Sharks player ratings: Springboks’ ‘horror return’ while ‘brutal’ Andre Esterhuizen stars in memorable win over Saracens
Aphelele Fassi of the Sharks and an inset of Andre Esterhuizen. Credit INPHO/Steve Haag Sports/Steve Haag/EPCR Rugby.
Following the Sharks’ 28-23 victory over Saracens, here’s how we rated JP Pietersen’s charges in the Investec Champions Cup clash in Durban.
Sharks player ratings v Saracens
15 Aphelele Fassi: A horror return for the Springboks‘ full-back. He grabbed a try off a superb pass by Whitehead, which came after his blunder in the backfield, leading to a try for Sam Spink. He had good moments under the high ball and hit a wonderful 50:22, but it was a hit-and-miss kind of performance from Fassi. His game ended when he collided with Theo McFarland’s knee. 4
14 Edwill van der Merwe: Starved of possession, but when the ball did come his way, he did make the most of it, finishing off his try well despite being off balance. Competed well in the air and shot up to stop threatening Sarries’ attacks with mixed success. 6
13 Ethan Hooker: 2025 has been an incredible year for Hooker, who is showing no signs of slowing down. The officials may have hotly debated his pass for Van der Merwe’s try, but his ability to get the ball away in the manner he did, with a man on him, was sensational. He backed that up with a stunning offload to send Williams tearing through. Excellent in defence too. What a talent, what a performance. 8
12 Andre Esterhuizen (c): Captained his club in his 100th appearance in the black and white jersey. Esterhuizen’s left boot can be a real weapon, but twice it let him down in the early knockings. Stripped off the ball later in the first half but quickly recovered with a brutal carry in the build-up to Fassi’s try. Played a crucial role in Williams’ try too, winning the midfield bomb. He grew into the game and led the defensive charge, topping the tackle count. Capped off his milestone match with a win and a Man of the Match award. 9
11 Makazole Mapimpi: His aerial battle with Angus Hall was a real joy to watch, with the experienced winger giving as good as he got. It was tricky conditions for men out wide, but Mapimpi held his own and some with his basics coming to the fore. 7
10 George Whitehead: A sharp pick up by the Sharks as the vastly experienced fly-half played a pivotal role in the victory over Saracens. His kicking game was central to the win, while he shifted the ball under pressure well too, notably for Fassi’s try. He boldly went all out with his kick to touch before half-time, which the Sharks benefited from. Not the flashiest of fly-halves, but he is calm in possession and tactically astute. 8
9 Grant Williams: Kicked rather well from the base of rucks while his explosive pace earned him yet another try as he latched onto Hooker’s pass. Rarely has a poor performance. 7
The forwards
8 Phepsi Buthelezi: A stock-standard ‘job done’ performance from the number eight. He carried well enough in the tight, made his tackles and hit rucks. 5
7 Vincent Tshituka: Ditto for Buthelezi’s back-row partner. Though he was more impactful with the ball in hand and added his height in the set-pieces that operated rather well, particularly when Mbonambi was on the park. 7
6 Siya Kolisi: Grabbed the opening try off the back of a powerful maul and landed a mammoth hit on Theo Dan shortly afterwards. Those were the standout moments from the Springboks skipper who was replaced early in the second half after a tidy performance. 7
5 Emile van Heerden: Ran the lineout effectively when he was on the park, made all of his 11 tackles. Sharp and efficient with little fuss. 6
4 Jason Jenkins: Also a handy lineout option and threw his weight around well into the collisions. 6
3 Hanro Jacobs: The scrum was a lot of give and take, but Jacobs did manage to eke out a couple of penalties from Eroni Mawi. Strong on defence too. 6
2 Bongi Mbonambi: It’s been an underwhelming year for the Springboks veteran, but today he looked vastly improved. He hammered into tackles and was accurate in the set-pieces. 8
1 Phatu Ganyane: Similar to his fellow prop, Ganyane gave as good as he got in the scrums and was busy around the park. A strong performance from the 22-year-old. 6
Replacements: The bench blew hot and cold. Marvin Orie had good moments in the lineout but also gave a penalty away that gave the Saracens a shot at the win. Nick Hatton was sin-binned after a plethora of team penalties. Jordan Hendrikse was solid at the back after replacing Fassi, while Eduan Swart continued the lineout excellence. Considering that they managed to hold out for the win, they get a just better than an average score. 6
