"It was incredibly frustrating," said Chiefs coach Dave Rennie. "It's a real hollow feeling to end up with that sort of result.
"We just didn't handle the ball for long enough and there were way too many errors. We really should have put them away."
The Chiefs' deficiency made for a messy match, with the tone set when a trio of players were dismissed for separate incidents of violent conduct. The game was far from acrimonious and there seemed little malice in two of the red cards, with Bismarck du Plessis' shocking kick to the head of Michael Leitch the exception.
That brain explosion came only two minutes after Hika Elliot was the first given his marching orders, with the hooker's attempted clean-out on Tendai Mtawarira falling afoul of referee Angus Gardner. A spell in the sin bin looked sufficient after Elliot's shoulder made contact with his opponent's head but, much to the surprise of the Chiefs, a red was the result.
Du Plessis soon ensured the playing field was level but that parity didn't last for long, with Frans Steyn's tip tackle on Cruden seeing the second-five sent off and the Sharks reduced to 13 men.
"It's disappointing that's the way the game went," Rennie said. "But you can't fault the referee. He was doing things by the letter of the law."
Ill-discipline was combined with several injury breaks, howling wind and heavy rain, leading to an unseemly match. Neither side was able to retain enough possession to exert any real ascendancy, the Sharks by choice and the Chiefs largely by circumstance.
The home side, as is their wont, kicked deep at any opportunity, making field position a priority and pegging the Chiefs back inside their own 22. While the Chiefs returned fire with some regularity, they also looked to run the ball almost as often, only to have handling errors squander most of their attacks.
The visitors looked to learn their lesson as the half wore on, opting to play the territory game and grabbing the only try before the break, with the outstanding Sam Cane finishing off a driving maul from a lineout.
It proved to be their last points as, beset by the bad conditions and a string of set pieces, the second spell was even less pleasing on the eye. After last week's woes against the Stormers, the Chiefs initially held their own at scrum time, but a couple of penalties allowed Pat Lambie to boot the Sharks in front.
Damian McKenzie was one of the few players able to shine in a difficult situation for flair players, repeatedly sparking something from nothing. His raids led to a prolonged spell of possession towards the end of the encounter but the Chiefs were unable to turn the pressure into vital points.
Sharks 12 (Lambie 3 pens), Chiefs 11 (Cane try; Cruden 2 pens)
HT: 9-11
