Weekly Shoutout for South African URC Team Standouts - Round 11
In the heart of Saturday's United Rugby Championship action, the Lions and Sharks emerged triumphant, with the Bulls and Stormers hot on their tails. Quintin van Jaarsveld shares the deets!
A powerful first half propelled the Lions to a 30-23 victory over the Stormers at Ellis Park. Meanwhile, the Sharks showed immense resilience to stun the Bulls 29-19 at Loftus Versfeld.
Our Team of the Week is a veritable cornucopia of Durban and Johannesburg stars, with a mighty Bulls quartet and a lone Stormers standout making the cut.
MVP of the Week: Quan Horn (Lions) Broadway'd his way to Man of the Match, leaving defenders in his dust on two occasions to kickstart the first two tries. This guy excels at beating the first man and he even won two turnovers on the deck. His kick-offs were superb, too!
Top Lions stats included successful carries (6), clean breaks (4), defenders beaten (5), metres (82), offloads (2), and turnovers (2).
14. Yaw Penxe (Sharks) With a penchant for aerial assassination, Penxe snagged two contestable kicks and a pair of Bulls colliding, scoring the Sharks' bonus point try. He also had a strong carry in the build-up to Ethan Hooker's try and executed a good spot tackle on Mpilo Gumede, resulting in a turnover.
13. Henco van Wyk (Lions) A standout "Weapon X" performance! Van Wyk was a beast on his feet, scoring the Lions' second try and making vital tackles, including one on Angelo Davids.
12. Lukhanyo Am (Sharks) Am flipped the script in a stunning comeback, delivering a top-notch performance that screamed "I've still got it!" He was involved in several positive plays on both sides of the ball and capped it off with a turnover in the 71st minute.
11. Ethan Hooker (Sharks) Hooker walked away with glory, scoring the Sharks' first try and producing a stellar tackle-jackal on Devon Williams. Plus, he secured a turnover on Embrose Papier.
10. Siya Masuku (Sharks) Forced to watch as the national squad chose a different path, Masuku reaffirmed his worth by expertly steering the Sharks to victory through top-notch game management, deft touches, and exceptional kicking out of hand.
9. Morne van den Berg (Lions) The Lions' dynamic playmaker showed his chops with a textbook support line to score the opening try and a slick try assist for Henco van Wyk. He also peppered the opposition with a beautiful early touch-finder and precise box kicks.
8. Evan Roos (Stormers) A tireless force who never backed down, Roos clinched the Stormers' second try to provide a boost down the stretch. He defeated five defenders and racked up a match-high 100 metres.
7. Vincent Tshituka (Sharks) The Sharks' captain set the tone with a captain's innings, embodying the energy and grit that built a winning foundation in spite of their growing injury list and temporary down-to-12-players predicament.
6. Tino Mavesere (Sharks) The Man of the Match put the Sharks firmly on the map with an outstanding performance, making an impressive 17 tackles and capping off a stellar night with a crucial try.
5. JF van Heerden (Bulls) The young gun Van Heerden proved his mettle with an inspiring display of determination. He dived deep, making nine tackles and engineering the dominant driving maul. He stole a Sharks lineout, too!
4. Etienne Oosthuizen (Lions) This colossal athlete's impressive work rate belies his size. He snagged three turnovers, including a stunning steal on his 5m line in the 68th minute, and delivered a crunching tackle on Roos six minutes from time.
3. Wilco Louw (Bulls) The unstoppable force slammed his way to three penalties at scrum time and bulldozed a knock-on out of Grant Williams.
2. Johan Grobbelaar (Bulls) The reliable lock saved the day with a crucial steal in his 22, scored a pair of tries for the victorious Bulls, and excelled in the set pieces. He led the Bulls in successful carries (9), metres (39), and tackles (10).
1. Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Bulls) Versatile and fast, Wessels breezed in for the Bulls' opening try, showcased his mobility in open play, and anchored the set piece dominance.
- Quan Horn of the Lions, celebrated for his dynamic performance during the United Rugby Championship action, secured the Man of the Match title by leaving defenders in his wake and contributing to the Lions' victory.
- Yaw Penxe of the Sharks displayed an affinity for aerial prowess, earning a bonus point try through skillful grabbing of contestable kicks and effective tackling.
- Henco van Wyk of the Lions, known as "Weapon X", showed remarkable physicality with a vital tackle and the scoring of the second Lions try in their triumphant match.
- Despite the national squad's choice of another player, Siya Masuku of the Sharks reaffirmed his worth with exceptional game management, solid kicking, and instrumental contributions to the Sharks' victory over the Bulls.
