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Cape Town - It was a night to remember for the Kings as they secured their first ever Super Rugby win against South African opposition when they edged the Sharks 35-32 in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.
In front of a crowd of over 20 000 at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, the Kings made it three wins out of three as they continue their improvement under coach Deon Davids.
For the Sharks, it was another chapter in what has been an extremely inconsistent season so far.
They almost lost to the Kings in Durban back on March 18, winning 19-17 that day, but on Saturday they had no answer to a side that simply wanted it more on the day.
Speaking after the game, Sharks coach Robert du Preez accepted defeat.
"Very disappointing for us but we can't really have any complaints," he said.
"We got out-scored four tries to two, so I think that sums it up."
The Sharks were dealt a massive blow in the first half when they lost captain and flyhalf Pat Lambie to a head injury, but Du Preez would not use that an excuse.
"Pat's injury was quite a setback for the team, but we have capable players to have fixed that issue," he said.
When asked about Lambie's condition, Du Preez said he was "not sure".
The Kings have all but accepted their fate as one of two South African franchises to be axed from the competition next year as part of SANZAAR's restructuring process, but Du Preez says the type of performance the Eastern Cape side gave on Saturday is good for South African rugby.
"I think it's fantastic for the Kings. They've been playing good rugby all season long," said Du Preez.
"That's great. It's what we need in South Africa ... to have teams like that that do perform well against a team like the Sharks. I thought they played really well."
The Kings are next in action when they host the Brumbies this coming weekend, while the Sharks are in Singapore for a date with the Sunwolves.
