Following the Sharks’ 22-19 victory over Ulster, here are our five takeaways from Saturday’s clash at Kingspan Stadium in Belfast.
The top line
A game of two halves if there ever was one, as the Sharks overcame a torrid first 40-minute performance to defeat Ulster in dramatic fashion in Belfast.
Jack Murphy, Jude Postlethwaite and Nathan Doak all crossed for tries in the opening 30 minutes as the hosts raced into a commanding 19-0 lead, but the tide began to turn soon after the third score as Makazole Mapimpi bit back for the visitors.
The Springboks veteran looked to have scored another just before the break, but his try was chalked off with the officials judging the final pass to be forward. That came shortly after Jacob Stockdale had been yellow-carded as he attempted an intercept.
After a testing opening 20 minutes of the second half, the Sharks finally found a route behind the Ulster defence, and it was straight through the middle with Jurenzo Julius running a hard, direct line to score.
Emmanuel Tshituka followed soon after with Jordan Hendrikse adding the extras and a penalty as the Sharks scored 22 unanswered points to become the first South African team to beat Ulster at Kingspan Stadium in the URC.
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Sharks disaster-class
The frustration of the Sharks fans is palpable on social media as the star-studded team consistently underperforms. John Plumtree’s side is still well-placed to seal a place in the play-offs, but on today’s evidence, they won’t progress much further than the quarter-final.
There is a chance that they could turn things around when it matters, which they did last season to win the Challenge Cup, but teams better than Ulster will be far more ruthless than the dogged Belfast-based outfit was today.
It was the manner in which Ulster raced out to a commanding lead that would provide the most frustration. Stockdale’s amazing break looked fantastic, but ultimately it was down to poor execution of Joey Molango’s excellent defensive system. Lukhanyo Am made a superb cover tackle, but by that stage, the damage was already done as Ulster had the numbers to score on the blindside.
The next try came off a bit of sloppy play from Am, who threw a no-look pass to Andre Esterhuizen that hit the deck and Doak and Zac Ward punished the visitors as Postlethwaite pounced to score.
Ulster’s third try was the only one from the first half that really was not the doing of the Sharks as Stockdale’s individual brilliance set-up his scrum-half. One could argue that Aphelele Fassi was out of position, but that’s neither here nor there.
Things shifted in the second half with the Sharks Bomb Squad changing the game, but the first 40 will be a major concern as very few teams in this competition will allow them to launch this kind of comeback.
Ulster class
As much as the Sharks endured a poor start to the match, Ulster very much deserve the plaudits for their ruthlessness to cut the Sharks to shreds and race into a strong position on the scoreboard.
It was not just the attack but the set-pieces too as they got the upper hand on a few scrums, against a Springboks front-row nonetheless, while they made life difficult for the South Africans at lineout time.
Jack Murphy and Stockdale kicked superbly regularly putting the likes of Fassi and his fellow back three players and Jordan Hendrikse under pressure.
But as bad as the Sharks were in the first half, Ulster were worse in the second. Their attack lacked the same bite and the Irish province simply did not get the same impact from their bench.
Test watch
With many of the Ireland regular starters set to be named in Andy Farrell’s British and Irish Lions squad, there are plenty of spots up for grabs.
Tonight, Scott Wilson threw down the gauntlet with a dominant scrummaging display against Ox Nche of all players. If you want to stake your claim as a number three, there are few better players to do it against. He was impressive around the park too.
In the same breath, Cormac Izuchukwu put in a titanic shift in the second row and having been involved with the Test squad in recent times, he is bound to get a shot at more regular minutes.
Meanwhile, Stockdale issued a reminder of what he is capable of while Murphy continues to impress in what has been a breakout season for the young fly-half.
For the Springboks stars and hopefuls, Esterhuizen was one of the few real standouts for the Sharks as the Hendrikse brothers both had underwhelming performances. Centre Am blew hot and cold with flashes of brilliance but was far from his best while Ethan Hooker continues to impress on the wing and in the centres. Fellow young midfielder Julius had a telling impact off the bench and Mapimpi continues to prove his worth.
Finally, lock Jason Jenkins had a notably improved performance with big carries and heavy hits.
How things stand ahead of the final two weekends
Leinster and Glasgow Warriors are in the driving seat in first and second on the table with the two sides set to collide over the next fortnight. The Bulls are just one point aback from the Warriors while the Sharks’ fightback means that they sit on the Bulls’ heels in fourth.
Cardiff, Stormers, Scarlets and Benetton round out the top eight while Ulster look to have run their race in 12th position with tough tasks against Munster and Edinburgh up next, who are just outside the play-offs spots but there is still a chance for Richie Murphy’s side.
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/sharks-v-ulster-five-takeaways-as-springboks-laden-side-frustrate-before-remarkable-22-point-swing
