Durban - Lwazi Mvovo ran in two of seven tries by the Sharks to inspire his team to an emphatic 53-11 victory over the Force in their Super Rugby match at Kings Park on Saturday.
The left wing scored two touchdowns in five minutes early in the second half as the Sharks climbed to sixth in the table by inflicting the ninth defeat in 11 matches for their Australian opponents.
Force flyhalf David Harvey and opposite number Patrick Lambie traded early penalties before the Sharks grabbed the first try when lock Steven Sykes barged over from close range.
Lambie kicked a simple conversion but Harvey narrowed the gap to four points with 10 minutes to go in the first half by booting his second penalty.
The rest of the half belonged to the Sharks as they scored 10 points in six minutes.
Lambie set up the second try when he broke free on the halfway line before drawing the last defender to send outside centre Paul Jordaan on a clear run to the line.
Flyhalf Lambie kicked the conversion before he landed a penalty on the stroke of halftime as the Sharks went to the break holding a 20-6 lead.
The home team stamped their authority on the contest with three tries in the first 10 minutes of the second period.
Fullback Louis Ludik notched the first after forward Keegan Daniel took a quick tap penalty.
The 25-year-old Mvovo, who has played four tests for South Africa, then took centre stage.
His first try came when he intercepted a loose pass on his own 22-metre line and outstripped the defence. Five minutes later he collected his own kick ahead before setting off on a 70-metre run for a converted touchdown.
The home team continued their dominance with two late tries from replacement hooker Craig Burden and flanker Jacques Botes before right wing Samu Wara dived over in the corner for a late consolation for the Force.
The Sharks picked up a full-house of five points for their victory, but stayed third in the South African Conference. They did however move into sixth position in the Combined log.
The Force left Kings Park empty-handed and remain bottom of the Australian Conference and in 13th position in the Overall standings.
In next weekend's Round 13 action, the Sharks travel to Bloemfontein to play the Cheetahs, while the Force are at home against the Rebels.
Teams:
Sharks:
15 Louis Ludik, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Paul Jordaan, 12 Tim Whitehead, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Patrick Lambie, 9 Charl McLeod, 8 Keegan Daniel (captain), 7 Marcell Coetzee, 6 Jacques Botes, 5 Anton Bresler, 4 Steven Sykes, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira
Substitutes: 16 Craig Burden, 17 Wiehahn Herbst, 18 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 19 Jean Deysel, 20 Ryan Kankowski, 21 Frederic Michalak, 22 Meyer Bosman
Force:
15 Alfie Mafi, 14 Samu Wara, 13 Nick Cummins, 12 Winston Stanley, 11 Napolioni Nalaga, 10 David Harvey, 9 Brett Sheehan, 8 Matt Hodgson, 7 David Pocock (captain), 6 Richard Brown, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Toby Lynn, 3 Salesi Ma'afu, 2 Nathan Charles, 1 Pek Cowan
Substitutes: 16 Elvis Taione, 17 Salesi Manu, 18 Phoenix Battye, 19 Lachlan McCaffrey, 20 Josh Holmes, 21 Ben Seymour, 22 Rory Sidey
The left wing scored two touchdowns in five minutes early in the second half as the Sharks climbed to sixth in the table by inflicting the ninth defeat in 11 matches for their Australian opponents.
Force flyhalf David Harvey and opposite number Patrick Lambie traded early penalties before the Sharks grabbed the first try when lock Steven Sykes barged over from close range.
Lambie kicked a simple conversion but Harvey narrowed the gap to four points with 10 minutes to go in the first half by booting his second penalty.
The rest of the half belonged to the Sharks as they scored 10 points in six minutes.
Lambie set up the second try when he broke free on the halfway line before drawing the last defender to send outside centre Paul Jordaan on a clear run to the line.
Flyhalf Lambie kicked the conversion before he landed a penalty on the stroke of halftime as the Sharks went to the break holding a 20-6 lead.
The home team stamped their authority on the contest with three tries in the first 10 minutes of the second period.
Fullback Louis Ludik notched the first after forward Keegan Daniel took a quick tap penalty.
The 25-year-old Mvovo, who has played four tests for South Africa, then took centre stage.
His first try came when he intercepted a loose pass on his own 22-metre line and outstripped the defence. Five minutes later he collected his own kick ahead before setting off on a 70-metre run for a converted touchdown.
The home team continued their dominance with two late tries from replacement hooker Craig Burden and flanker Jacques Botes before right wing Samu Wara dived over in the corner for a late consolation for the Force.
The Sharks picked up a full-house of five points for their victory, but stayed third in the South African Conference. They did however move into sixth position in the Combined log.
The Force left Kings Park empty-handed and remain bottom of the Australian Conference and in 13th position in the Overall standings.
In next weekend's Round 13 action, the Sharks travel to Bloemfontein to play the Cheetahs, while the Force are at home against the Rebels.
Teams:
Sharks:
15 Louis Ludik, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Paul Jordaan, 12 Tim Whitehead, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Patrick Lambie, 9 Charl McLeod, 8 Keegan Daniel (captain), 7 Marcell Coetzee, 6 Jacques Botes, 5 Anton Bresler, 4 Steven Sykes, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira
Substitutes: 16 Craig Burden, 17 Wiehahn Herbst, 18 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 19 Jean Deysel, 20 Ryan Kankowski, 21 Frederic Michalak, 22 Meyer Bosman
Force:
15 Alfie Mafi, 14 Samu Wara, 13 Nick Cummins, 12 Winston Stanley, 11 Napolioni Nalaga, 10 David Harvey, 9 Brett Sheehan, 8 Matt Hodgson, 7 David Pocock (captain), 6 Richard Brown, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Toby Lynn, 3 Salesi Ma'afu, 2 Nathan Charles, 1 Pek Cowan
Substitutes: 16 Elvis Taione, 17 Salesi Manu, 18 Phoenix Battye, 19 Lachlan McCaffrey, 20 Josh Holmes, 21 Ben Seymour, 22 Rory Sidey