Following the Sharks’ 39-21 victory over Exeter Chiefs, here are our five key takeaways from a blockbuster Investec Champions Cup clash in Durban.

The top line

Pre-game, you would have been excused for thinking this could have been largely academic for the Sharks, but it proved anything but.

Exeter, likely inspired by the change of focus and the trip, came out strong and took a deserved lead after 15 minutes as Dan Frost burrowed over from short range.

The Sharks needed a big response, and they got exactly that with three quick-fire tries through Phepsi Buthelezi, Makazole Mapimpi and Grant Williams.

Things quickly got worse for the English visitors, as Will Rigg copped a yellow card, and the Sharks made them pay through Siya Kolisi. A flowing move found the Springboks captain in achers of space, and he strolled in for an easy try.

With the clock in the red, and now restored to their full compliment, Exeter hit back as Frost grabbed his second of the afternoon in virtually identical fashion to his first.

Trench warfare ensued at the start of the second-half, with both sides camped around the halfway line. Exeter thought they had broken the stalemate through Jacques Vermeulen, but his effort was ruled out for obstruction in the build-up.

The hosts quickly rubbed salt into this wound, too, as Kolisi again walked over the line for his second of the afternoon. A misplaced lineout found the ball rolling graciously into his path, and he scooped it up to race home for a try.

Exeter have been found wanting in the final stages of games this year, but they didn’t back down this time around. A string of penalties, and a sin bin to Eben Etzebeth, allowed the Chiefs to set up shop in the 22, and a delicious cross-field kick from Will Haydon-Wood found Immanuel Feyi-Waboso’s grateful clutches to dot down for the score.

Etzebeth wasn’t the only Shark to be sent to the bin, with Emile van Heerden and Eduan Keyter also copping yellow cards shortly after, however, a costly knock-on from replacement Jimmy Roots gave them an easy reprieve in the dying moments of the game.

For the most part, you feel both sides will be fairly happy with the game and should be able to kick on from here.

Marmite Sharks could challenge for the title

At times, they were brilliant, but at other times they were shocking, so it might be easier to look at them separately.

The Sharks came into the Champions Cup as dark horses for the title this year, and the way they took the game away from Exeter should send alarm bells ringing.

John Plumtree’s side were under the pump for large parts of the first-half, but yet they erupted into life and completely flipped the game on its head with four tries in 20 minutes. What’s more worrying (or pleasing if you’re a Sharks fan) is the fact they did it almost effortlessly. The counter-attack for the opening score actually came from a bit of a fluke with the ball on the floor, but they just teleported up the pitch at a rate of knots and pulled off a classic try.

The following two were just as delightful to watch, but again it was the way they instinctively clicked into shape and executed the attacks that should have the European big guns worrying. The Springboks connection of Aphelele Fassi, Jordan Hendrikse, Makazole Mapimpi, Andre Esterhuizen and Grant Williams was able to just turn a half-chance, maybe even less than that, into a try with ease.

The Durban-based side qualified for the tournament through their Challenge Cup triumph last year, the first time a South African side had won a European title, but they could easily be considered contenders this year in the premier competition.

When they got the upper hand, they simply didn’t relinquish their vice-grip, and that’s what will worry opposition teams the most.

Yes, they were great, but yet there are certainly some big fixes they need to make if they want to be serious contenders this year. Discipline was a HUGE ISSUE for the hosts, but they then also came up with some seriously sloppy errors that cost them, and realistically it was Exeter’s own errors that allowed them to get the upper hand in the game.

The frustrating thing for the Sharks is they could easily have scored more points too, had they shown that clinical edge on a consistent basis. If they get this right, and play their best for a full 80, they will be a force to be reckoned with.

Positive Exeter

Whilst the above section, and the scoreline, might point to the Sharks blowing Exeter away, Rob Baxter’s side put up a brave fight and again looked far more competitive than in previous outings.

The might of the Sharks pack, containing the likes of Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi, Trevor Nyakane, Etzebeth and Kolisi, would have been an easy opposition to bow down too, but yet they really took the battle to them up front and gave just as good as they got. Ethan Roots, Greg Fisilau, former Shark Jacques Vermeulen, double try scorer Dan Frost and Richard Capstick were eager to bash their way through their Springbok counterparts, and to their credit, they did a decent job of it.

In the second-half, the front-row of Will Goodrick-Clark, Jack Innard and Jimmy Roots also stepped up in the scrum and managed to get serious scrummaging dominance over their opponents.

The backline also gave a pretty decent account of themselves too, especially Josh Hodge, Tommy Wyatt and Tamati Tua.

Yes, it was still far from perfect, and they will be kicking themselves with some of the sloppy errors and blown chances, but on the whole it was another step in the right direction for Baxter’s men.

Discipline optional

This was probably the most ill-disciplined game of rugby I’ve seen for some time. There were a whopping 30 penalties across the game, 19 Sharks and 11 Chiefs, and five players were sent to the bin at various times too, three Sharks and two Chiefs, and you would think neither side would ever want it to be like that again.

Both teams were undone by their own ill-discipline at times, and it opened things up for their opponents to then go and get the upper hand.

Discipline is often a big decider in games, particularly at this top level, and if both sides want to compete in the latter stages of the competition they will need to fix this up quickly. This especially applies to the Sharks, who will simply be torn apart by the heavyweights of La Rochelle, Toulouse and Leinster if they replicate that penalty count against them.

Test watch

As you would expect from a Champions Cup clash, there were plenty of players who gave a good account of themselves on the international front.

For the hosts, Kolisi and Fassi were both in great touch and replicated their Springboks form in Sharks’ colours. Jordan Hendrikse and Grant Williams were also classy at times and looked to play a fast-paced, expansive game.

For Exeter, Fisilau, Feyi-Waboso, Ethan Roots and even young prop Marcus Street should have left a mark on Steve Borthwick, in particular Steet coping well for the most part against Ox Nche. Argentina lock Franco Molina was also very impressive again in a very busy shift.