SA URC Team of the Week – Round 15

Andre Esterhuizen and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu shone with their power and panache as the Sharks and Stormers sealed wins in the United Rugby Championship at the weekend, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.

A last-gasp try by Makazole Mapimpi saw the Springbok-laden Sharks snatch an 18-17 win over Edinburgh in the Scottish capital, while the Stormers pipped Connacht 34-29 in Cape Town.

The Bulls also banked a tense win, Jake White’s men edging Munster 16-13 in wet Limerick, while an error-strewn performance led to a costly 42-31 loss for the Lions against Benetton at Ellis Park.

Six Stormers feature in our Team of the Week, along with five Sharks and two players apiece from the Bulls and Lions.

15: Quan Horn (Lions)

Tried everything to get the Lions to click, including beating several defenders. Played an important role with his big left boot as well.

14: Suleiman Hartzenberg (Stormers)

Showed why he’s such a highly thought of prospect. Brilliant offload off the ground for Feinberg-Mngomezulu to score his first try, retained a box kick with a wonderful leap in the 32nd minute and rounded off a scorching try.

https://twitter.com/THESTORMERS/status/1913613228673737149

13: Lukhanyo Am (Sharks)

Provided the spark to put the Sharks in front just after halftime with a break and try assist for Aphelele Fassi, made a telling early tackle on Harry Paterson and a try-saving tap tackle on Ross McCann.

12: Andre Esterhuizen (Sharks)

A marvellous Man of the Match performance. The first of his two jackals earned the Sharks their first three points, provided excellent go-forward, bowled over Ross Thompson twice and made an incredible try-saving tackle on Dave Cherry.

11: Makazole Mapimpi (Sharks)

The combative veteran had to do the hard yards for most of the match before he seized the moment to score the match-winning try in the final play of the game.

10: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Stormers – Player of the Week

Mesmerised with his attacking excellence. Scored an electrifying hat trick, put Hartzenberg over with an audacious offload and caused Connacht problems with clever chips. Finished his Man of the Match performance with a personal points haul of 24.

How about this Sacha guy hey? #STOvCON #iamastormer @Vodacom #URC pic.twitter.com/Kwqk5zIHSG

— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) April 19, 2025

Sacha is running the show in Cape Town 😏

He completes his hat-trick with a cheeky chip and chase ⚡

📺 Stream #VURC on DStv: https://t.co/0P0NNhnwKw pic.twitter.com/Pkdp7nzwhd

— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) April 19, 2025

9: Stefan Ungerer (Stormers)

As Butch James said in the SuperSport studio, Ungerer did a lot of good work that put extra shine on his flyhalf. Clinical in every aspect and made good decisions.

8: Evan Roos (Stormers)

A prolific powerhouse. Super strong off the back of the scrum to power over for a try and made a crucial cleanout in the lead-up to Suleiman Hartzenberg’s try.

7: Ruan Venter (Lions)

A juggernaut on the rise, Venter scored the Lions’ opening try, made a clean break, a team-high 76 metres and snatched one of Benetton’s lineouts in the 54th minute.

6: Marcell Coetzee (Bulls)

A dogged and dynamic Man of the Match display. In a tense game, Coetzee’s experience of trench warfare in Irish conditions was huge, as was his work rate and physicality, which included him scoring the Bulls’ only try and making a whopping 25 tackles.

5: Ruan Nortje (Bulls)

Led the Bulls by example in a typically industrious display in which he had telling touches on attack, grafted hard on defence and was a pillar of strength in the lineout.

4: Salmaan Moerat (Stormers)

A stellar showing by the Stormers skipper. His strong carry set the wheels in motion for Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s first try and excellent line speed and punch on defence.

No one was stopping @THESTORMERS from this flying start ⛈@Vodacom #URC | #STOvCON pic.twitter.com/d05Xj0bCuA

— Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) April 19, 2025

3: Sazi Sandi (Stormers)

Had the massive shoes of the injured Frans Malherbe to fill and produced one of his finest performances for the Stormers. Won a scrum penalty and showed good mobility around the park.

2: Bongi Mbonambi (Sharks)

Ultra-abrasive. The Sharks stalwart was commanding and clinical and got stuck in the trenches. Nothing flashy but did the donkey work well.

1: Ox Nche (Sharks)

“The Cake Boss” showed another wrinkle in his game when he seized a turnover and hooved the ball downfield with the left boot. Busy as ever and won a pressure-relieving scrum penalty in the 35th minute.