, where they look like one of the best sides in the business when Siya Kolisi and co are at the forefront of their assault while looking decidedly lacklustre when those stars are rotated.    

Yet a triumph over the Currie Cup's table-toppers, previously unbeaten and boasting a positive points differential of 110, is no mean feat by any stretch of the imagination and, if they hadn't been so careless in wasting a substantial lead in Kimberley two weeks ago, might've sat closer to their opponents on the overall log.

Nonetheless, there are some green sprouts emerging under the tutelage of Joey Mongalo.

While totally dominating the first half with a nice combination of power and initiative, which led to a maul try for scrumhalf Tiaan Fourie and his halfback partner Fred Zeilinga's unerring boot punishing the Pumas' inability to get out of their own half, the real triumph lay in a gutsy last 40 minutes, where they had to play with 14 men for 32 minutes and 13 for another ten.

In the 49th minute, the Pumas had finally found some attacking impetus as they drove towards the hosts' line for a second time in quick succession.

Sharks loosehead Dian Bleuler had clumsily collapsed the set move on his line, prompting referee Paul Mente to award a penalty try and show the former Matie a yellow card.

However, the maul also delivered a skirmish between Sharks flanker Corne Rahl and his compatriot Andre Fouche.

The two men had been in each