Sharks player ratings: Grant Williams shines as Toulouse tear through the tired travellers
Following their 54-20 Champions Cup defeat to Toulouse in the quarter-finals, he is how we rated the Sharks players.
15 Boeta Chamberlain: He took his chance to score well, but he was otherwise largely anonymous. 4
14 Werner Kok: He had little to do with the ball in hand but did make his mark on defence. 5
13 Lukhanyo Am: The Sharks needed to get the ball into his hands more often. He showed his class with a superb pass to set up Chamberlain. 5
12 Rohan Janse van Rensburg: Another hard-working performance, highlighted by his efforts to deny Mallia a second try. He was a good source for go-forward ball. Unfortunately, he picked up a nasty injury. 5
11 Makazola Mapimpi: He tried to influence the match as much as possible as he searched for work. He had some success in doing so and applied the pressure with his kick chase. 6
Halfbacks impress on attack
10 Curwin Bosch: Set up a stunning try for his half-back partner and was a real threat on attack gaining over 200 metres. His counterattack was superb, and he did kick well at times. However, his one charge down, one poor clearance, and five missed tackles hurt the Sharks more than his excellence on attack helped. 5
9 Grant Williams: He scored a fantastic try and almost got another if it wasn’t for a forward pass from himself in the build-up. He stepped up for the Sharks in the absence of Jaden Hendrikse, and his kicking and passing game was of the highest order. He took his opportunity, and the Sharks should be confident with him in the starting lineup from now on. 7
WHAT. A. TRY! 🤯
Curwin Bosch and Grant Williams tear Toulouse apart! ⚡️ #HeinekenChampionsCup #TOUvSHA pic.twitter.com/XpauX8HFRy
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) April 8, 2023
8 Sikumbuzo Notshe: An industrious 63-minute shift from the in-form number eight. Only Bosch made more metres than the 29-year-old. 7
7 Vincent Tshituka: Busy around the park with little success. He was stripped of the ball in a carry but did gain 21 metres. 5
6 Siya Kolisi: Tireless work rate, the Springbok and Sharks captain was excellent throughout and did his utmost to inspire his side to victory. He almost stopped Mallia from scoring, outpacing Janse van Rensburg en route to make the tackle, and showed off all his skills clearing out rucks, making sharp tackles and producing sublime offloads. 6
5 Gerbrandt Grobler: He did claim a lineout steal and had a good battle at the set piece with the likes of Flament and Arnold. Struggled to gain much go forward with the ball in hand. 5
4 Hyron Andrews: An error-ridden game from the lock, who also conceded a silly penalty before half-time, which shifted momentum in Toulouse’s favour. Quite a drop off from Eben Etzebeth. 4
Du Toit battles through injury
3 Thomas du Toit: A strong outing from the departing tighthead prop. He had a good battle in the scrums with Baille and was clearly on top of Toulouse’s replacement loosehead. He played on despite nursing an injury and was busy around the park. 6
2 Bongi Mbonambi: A solid performance in the set piece from the Springbok hooker. He was one of the busier tacklers for the Sharks but was less impactful with the ball in hand than he has been previously. 5
1 Ox Nche: He put up a decent battle in the scrums and looked for work in attack. He coughed up a chance when filling in at scrum-half early in the game and didn’t make much impact with the ball in hand. 4
Replacements: Toulouse dominated the latter stages of the game, with no Sharks really making a notable impact once coming on the pitch. 2
READ MORE: Five-time winners Toulouse show class to set up mouth-watering semi-final with Leinster
