Following the Sharks’ 24-20 defeat to the Stormers in Cape Town, here’s how we assessed John Plumtree’s team in the United Rugby Championship match.
Sharks player ratings vs Stormers
15 Aphelele Fassi showed flashes of brilliance in the first half, notably a wonderful kick that put the Stormers under early pressure. He followed that up by outrunning Herschell Jantjies to the ball and expertly timing his throw for Yaw Penxe’s try. A tragic finish to a fantastic year for the Springboks full-back, who was taken off the field following another excellent performance. Yaw Penxe performed admirably despite having nothing to do at the end of his try (6-14). He also made crucial defensive plays both before and after halftime, including a fantastic read and hit and another slap-back early in the second. He did suffer beneath the high ball. Overall, the winger produced more good than terrible performances. 8
13 Jurenzo Julius: The highly rated teenage midfielder put on an electrifying display, causing all sorts of problems for the Stormers defense. He outpaced four defenders, gained more than 50 metres, and added real speed and energy to the Sharks’ backline. 7 12 Andre Esterhuizen: Stopping the Springboks center is a task, as he frequently crosses the gain-line and creates a strong attacking foundation. He also ran excellent dummy lines and played tough defense. Joined Fassi on the medical cart, dealing a crushing blow to the couple. Ethan Hooker’s role to preventing the Stormers’ maul in the first half earned him a spot in the sin bin (6/11). Hooker, a major possession threat, made inroads into the Stormers’ defence anytime he received the ball, but today he made costly mistakes that directly impacted the final score, including the penalty that resulted in the Stormers’ winner. 4
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10 Jordan Hendriksen: A fantastic positional fight with fellow Springbok pivot Manie Libbok as the two sought to urge their team to victory. Finally, Libbok emerged victorious by the slightest of margins, with the hosts barely winning the match. Hendrikse, on the other hand, was brilliant off the tee, scoring what appeared to be a critical try. He was strong under the high ball and could rotate about the backline to cover injuries well. 8
9 Jaden Hendrikse: The scrum-half had another cheeky performance, complete with no-look passes, one of which assisted his brother, while kicking well out of hand and proving to be a nuisance at the breakdown. He also performed well as a fly-half in the later stages. Seven loose forwards.
8 Siya Kolisi (c): Quietly terrific, with numerous excellent defensive interventions that stifled multiple attacks. He got fewer opportunities with the ball in hand but made significant contributions without it. It’s a shame he couldn’t finish the game. Emmanuel Tshituka won a key penalty, putting the Sharks ahead in the waning minutes of the contest. Tshituka was a strong defensive player for the visitors, despite little opportunities for forwards. The flanker delivered a very quiet performance, but it was far from awful.
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