Following the Sharks’ 22-19 victory over Ulster, here’s how we rated John Plumtree’s charges as they became the first South African team to win at Kingspan Stadium.
Sharks player ratings v Ulster
15 Aphelele Fassi: Far from his best in the first half, like many of his teammates, but the Sharks full-back grew into the game. Made a great last-ditch tackle that denied Ulster late on. Will be pleased with how he ended the match. 7
14 Ethan Hooker: One of the few standouts as he repeatedly got over the gain-line and inspired the victory. He is having some season. 8
13 Lukhanyo Am: Blew hot and cold, the former mostly on defence. Will be annoyed with the miscommunication that led to a try after his pass to Andre Esterhuizen went to the deck. Replaced early in the first half. 5
12 Andre Esterhuizen: A committed performance, which is stock-standard for the Springboks midfielder. He too won’t be happy with that try against the run of play, but he fronted up and hammered into the Ulster defence time and time again to great effect. Very effective defensively, too. 8
11 Makazole Mapimpi: Grabbed a try to shift the tide and should have got another after a harsh officiating call. A great battle against his former teammate, Werner Kok, from start to finish. 7
10 Jordan Hendrikse: His two halves were night and day. Torrid in the first, vastly improved in the second. Needs to find consistency. 5
9 Jaden Hendrikse: Much the same as his fly-half brother. Played a big role in turning his team’s fortunes but was not up to scratch in the first half. 5
The pack
8 Siya Kolisi (c): Took over the captaincy when Eben Etzebeth withdrew and was not at fault for the first-half disaster. A lot of good work at the breakdown. He has been more influential in recent matches but not poor. 6
7 Manu Tshituka: Grabbed a crucial try after being elevated into the starting XV for a rare start. He took got stuck into the Ulster side and grew into the match. A good foundation to build on going forward. 7
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6 James Venter: A busy performance on defence and at the rucks but got little purchase for his efforts. 5
5 Jason Jenkins: Impressed in the tight exchanges and was a decent lineout option. Made a big carry in the build-up to Mapimpi’s try, which swung the moment into the Sharks’ favour and kickstarted the comeback. 7
4 Vincent Tshituka: Shifted into the second-row after Etzebeth’s withdrawal. Stepped up defensively, but his carrying game was impacted. 5
3 Vincent Koch: Looked to be struggling with an injury, which was evident in the scrums. Rightly replaced at half-time with Hanro Jacobs having a standout game. The Sharks will hope his knock is nothing serious. 4
2 Bongi Mbonambi: A few strong carries and solid defence, but nothing stood out from the Springboks veteran in a front-row scrummaging effort that left much to be desired. 5
1 Ox Nche: A rare occurrence as he was bettered in the scrums and on occasion, quite emphatically. Still got around the park leading the tackle count for much of the match for his side and carried a lot. 6
Replacements: While the Bomb Squad idea is framed around the forward-heavy splits, the general tactic is for the bench to influence the match in a positive manner and that’s precisely what the Sharks got from their 5-3 split. Jacobs and the other front-rowers turned the tide in the scrums and the rest followed as Phepsi Buthlezi added energy and pace to the back-row. However, Jurenzo Julius was the pick of the lot with a stunning run through the heart of the Ulster defence to score a crucial try. It was a smash-and-grab victory for the Sharks thanks largely to the performance from the replacements. 8
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/sharks-player-ratings-youth-shines-in-smash-and-grab-victory-as-springboks-blow-hot-and-cold-against-ulster
