02 March 2020, by: Quintin van Jaarsveld

SA Super Rugby Team of the Week – Round 5

Sharks stars dominate our South African Team of the Week after being the flag-bearers in the fifth round of Super Rugby, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.

The Durbanites were the only victorious South African side at the weekend, finishing their tour on a high with a 33-23 win over the Reds in Brisbane. Sean Everitt’s Sharks return home with three wins from four in Australasia and nine players in our team.

The Lions weren’t as fortunate as they started their Australasian leg with a 29-17 loss to the Waratahs in Parramatta. On home soil, the Stormers suffered a shock 33-14 defeat to the Blues at Newlands while the Bulls remain winless after going 39-24 to the Jaguares at Loftus Versfeld. There are three Bulls, two Lions and just a solitary Stormer in our team.

ALSO READ: SA SUPER RUGBY TEAM – ROUND 4Aside from the result, Warrick Gelant had the 50th game you’d hope for. He was good under the high ball, made some quality plays and scored a deserved try after being heavily involved in the build-up to it. Coetzee, however, was worth his weight in gold. No-one ran more or harder than the Lions stalwart, who carried the ball 18 times for 69 metres. He slotted in seamlessly at flyhalf when Elton Jantjies was temporarily off for an HIA, cleaned up several sticky situations extremely well at the back and kicked a touchline conversion.The rising star epitomised the fighting spirit the Lions are renowned for. He took a licking but kept on ticking, injecting himself into the action and bouncing around like a pinball with his speed and dogged determination. In 14 runs, he racked up a South African round-high 130 metres, made two clean breaks and evaded five defenders. He chased hard as well, bagging a beautiful aerial take in the 49th minute.The Sharks’ captain fantastic returned in a big way in Brisbane, making key plays on either side of the ball. His defensive IQ is unmatched in South African rugby and has seen him become an intercept artist with the Sharks employing a rush defence this season. His pick-pocket try came at a crucial stage of the game, stretching the lead from 21-16 to 28-16 with 10 minutes to go. He also made a telling run earlier that provided the momentum for Dylan Richardson’s try.With the Sharks’ offence flowing fast and freely, Esterhuizen enjoyed a rare break from his usual battering ram role. Instead, the big inside centre showed the lesser-seen nuances of his game, like a deft grubber into touch that put the Reds under pressure in their 22. It was his beautiful brutality on defence, however, that stood out. He rattled many a Reds player with his aggressive defence and made all 11 of his tackles. Lions ace Dan Kriel deserves a special mention for his hard running against the Waratahs.The best of the Bulls, the Sevens standout brought some much-needed Specmagic to Loftus to give the home fans something to cheer about. He was nippy and dangerous throughout, making 118 metres in 10 runs while making four clean breaks and beating six defenders. The pocket-rocket provided the highlight of the hosts’ afternoon when he sliced and diced the Jaguares defence and kept the momentum alive with a crucial offload to set-up a try just after half-time. The flyer created another opportunity with a speedy chip-and-chase, which ended with him taking a nasty blow to the head and a yellow card for Joaquín Díaz Bonilla.The perfect pivot for the Sharks’ new enterprising gameplan under Everitt, Bosch channelled the offence well with good decision-making and versatility. He ran the backline with fluidity and took the ball to the line (four runs for 44 metres) as well, while also kicking well out of hand. It was his two monster penalties, however, that showed what a special talent and valuable asset he is as it saw the Durbanites regain the lead and take control of the contest.Louis Schreuder was solid for the Sharks. He did the basics well and put the Reds’ halfback-pairing under immense pressure, notably charging down a kick in the 21st minute. However, Papier had one of his better games in recent memory, one he desperately needed to keep his name in the Springbok conversation and highlighted by a brilliant blindside assist for Gelant’s try.No-one has made a bigger impression at this early stage of the season than the forgotten Springbok back-rower who ex-Bok Gcobani Bobo hailed as the MVP of the Sharks’ terrific tour. The remarkable run that saw him beat five defenders and ship a perfectly-timed pass to put Madosh Tambwe away late in the game was the play of the weekend and capped yet another brilliant all-round performance from the former Stormer.

Nick Mallett hit the nail on the head, describing Notshe as a “continuity specialist” after he once again served as an outstanding link between the forwards and backs. All in all, he made eight carries for 52 metres, some big hits (10 total) and won a penalty of the deck in the 13th minute to enhance his chances of a Bok recall.

? Sikhumbuzo Notshe is becoming a special player. Look at this run! #SuperRugby pic.twitter.com/I41luKS0u6

— BET.co.za (@betcoza) February 29, 2020

A noticeably rundown Pieter-Steph du Toit gave all of himself once again, making a match-high 13 tackles. It was clear, though, that he lacked his usual punch, and that he missed four tackles further emphasised his need to rest after his heroics over the past couple of weeks. Venter had a great first start for the Sharks; he was physical, intense and tireless, making seven runs, 11 tackles and securing a turnover.Double try-scorer Marnus Schoeman shone in the Lions’ loss, as did Marco van Staden, who also crossed the whitewash in the Bulls’ defeat. Richardson was in a class of his own, though, as he – like Venter – made the most of his first start of the season. The former Junior Springbok was unmissable, making an astonishing South African round-high 22 tackles and winning three turnovers. His hunger was also clear to see when he beat three defenders to score and he sparked the Sharks’ final counter-attacking try when he pounced on a loose ball.A healthy Schickerling is up there with the best in the business. The 24-year-old, who’s been plagued by serious injuries, reminded of his class against the Aucklanders, holding nothing back in a prolific performance. His 12 tackles were just one shy of Du Toit’s match-high tally and he was the key man in the lineouts with five takes. Hyron Andrews had a good outing against the Reds as well, which included a crucial lineout steal inside his 22 in the 34th minute.The two Rubens – Van Heerden and Schoeman – were the most prominent of the local enforcer locks. Fox seemingly had it in for Schoeman, going out of their way to show a shuffle on the ground involving him and Rob Simmons, which resulted in the Lions lock spending 10 minutes in the sin bin. A more serious incident purportedly showing Schoeman eye-gouging Simmons during a maul surfaced after the match. Van Heerden matched Schoeman’s output and channelled his aggression better, earning him our No.4 jersey.While his first match as Bulls captain ended in defeat, Nyakane can be proud of the individual performance he put forth. He was particularly influential on defence, where he won two turnovers, the first of which relieved major pressure when the hosts were under the cosh in the ninth minute. It looked like captaincy came naturally to him as he communicated well with the referee.After a slowish start out of the blocks this year, the Sharks hooker hit his straps at the weekend. He upped his accuracy and work rate, making four carries and all eight of his tackles and was rewarded with a try. It was an error-strewn round for the other local hookers, with even the usually reliable Scarra Ntubeni having an off day at Newlands.While Steven Kitshoff continued his good form as Stormers skipper, Nche enjoyed his finest outing for his new franchise Down Under. The former Cheetahs star was massive in the trenches, snatching the ball from a maul inside the Sharks’ 22 and two textbook turnovers at the breakdown in the 31st and 54th minute respectively. When he wasn’t competing for the ball, he acted as a brick wall, making all nine of his tackles, and gave as good as he got in the scrums.

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