John Plumtree’s men won the Challenge Cup after beating Gloucester 36-22 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
First South Africa conquered the world (again) and now Europe.
Whatever you think of the addition of a team from a Rainbow nation to EPCR’s flagship tournament, one of those teams has now won its second season in the mix on the continent.
Read more: How to watch the Investec Champions Cup final from anywhere
The Sharks have too much Springbok firepower for a Gloucester side who have struggled in the Premiership all season. George Skivington’s men failed in their bid to add the Challenge Cup to the Premiership Rugby Cup, and with it the opportunity to truly consign that appalling 90-0 defeat to Northampton to the annals of history.
Siya Kolisi has long been a Springbok star, but it was Siya Masuku who masterminded Friday night’s win with a perfect kick. He performed like a virtuoso, recording a personal score of 21 points.
Bilbao 2018 inflicted late heartbreak on Gloucester in this very match against Cardiff, but on a balmy evening in May 2024 it was met with death by a thousand Masuku penalties. Outnumbered in a record crowd of 34,761 for an English Challenge Cup final, the South African contingent will celebrate all night long and will now look forward to playing against the Sharks in next season’s Champions Cup.
Challenge Cup Final – Sharks win European Trophy.
Naturally, given the location, Gloucester fans packed Spurs Stadium before kick-off to enjoy the fireworks, pyrotechnics and pyrotechnics that this state-of-the-art facility had to offer.
The Cherry and White stalwarts were making noise even after the game began, and with good reason as their side dominated the opening exchanges. Gloucester’s pressure continued to be repelled by a ferocious Sharks defence.
Sharks full-back Aphelele Fassi was sin-binned after going offside to disrupt Gloucester’s attacking progress. He was lucky not to have been given a break yet by referee Mathieu Raynal after he was rattled by Zach Mercer while waiting for a high ball in the opening moments.
Scotland center Chris Harris almost broke through the South African line but his outstretched hand fell just below the whitewash and the ball was knocked out by the sliding knee of opposing skipper Eben Etzebeth.
To add insult to injury it was the Sharks who finished off the sour bin period, making it 3-0 through Masuku’s penalty after Vincent Koch had gone to town at scrum time. The Springbok, who was named man of the match, and his international team-mate Ox Nche wreaked havoc from set-pieces and it proved to be too much for Jamal Ford Robinson and Fraser Balmain to handle.
The Sharks’ Siya Masuku was relentless off the tee. (Inpho)
The big hit came as Koch and Etzebeth left their mark on a Gloucester side embarrassed by their failure to convert early possession and territorial dominance into points. Santiago Carreras dragged a penalty wide to draw Gloucester level but scrumhalf Caolan Englefield’s 55m howitzer finally pulled George Skivington’s men level in north London after 23 minutes.
This appeared to upset the Sharks as number eight Phepsi Buthelezi scored a hot try just three minutes later, popping Koch off the floor and shrugging off reserve defenders before selling an absurd dummy in a 2-on-1 situation. One is to dot the post.
Gloucester might argue that hooker Bongi Mbonambi should have been penalized for obstruction a few steps before play. But unfortunately the score stayed the same.
Phepsi Buthelezi celebrates scoring against Gloucester (Inpho)
Koch’s full skill set was on display when he kicked an outrageous 50:22 and Masuku’s trusty boot. He added a simple conversion and two further penalties. They increased their lead to 16-3 at the break and it could have been. It’s worse for Gloucester. Wing Ollie Thorley looked to be in trouble when Raynal called for TMO as the Gloucester man was desperate to get a kick. He collided with center Francois Venter and then cleared Fassi in the air.
However, the French match official overturned his initial request and simply awarded a scrum for Fassi’s knock-on, ruling out any foul play.
second half
Gloucester, playing into particularly vocal pockets of fans like the Shed in the second half, started brightly after replacing their entire front row at the break and immediately winning a scrum penalty. Skivington could not be accused of sitting on his hands.
Grant Williams intercepted Mercer’s pass to turn the defense into an attack against the Hollywoodbets Sharks and gave them a name and although Gloucester did well to keep them at bay, they were reverted to type by conceding a scrum penalty on their own ball 5 meters out. Masuku delivered the easiest kick to make it a two-point game or better.
Makazole Mapimpi runs in to score for Spurs.
The controversial kick became a thorn in the Gloucester side’s side as Carreras fell badly on the 10-metre line and the Sharks were awarded another penalty duly dispatched by Masuku to make it 22-3.
If it didn’t leave the result less in doubt than Fassi’s attempt, it certainly did. Kicking unlocked the Gloucester defense and after Mapimpi surged down the left wing, Fassi exploited the space created in the middle to make a West Country dream come true.
Fortunately, Gloucester were not lying down and Fiji substitute Albert Tuisue finished off the rolling hammer to at least ensure the traveling support had something to cheer on in the capital.
After Carreras volleyed the ball high again, Masuku’s precise cross-field kick found Mapimpi in space and he leaped in delight. A site that will no doubt bring back memories of the 2019 World Cup final for England fans in Gloucester.
Italy international Stephen Varney appeared to have scored a superb try after volleying in Adam Hastings’ nonchalant cross-field kick forward in Jonny May’s last out, with the ball bouncing for Wales. I fell to my hometown Nine. However, a TMO check showed Varney was offside, sparking frustration from Gloucester fans.
Santiago Soccino and Freddie Clarke scored consolation scores to give Gloucester something to cheer about, but it was a night where nothing clicked for the Premiership side, especially while the game was still in the balance.
They will come back but next season will be judged on league form alone. Cup runs can no longer distract you from your main work.
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