Bulls stars beef up our South African United Rugby Championship Team of the Week following their Pink Day dominance, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.
The first block of URC fixtures concluded over the weekend and featured two physical and entertaining South African derbies.
A game of two halves saw the Stormers score 21 unanswered points in the second stanza to leave Ellis Park with a 31-22 come-from-behind win over the Lions on Saturday before the Bulls pulled away in the final quarter to slay the Sharks 40-27 at Loftus Versfeld on Sunday.
The Bulls lead the way with six representatives in our side with the remaining franchises each contributing three players to our line-up.
15: Aphelele Fassi (Sharks)
Did the basics well, which gave him the confidence to make a number of big plays. His incisive line and link-up with Vincent Tshituka led to a try, he scored one himself and added a classy 50:22. Made a team-high 80 metres and contested restarts really well, too, winning the ball back on one occasion.
14: David Kriel (Bulls)
An all-action Man of the Match performance. Ran rampant, starting with a counter-attack from inside his 22. Terrific line and timing to slice through, beat one and draw another to put his captain in for a try, turned a botched backline move into a near-50:22 and great in the air. Made more metres (83) and clean breaks (3) and beat more defenders (6) than anyone else.
13: Henco van Wyk (Lions)
Took centre stage from the word go. Statement first line break of the game, great determination and power to force his way over for a try and just as impactful on defence. Dangerous hack after a counter-ruck, won a breakdown penalty in the 23rd minute and made a brilliant diving tackle on Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
12: Marnus Potgieter (Sharks)
Replaced the injured Ben Tapuai in the 10th minute and maximised the opportunity. A one-man army, beating three defenders to score a crucial try at the end of the first half, continued his strong running and won a breakdown penalty in the 71st minute.
11: Angelo Davids (Stormers)
Personified the phrase dynamite comes in small packages, not only because of the explosive power he showed to bump off Quan Horn to score the opening try but the fearless hustle to defuse a grubber minutes prior and blistering run in the second half as well. We had to include him and Kriel, hence his move to No 11.
10: Manie Libbok (Stormers) – Player of the Week
Took control as the driver of the Stormers’ comeback victory. Showed his tactical acumen on top of his playmaking prowess. Excellent vision to chip into space and create the try that sparked the fightback and scored 11 points in a flawless goal-kicking performance, including slotting a tough first kick from the right-hand touchline and the fourth conversion that wrapped up the result with five minutes to go to earn the Man of the Match award.
9: Zak Burger (Bulls)
Embrose Papier was prolific off the pine but it started with Burger, who delivered in all departments and even earned a breakdown penalty in the 16th minute. His decision-making and execution were excellent, twice putting the Sharks in peril with clever kicks and the short, delayed pop pass to Kriel that cut the Sharks open was pure class.
8: Phepsi Buthelezi (Sharks)
A tireless, try-scoring titan. A dominator with an unrivalled six successful carries, two of those being barnstorming surges from the back of the scrum, smashed through five tackles and showed his skill with an outstanding offload off the ground.
7: Marcell Coetzee (Bulls)
None of the blindside flankers made a good-enough impression to crack our side, so we rewarded the consistently stellar Coetzee who once again tackled everything that moved, turned the ball over and scored a try in his final game before his sabbatical in Japan.
6: Nama Xaba (Stormers)
The super-sub of all super-subs. Won a crucial pilfering penalty on his line to keep the Capetonians’ hopes alive, scored the match-sealing try and latched onto the ball for another penalty to wrap up the game and a colossal cameo.
5: Ruan Nortje (Bulls)
Ruled the lineout, where he came up clutch to snatch a Sharks throw on his 5m line early on and continued to hound the Durbanites. Secured a ruck turnover as well, did good work in the mauls and made a team-high seven tackles.
4: Walt Steenkamp (Bulls)
Willem Alberts had a strong 50-minute shift but Steenkamp was the cream of the crop. A towering figure at the restarts and in the lineout, where he also stole a Sharks throw just after halftime, and a physical force in the trenches.
3: Ruan Dreyer (Lions)
Turned back the clock with a tremendous shift in open play that included two textbook jackals in his 22 and a third further upfield and anchored the Lions’ scrum, which reigned supreme up until the handover in the 56th minute.
2: Bismarck du Plessis (Bulls)
One piece of foul play aside, Du Plessis showed his rivals how it’s done. The strongest ball carrier and most clinical of the hookers in terms of lineout throwing and good at the breakdown, where his turnover sparked Coetzee’s try.
1: JP Smith (Lions)
Awesome all-around like his prop partner. Made strong carries, extra metres after contact and a breakaway in midfield. Dominant at scrum time, drilling Neethling Fouche into the ground to win a penalty in the 27th minute, and won another at the breakdown shortly after halftime.
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