SA United Rugby Championship Team of the Week – Round 5

The South African teams will ponder what could have been on a weekend of small margins in the United Rugby Championship that saw all four sides end up on the wrong side of the ledger, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.

The Bulls and Lions led their respective fixtures on Friday night at halftime only to fall short in the end. The men from Pretoria, who lost captain Marcell Coetzee to a red card a minute into the second 40, were beaten 31-23 by Edinburgh in the Scottish capital while the pride of Johannesburg succumbed 24-17 to Ulster in Belfast.

The Sharks are still seeking their first win after being pipped 13-12 by Connacht in their first home game of the season while Saturday also saw the Stormers go down 10-3 to Munster in a repeat of last season’s final in Limerick.

Our South African Team of the Week consist of seven Sharks, three Stormers, three Lions and two Bulls.

15: Aphelele Fassi (Sharks)

Put his stamp on the game, making an unrivalled 104 metres. Dangerous every time he joined the line, slick passing to both sides, superb touch-finder at the 5m line, fortuitous chip try assist and good in the air.

14: Richard Kriel (Lions)

Spilled some blood in a satisfactory showing that saw him score the Lions’ opening try, make a try-scoring tackle on Jacob Stockdale and scoop a turnover to stifle an Ulster attack.

13: Lukhanyo Am (Sharks)

The two-time World Cup winner is a class act and that was clear to see as he gave the Sharks a new dimension on attack and defence. Such a gifted and intelligent player.

12: Francois Venter (Sharks)

The Sharks captain did the fundamentals really well, particularly strong, straight running. Quick hands and made low, slicing tackles all night.

11: Aphiwe Dyantyi (Sharks)

Full of fire and absolutely everywhere. A dangerous livewire who caused Connacht all sorts of problems, making a match-high nine successful carries. Both his work rate and class shone through.

10: Sanele Nohamba (Lions)

The scrumhalf-turned-flyhalf continued to offer the Lions something different at No 10. Pinpoint crosskick for Kriel to catch and score and terrific touchline conversion to get the Lions off to the perfect start. Slotted 3/4 off the tee.   

9: Embrose Papier (Bulls)

What separated him from the rest was his excellent defence. Brave and busy, he made some telling tackles, including on big Fijian No 8 Viliame Mata.

8: Evan Roos (Stormers) – Player of the Week

A one-man army. Carried the Stormers on his back, making an unrivalled 10 successful surges and a team-high 74 metres. Crossed the whitewash twice but was held up on both occasions and made no less than three turnovers.

He's up for it tonight 🔥 #MUNvSTO | @Vodacom #URC | @evanroos4 pic.twitter.com/Ly4EMnTo8k

— vodacomrugby (@VodacomRugga) November 18, 2023

7: Elrigh Louw (Bulls)

Powerful and prominent. Extremely strong in contact, marched over for a tap-and-go try that got the Bulls back in the game, made a team-high 11 tackles, counter-rucked fiercely and charged down Ben Healy’s kick to create a half chance.

6: Hanru Sirgel (Lions)

A showcase of his motor and mongrel. Made a team-high five successful carries, burrowed over for a try and made a match-high 16 tackles. The former Griquas ace is clearly loving life at the Lions.

5: Emile van Heerden (Sharks)

Got around the park in a big way. Created a try-scoring opportunity with a kick-through, had a try assist and stole a lineout three minutes into the second half.

4: Ruben van Heerden (Stormers)

Put good pressure on Munster’s lineout and produced a vital steal on his 5m line just after halftime. Made the second-most metres by a Stormers forward (43) and threw his body around on defence, making a tremendous 16 tackles.

3: Coenie Oosthuizen (Sharks)

An action-packed 65-minute outing by the Springbok prop. A barnstormer with ball in hand, making two particularly memorable runs in the second half, and had some exceptional touches like the pass in the lead-up to Werner Kok’s try.

Exactly how @sharksrugby drew that play up! 👀 😅@vodacom #URC | #SHAvCON pic.twitter.com/cL38mdx0oM

— Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) November 18, 2023

2: Dylan Richardson (Sharks)

Outworked his competition with his loose forward-like output. Explosive, relentless ball-carrier who pumped the legs, spun out of tackles and offloaded in contact. A constant presence on the defensive line as well, making 10 tackles.

1: Sti Sithole (Stormers)

The Stormers’ best weapon was their scrum and Sithole spearheaded the utter domination. Put in solid work in the carrying and tackling departments as well.