Late solo tries by Brent Russell and Henno Mentz helped the Sharks hold off the recharged Cats 42-28 in an all-South African Super 12 rugby match in Durban.

The Sharks, beginning a six-match homestand to end the regular season after three wins on the road, rallied from 16-10 down at halftime to lead 30-28, then finally put away the Cats in the last nine minutes.

"In the second half we just threw it away," Cats captain Wikus van Heerden said.

Russell danced around two defenders for the team's fourth bonus-point try to put the Sharks clear at 37-28, then man-of-the-match winger Mentz regathered his own chip in the last minute for his second try.

The Cats came with a 12-match losing streak of more than a year old, but new coach Chester Williams, who replaced the fired Tim Lane, appears to have revived the side.

After AJ Venter crossed early for the Sharks' only first-half try, Van Heerden scored after a sniping run and chip along touch by Anton Pitout. Minutes later, inside centre Wayne Julies capitalised off a run by prop CJ van der Linde to give them a 16-7 lead.

Their defence made sure they were up 16-10 at halftime, but it would last only four minutes.

Mentz scored when he gathered a poor clearance kick and burned off the defence for a lead the Sharks wouldn't relinquish.

Veteran back Gregor Townsend, moments after coming on as a replacement, broke through the centre, and fed Adrian Jacobs who fended off Springbok wing Ashwin Willemse to extend the Sharks' lead to 27-16.

The Cats' reply was decisive, as loose forward Juan Smith made an immediate impact off the bench by finishing two long-range counterattacks to bring his side within two of the Sharks, and a bonus point for four tries.

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