Sharks fire in second half to thump Munster, advance to Champions Cup QF in Durban try-fest

FT | Sharks 50-35 Munster

The match was evenly poised, with the hosts leading 17-14 at half-time, but four Sharks tries inside the first 18 minutes of the second half effectively put the contest to bed. 

The Sharks will now face either Toulouse (away) or the Bulls (home) in next weekend's quarter-finals, with those two sides meeting on Sunday. 

This was a breathtaking affair, with a total of 12 tries - seven for the Sharks, five for Munster - scored on the day. 

There were around 30 000 at Kings Park on an afternoon of brilliant sunshine, and the Sharks looked a different side to the one that limped to United Rugby Championship defeat to Scarlets a week earlier. 

While it was a team effort, the Sharks' Springbok stars were particularly impressive, showing what this side is capable of when they have their best players firing. 

It started out as a battle of epic proportions, with the momentum see-sawing between the sides. 

The Sharks started brightly and were full of intensity, and they went ahead through an early Curwin Bosch penalty. They did not lead for long, though, and Munster hit back, out of nowhere and almost immediately, through left wing Shane Daly. It looked a bit too easy for the Munster attack, with the Sharks defence seemingly absent.  

A moment of brilliance from Makazole Mapimpi then broke the Munster defence wide open with a sumptuous step, setting up scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse to go over for the Sharks' first try.

Hendrikse was injured in the process, leaving the field holding his shoulder, as the Sharks had a 10-7 lead.  

Eben Etzebeth then muscled his way over from close range for a rare try, with a penalty advantage behind him, as the Sharks stretched it out to a 17-7 lead on 24 minutes.

At that stage, the