Sharks player ratings: Cavalry 'spark' surprising revival while former World Cup winning Springbok has a 'disaster'
Toulouse dismantled a spirited Sharks side 56-19 on Sunday in the opening round of the Investec Champions Cup.
Here are our Sharks player ratings:
Backs
15 Hakeem Kunene: He had an extremely quiet first half, but was kept plenty busy in the second. He was guilty of missing three tackles, however, which won’t do his chances of retaining the 15 jersey any favours. 5
14 Yaw Penxe: Flew out of the line to make a big hit on Kinghorn in the first half. He mistimed it, however, and as a result, created a dogleg. Fortunately for him, Toulouse failed to capitalise. Sadly for Penxe, however, he repeated this in the second half, and Ange Capuozzo was able to score in the corner for his hat-trick. On attack, he looked threatening, beating a couple of defenders, but he let himself down defensively. 5
13 Le Roux Malan: Weak in defence and guilty of giving away two penalties. Will be pleased to have gotten on the scoresheet during the Sharks’ revival, however. 5
12 Francois Venter: Arguably the most reliable player on the Sharks team, he was regularly utilised as a crash ball option, making an impressive 18 carries. His ability to make dents in the Toulouse defence was a bit part of the Sharks’ promising return to action shortly into the second half. 6
11 Makazole Mapimpi: Looked threatening when he had the ball in hand, but made too many mistakes. He was turned over on a rare early Sharks attack, and then shortly afterwards, he knocked the ball on his own five-metre line under very little pressure, which led to a try. He was also guilty of not exiting when he should have, and as a result, the Shark gave away a pen in the resulting ruck, which also led to a try. A bit of a disaster from the former World Cup winner. 3
10 Jordan Hendrikse: Looked to have that extra bit of quality and calmness compared to many of his teammates. He didn’t benefit from the quality outside him that he is perhaps used to, but his touches on the ball exuded confidence and control. 6
9 Ross Braude: Quality work down the right touchline to set up Hatton’s try, and was generally involved in most positive movements the Sharks made. He did make a couple of mistakes, but overall was a real spark in the Sharks‘ attack and took his try well. 7
Eight-try Toulouse send John Plumtree packing in his final match in charge of struggling Sharks
Forwards
8 Nick Hatton: Powered over Capuozzo to score the Sharks’ first try, and beat two more players during the match off of just seven carries. Defensively, he was solid, missing just one tackle and completing 12. 7
7 Bathobele Hlekani: Was a main focal point on the short carry, and showed why, with his powerful leg drives which forced the Toulouse defensive line backwards. 6
6 Matt Romao: Showed a couple of weak shoulders in the first half, but more than made up for it in the second. His insistence on putting his body on the line ensured that the scoreline remained respectable, causing Toulouse to work for their points. 6
5 Marvin Orie: Was impressive in the lineout, but failed to get involved much in the game outside of that. A couple of solid carries and some good tackles on the board, but it won’t have been one for the highlight reel. 5
4 JJ Scheepers: Much like his lock partner, it was a solid performance in the lineout, but he made slightly more of a mark in open play. Removed from the field shortly before the 50-minute mark with an injury. 6
3 Mawande Mdanda: Maintaining a 100% scrum success rate, the 22-year-old battled hard with the opposition front row to provide Braude a solid base from which to work off. 6
2 Eduan Swart: Criminally threw an intercepted lineout on the Toulouse five metre line, but from then on was near enough faultless. Made a huge defensive effort, making 12 tackles during his time on the field. 6
1 Lee-Marvin Mazibuko: Like his prop partner, he scrummed well, but he didn’t get through half the amount of work as his teammate. It was a very quiet evening for the prop as he did the basics well but failed to go beyond that. 5
Replacements: The stars of the show. The arrival of the cavalry early into the second half sparked a surprising revival within the Sharks’ ranks, as the previously thought ‘down-and-out’ visitors regained some confidence and flair. Sadly, their arrival didn’t result in a victory, but it did ensure a much more respectable scoreline than was previously being courted. 7
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