Sharks player ratings: Siya Kolisi and Andre Esterhuizen ‘lead the charge’ while Springboks outcast a ‘player reborn’
Andre Esterhuizen and Siya Kolisi (inset) in action for the Sharks.
Following a 21-12 victory over the Bulls in the United Rugby Championship clash at Hollywoodbets Kings Park Stadium on Saturday, here are the player ratings for the Sharks.
15 Hakeem Kunene: Saved the hosts after a superb break from the Pretoria outfit by reading Harold Vorster’s pass and sprinting 80 metres for an opportunistic score, and remained effective after that. 7
14 Edwill van der Merwe: It is fair to say he mustn’t be enjoying his time in this Sharks backline after moving from the free-flowing Lions. Once again it was a struggle for him to get into the game, but he did compete well in the air and latched onto Jaden Hendrikse’s brilliant kick through to score. 6
13 Ethan Hooker: One break aside after nice work from Jordan Hendrikse, it was a mixed day for the centre, who made a few errors. It’s just not clicking for the Sharks behind the scrum. 6
Led the charge
12 Andre Esterhuizen (c): Some good carries as usual in the first half, but it was a scrappy gam,e and his influence was limited by his side’s lack of fluency. However, it grew as the match wore on, and Esterhuizen was immense in the final quarter. 8
11 Makazole Mapimpi: Couldn’t argue with his basics, which included a fine turnover at the breakdown, but it is tough for the Sharks wings at the moment. 6
10 Jordan Hendrikse: A couple of highlight moments, including a superb high ball take and a wonderful off-load, but Hendrikse couldn’t quite provide that consistent spark or control. 6
9 Grant Williams: Completing an incredibly talented but underperforming backline was Williams, who battled to get quick ball for his team. It was not really forthcoming, however, but his kicking was accurate. 6
8 Phepsi Buthelezi: Gain line success was a bit of a struggle with defences on top, but he struggled to impact the game in other areas. 5
7 Vincent Tshituka: More prominent than Buthelezi with a few positive contributions, but there were also the odd error with the battle at close quarters. Still, there were some excellent moments. 7
Another second-half star
6 Siya Kolisi: Generally mistake-free, which was in contrast to many of his Sharks team-mates, but Kolisi really came to the fore late on. He made a massive hit on the superb Jeandre Rudolph and scored a crucial try as the Sharks took the lead. 7
5 Emile van Heerden: The lineout went pretty smoothly while Van Heerden was also a threat on the visitors’ ball as the lock put in a solid shift. 6
4 Jason Jenkins: There was the odd charge over the gain line as Jenkins provided the ballast in the second-row, but there was not much give from either side in the physical exchanges. 6
3 Hanro Jacobs: Had the tough ask of containing Gerhard Steenekamp and unsurprisingly the Springboks loosehead duly got the better of the tighthead. 4
2 Bongi Mbonambi: It was not the easiest day in the middle of that Sharks scrum as the Bulls sent them into reverse at the scrum, but his lineout throwing was sound. 5
1 Phatu Ganyane: Similar to Jacobs, he had a tough day at the office against the all-Springboks front-row. 4
Replacements: Jaden Hendrikse looked like a player reborn and was central to their win. The scrum-half earned two breakdown turnovers late on and also caught a high bomb to prevent the Bulls from gaining a losing bonus point. The front-row were also more solid in the set-piece, albeit that was helped by Steenekamp’s and Wilco Louw’s withdrawal. 8
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