A controversial Edrick Lee try inside the final two minutes saw Cronulla steal an 18-15 win over New Zealand on Friday night.
The Sharks had won eight of their previous 10 matches against the Warriors, with the New Zealand side scoring no more than 20 points in each of those games.
And Cronulla kept up those records in Auckland despite a horrendous start to the game.
The Sharks trailed 12-0 inside eight minutes with two errors gifting the Warriors a pair of tries.
Firstly, Chad Townsend failed to find touch from a penalty, which saw Solomone Kata go straight in to score from the ensuing set.
Then a Jesse Ramien error 10 metres out from Cronulla’s line saw Anthony Gelling barge over to give New Zealand a perfect start.
Cronulla needed to hit back swiftly and did so on 15 minutes. Sustained pressure on the Warriors’ line saw Ramien show good strength to crash over for his 10th try in just his 14th NRL game to bring the Sharks back into the game.
And the Sharks were in again 10 minutes later after Chad Townsend had gone close. But a repeat set allowed Cronulla to shift left, with Ricky Leutele’s quick hands putting Lee over in the corner.
Despite their flat start, the Sharks went into half-time level thanks to a Townsend penalty goal and took the lead with another Townsend two-pointer 15 minutes after the break.
The Warriors levelled the score again with a Shaun Johnson penalty goal of their own before the mercurial No.7 slotted a clutch field goal from 25m out with five minutes to go to give New Zealand the lead.
But Lee would go from villain to hero to secure a valuable two points for Cronulla. An error mopping up a Johnson kick on his own try line had given the Warriors the field position required to take their one-pointer.
But another shift to the left saw Lee slide over to score in the corner with less than three minutes remaining, though Leutele’s final pass appeared to have been thrown forward.
Most Sharks’ fans eyes would have been on Woods watch, as former NSW and Australia prop Aaron Woods made his first appearance in the black, white and blue since his abrupt switch from Canterbury on Tuesday.
And they would have been pleasantly surprised, with Woods putting in a strong performance off the bench. The 27-year-old has been a welcome addition to Cronulla’s pack struggling with the absence of Wade Graham (cheekbone) and Luke Lewis (calf).
The win was Cronulla’s third in a row away to the Warriors, the first time the Sharks have achieved the milestone in the club’s history.
The Sharks, who keep in touch with the top four, now enter a bye week before returning to action against the Panthers at Penrith on July 13.
Leader Scoreboard
Cronulla Sharks 18 (Edrick Lee two, Jesse Ramien tries. Chad Townsend three goals)
defeated
New Zealand Warriors 15 (Solomone Kata, Anthony Grelling tries. Shaun Johnson three goals, field goal)
at Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland
Sharks’ next three: BYE, Panthers (away), Raiders (home)