Sharks rocked in Durban as heroic defending champion Pumas book Currie Cup final spot

The Sharks were dumped out of the Currie Cup semi-finals on Saturday night after the defending champion Pumas emerged 26-20 winners in a thrilling Kings Park clash. 

The Pumas, who scored four tries on the night to just two from the Sharks, will now meet the Cheetahs in the Bloemfontein final next weekend, hoping they can land back-to-back titles. 

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Jimmy Stonehouse's men were courageous throughout the contest, playing with passion and intensity and fighting for every inch. 

The match ended with the Sharks camped in the Pumas 22m area having gone through 25 phases of attack, but the Pumas defence was impenetrable in those moments. 

The Sharks, meanwhile, were dealt a massive blow when centre Alwayno Visagie was show a straight red card in the 65th minute. 

It is a bitterly disappointing end to the season for coach Joey Mongalo and his charges, who at one stage in the campaign went on a run of seven straight victories. 

The Sharks just couldn't any sustained periods of dominance going, however, with a combination of the plucky Pumas spoiling ball and basic errors plaguing their attack. 

The Pumas, meanwhile, now stand on the verge of pulling off another stunning victory in South African rugby's premier provincial competition. 

The Pumas raced to a 12-0 lead inside the opening 15 minutes with tries through Corne Fourie and Simon Raw (12-0), and the Durban crowd was stunned from the get-go. 

But where the Pumas were full of energy and expansive running, the Sharks slowly started to gain the upper hand in the battle of the forwards and at set-piece. 

They narrowed the gap with a Lionel Cronje penalty before lock Corne Rahl got their first try of the night, but the Pumas