The Coastal Sharks are again back on top of the Super 14 table after recording a 33-17 win over the Wellington Hurricanes on Saturday.

The Sharks scored three second half tries after turning around 9-10 down and now have 30 points, with the Waikato Chiefs and New South Wales Waratahs second with 27 points each.

The Hurricanes are now sixth with 20 points on the southern hemisphere inter-provincial competition points table.

It was an error-ridden-game with both teams feeding off the errors of the other, with the play shifting from one side of the field to the other throughout the 80 minutes.

Plenty of tackles were missed on both sides and while it was a high-energy game from the off, with a number of try-scoring chances, it was the home side who made the most of the opportunities that came their way.

But the Sharks had to wait until the second period before they pulled away from the men from New Zealand.

The Sharks, who trailed 9-10 at the interval, had to settle for three penalties by Rory Kockott in the first 40 minutes, while the Hurricanes scored the only try of the period through loose forward Faifili Levave, who burst through Springbok captain John Smit to score the five-pointer.

But while only one try was scored before the break, there were enough opportunities on both sides to suggest the second half was going to be a brutal battle for the points on offer.

The Sharks could have matched Levave's try on the half-hour mark after a counter-attack from deep in their own half, but loose forward Jacques Botes knocked the ball on with the tryline beckoning and then four minutes before the break it was the turn of the visitors to come unstuck.

A superb break in midfield by All Black centre Conrad Smith, who off-loaded to a charging Karl Lowe, came to nothing after Sharks wing Odwa Ndungane pulled off a brilliant tackle on Lowe inches before the tryline.

While it was a tight affair going into the break, it was all the Sharks after the resumption with the log-leaders quickly taking control of matters with a two-try blitz.

Springbok hooker Bismarck du Plessis caught the Hurricanes napping at a lineout on the half-way line; his quick throw in to Luzuko Vulindlu allowing the winger to run in almost untouched from 50 metres.

The conversion by Kockott put the Sharks 16-10 up four minutes after the restart. Then, before the 50 minute mark was reached, the Sharks ran in their second through Frans Steyn, who capitalised on one of a number of Hurricanes errors in the match.

Sharks fullback Stefan Terblanche's up-and-under was dropped by replacement back Tamati Ellison which allowed Steyn to pick up the loose ball and jog over the line.

Kockott added the extras to see the Sharks into a 23-10 lead. But just when it looked as if the home side were going to run away with the game, the visitors hit back through wing Zac Guildford, who dived over in the corner; the touchline conversion by Weepu closing the gap to just six points.

But the Sharks, almost immediately, regained control when Steyn knocked over a 40 metre drop-goal to go into the final 10 minutes with a nine-point lead.

They sealed the game on the stroke of full-time when replacement back Chris Jordaan scored his team's third try after the visitors again failed to control a high kick into their 22m area.

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