SA URC Team of the Week – Round 12

The Lions made a statement by overpowering and tactically outplaying the Sharks for a 38-14 victory at Ellis Park, where after the Stormers piped the Bulls 19-16 at Loftus Versfeld.

Our Team of the Week consists of six Lions, six Stormers, a pair of Bulls and a solitary Sharks standout.

15: Jordan Hendrikse (Sharks)

So strong with ball in hand, he bumped Francke Horn out of the way and sat down Manie Rass. Good under the high ball, retained a restart and did a ton of work chasing kicks at the back.

14: Richard Kriel (Lions)

Made the most of the few opportunities he got and finished well in the corner to score the Lions’ bonus point try.

13: Manie Rass (Lions)

Had the big boots of the injured Henco van Wyk to fill and more than delivered. Brought enough energy to power Ellis Park during load shedding and was as good on defence as he was on attack to walk away with the Man of the Match award.

12: Marius Louw (Lions)

A solid game by the veteran, who cut out errors, had a good assist for Kriel and acted like a fourth loose forward, winning no less than three turnovers.

11: Edwill van der Merwe (Lions)

A statement performance that would’ve caught Rassie Erasmus’ eye. Excellent angle to slice clean through for his try, made a South African-best 90 metres, good defensive reads and great in the air.

10: Jurie Matthee (Stormers)

With the conditions playing to his strengths, Matthee marshalled his team with aplomb. He was a key figure in the visitors’ win, both with his goal-kicking and kicking out of hand, and finished with a personal tally of 14 points.

9: Morne van den Berg (Lions) – Player of the Week

Controlled things from the base splendidly. Intelligent short passes, nice assist for Van der Merwe and put the Sharks under pressure with clever kicks into the corners.

8: Evan Roos (Stormers)

By far the most explosive man on the pitch, Roos had a massive game in which he never stopped working. Started the counter-ruck that led to the first penalty, carried dynamically and won the breakdown penalty that wrapped up the result. Fully deserved of the Man of the Match award.

7: Ben-Jason Dixon (Stormers)

As a player who’s struggled to get back to his best, his performance in the Loftus rain was a big step in the right direction. His work rate was fantastic, he won two turnovers and he was a safe pair of hands in the lineout.

6: JC Pretorius (Lions)

The former Blitzbok was absolutely everywhere. Caught out the Sharks with his speed on the ball, carried and tackled tirelessly and was a menace at the breakdown, where he stole the ball in the 34th minute.

5: Ruben van Heerden (Stormers)

Never shy to roll up his sleeves, Van Heerden was a workhorse in general play, making a team-high nine tackles, while his veteran smarts came to the fore in the way he ran the Stormers’ lineout compared to his rookie counterpart.

4: Salmaan Moerat (Stormers)

The Stormers captain stepped up on all fronts to lead his team to a special win. Gave as good as he got in the physical exchanges, counter-rucked relentlessly and he was good in the lineout.

3: Wilco Louw (Bulls)

There seems to be no stopping the Bulls powerhouse. He scrummaged Ali Vermaak into dust, earning his team four penalties, the first of which saw them open their account. He also put in a nice tracking tackle on Wandisile Simelane.

2: Joseph Dweba (Stormers)

For a hooker with known lineout throwing issues, Dweba was on the money in the eye of the storm, outperforming opposite number Johan Grobbelaar on the night. He was a beastly ball-carrier as well.

1: Gerhard Steenekamp (Bulls)

He’s such a deadly combination with Louw at scrum time. Few props can say they got the better of Neethling Fouche or Frans Malherbe. Steenekamp bested both in the same game.