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SA URC Team of the Week – Round 11

Quan Horn and Tino Mavesere starred as the Lions and Sharks took the derby spoils in the United Rugby Championship on Saturday, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.

Quan Horn and Tino Mavesere starred as the Lions and Sharks took the derby spoils in the United Rugby Championship on Saturday, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.

A strong first-half performance led the Lions to a 30-23 victory over the Stormers at Ellis Park before the Sharks showed immense character to stun the Bulls 29-19 at Loftus Versfeld.

Two-thirds of our Team of the Week is made up of Durban and Johannesburg stars, a beefy Bulls quartet also made the cut, along with a lone Stormers standout.

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15: Quan Horn (Lions) – Player of the Week

An electrifying masterclass fully deserving of the Man of the Match award. Such a knack for beating the first man, which he did to spark the first two tries, plus he won two turnovers on the deck and his kick-offs were outstanding.

Topped the stats for the Lions in successful carries (6), clean breaks (4), defenders beaten (5), metres (82), offloads (2) and turnovers (2).

14: Yaw Penxe (Sharks)

An aerial assassin who retained two contestable kicks and pounced on a pair of Bulls colliding to score the Sharks’ bonus point try. Strong carry in the build-up to Ethan Hooker’s try and a good spot tackle on Mpilo Gumede resulted in a turnover.

13: Henco van Wyk (Lions)

A stellar showing by “Weapon X.” So strong on his feet, scored the Lions’ second try, key pass in the lead-up to Marius Louw’s try and a beast on defence, including making a vital tackle on Angelo Davids.

12: Lukhanyo Am (Sharks)

The veteran turned back the clock in his best performance in months. He had a lot of positive involvements on both sides of the ball and even chipped in a turnover in the 71st minute.

11: Ethan Hooker (Sharks)

Superb all-around. Strolled in for the Sharks’ first try, good turnover on Embrose Papier and produced an even better tackle and jackal on Devon Williams.

10: Siya Masuku (Sharks)

After being omitted from the group of 56 players set to feature in the first Springbok alignment camp of the season, Masuku made a statement by steering the Sharks to victory with great game-management, deft touches and brilliant kicking out of hand.

9: Morne van den Berg (Lions)

Ran a textbook support line to score the opening try, slick try assist for Van Wyk, beautiful early touch-finder and pinpoint box kicks.

8: Evan Roos (Stormers)

A warrior who never stopped trying. So effective, even from a standing start, and scored the Stormers’ second try to give them some extra motivation down the stretch. Beat five defenders and made a match-high 100 metres.

7: Vincent Tshituka (Sharks)

A captain’s innings by the Sharks skipper, who personified the energy and fight the Durbanites showed to pull off what was a special win when one considers their ever-growing injury list and the fact that they were down to 12 players at one stage.

6: Tino Mavesere (Sharks)

Put himself on the map with an outstanding Man of the Match performance. He was omnipresent, made a match-high 17 tackles and capped off a special night with a crucial try.

5: JF van Heerden (Bulls)

The 20-year-old can be pleased with the effort he put forth. He rolled up his sleeves and made nine tackles, was the mastermind behind the dominant driving maul and stole a Sharks lineout in the 55th minute.

4: Etienne Oosthuizen (Lions)

Impressive work rate for a man of his size. Seized three turnovers, including a sensational steal on his 5m line in the 68th minute, and sat down Roos with six minutes to go.

3: Wilco Louw (Bulls)

A monster among men. Won three penalties at scrum time and forced a knock-on out of Grant Williams. A peerless bulldozer.

2: Johan Grobbelaar (Bulls)

Saved the day with a brilliant steal in his 22, scored two of the Bulls’ tries and was excellent in the set pieces. Led the Bulls in successful carries (9), metres (39) and tackles (10).

1: Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Bulls)

Trotted over for the Bulls’ opening try, showcased his speed and mobility in open play and played his part in the set piece dominance.  

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Quintin Van Jaarsveld is a former MDDA-Sanlam SA Local Sports Journalist of the Year and a former three-time Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal Sports Journalist of the Year. Formerly the sports editor and Outstanding Journalist of the Year award winner at The Fever Media Group, deputy editor at eHowzit, editor at SARugby.com and senior staff writer at Rugby365.com, he boasts over 15 years’ experience and is currently a freelance sports writer.

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