Following the Sharks’ 24-20 loss to the Stormers in Cape Town, here is how we rated John Plumtree’s side in the United Rugby Championship clash.
Sharks player ratings v Stormers
15 Aphelele Fassi: Flashes of brilliance in the first half at key moments including an excellent kick putting the Stormers under early pressure. He followed that up by beating Herschell Jantjies in a foot race to the ball and timed his pass perfectly for Yaw Penxe’s try. A cruel end to a wonderful year for the Springboks full-back as he was carted off the pitch and off the back of another fine outing. 6
14 Yaw Penxe: Had to do little to finish off his try but did so well. He also came up with key interventions on defence either side of half-time with a brilliant read and hit and another slap-back early in the second. He did struggle somewhat under the high ball. More good than bad overall from the winger. 8
13 Jurenzo Julius: A live-wire performance from the highly-rated young midfielder as he caused all kinds of issues for the Stormers’ defence. He beat four defenders, gaining over 50 metres and injected real pace and excitement to the Sharks‘ backline. 7
12 Andre Esterhuizen: You know what’s coming with the Springboks centre but stopping it is the real challenge as he regularly got over the gain-line, setting a wonderful platform in attack. He ran great dummy lines too and was aggressive on defence. Joined Fassi on the medical cart in what is a hammer blow for the pair. 6
11 Ethan Hooker: Arguably unlucky to visit the sin bin for his contribution to stopping the Stormers’ maul in the latter stages of the first half. A serious threat in possession, Hooker made inroads into the Stormers’ defence whenever he got the ball but today he made costly errors that directly impacted the final score including the penalty leading to the Stormers’ winner. 4
10 Jordan Hendrikse: A wonderful positional battle with fellow Springboks pivot Manie Libbok as the pair looked to inspire their side to victory. Ultimately, it was Libbok who came out on and by the smallest of margins with the hosts just winning the encounter. Hendrikse was excellent though as he was accurate off the tee and scored what looked to be a crucial try. He was strong under the high ball and shifted around the backline to cover injuries well too. 8
9 Jaden Hendrikse: Another cheeky performance from the scrum-half filled with no-look passes, one to assist his brother, while on the whole, he kicked well out of hand and also proved to be a pest at the breakdown. He impressed at fly-half in the latter stages too. 7
Loose forwards
8 Siya Kolisi (c): Quietly brilliant with several fantastic interventions on defence stifling multiple attacks. He had fewer opportunities with ball in hand but made telling contributions without it. A shame that he couldn’t close out the game. 7
7 Emmanuel Tshituka: Won a crucial penalty that put the Sharks ahead in the final knockings of the match. The visitors’ forwards didn’t have too many opportunities with ball in hand today but Tshituka was another who threw his weight around well on defence. 7
6 Phepsi Buthelezi: Copy and paste from above. It was a rather quiet performance from the flanker but by no means a poor one. 6
Leinster boss reveals Springboks-inspired tactic in emphatic Munster victory
Tight five
5 Emile van Heerden: A nasty leg injury ended his game after just 16 minutes as his luckless run continues. 5
4 Jason Jenkins: Really should have done better when diving on the loose ball in the build-up to Paul de Wet’s second-half try. He did well to pressure the Stormers’ lineout particularly once his second-rower partner was forced off while he was impactful at the breakdown. 6
3 Vincent Koch: The Springboks tighthead got around the park, particularly on defence but it was not his finest scrummaging performance. The Sharks have struggled in that area of the game without the likes of Bongi Mbonambi and Eben Etzebeth and while Koch held his own at times, the Stormers did have the upper hand. 4
2 Dylan Richardson: Pitched up with two turnovers and defended manfully in a tidy performance with the scrums being one of the few downfalls. 5
1 Ox Nche: Like his fellow prop, Nche struggled somewhat at scrum time against the brilliant Frans Malherbe. He also managed to hold his own at times and was busy around the park. 6
Replacements: A lot was asked of the Sharks’ bench today with Esterhuizen and Fassi forced off through injury while Ruan Dreyer and Harno Jacobs needed to change their fortunes in the scrums. In the end, it was just too much to ask as they failed to hold onto the lead and the Stormers’ replacements got the upper hand. 3
READ MORE: As it happened, the Stormers edge the Sharks in Cape Town thriller
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/sharks-player-ratings-springboks-rookie-shines-despite-defeat-as-aphelele-fassis-fine-2024-meets-a-cruel-end
