13 David Kriel: Some good moments in the first half but he faded after the break as the visitors struggled to gain much territory and possession. 6<\/p>\n
12 Harold Vorster: Threw a shocker of a pass which led to Sharks\u2019<\/a> first try and that was about his only notable contribution. Was physical on the gain line but a quiet evening. 4<\/p>\n 11 Stravino Jacobs: Similar to De Klerk as the Bulls outside backs, like the Sharks, struggled to make an impact in the contest, while he was part of a back three that struggled under the high ball. 5<\/p>\n 10 Handre Pollard: Kicked four of his five penalty attempts but Bulls ideally needed a bit more from the double Rugby World Cup winner. They lost control of the game in the second period and he was partly responsible. 5<\/p>\n 9 Embrose Papier: A couple of snipes around the fringes but he couldn\u2019t quite put enough pressure on the Sharks with his kicking game, especially after the break. 5<\/p>\n Forwards<\/p>\n 8 JJ Theron: A bit unit but not too many surges into the Sharks defence. Part of a back-row that edged the contest early on but they lost the physical battle in the second half. 5<\/p>\n 7 Elrigh Louw (c): Still not quite at his best after that awful injury. There was plenty to be positive about but it may take a bit of time before Louw is at full tilt. 6<\/p>\n 6 Jeandre Rudolph: Brilliant once again. A standout in a sea of mediocrity in Durban with the flanker making breaks, stealing ball and giving his team a shot of winning this game. Probably the best player on the park. 8<\/p>\n Sharks player ratings: Siya Kolisi and Andre Esterhuizen \u2018lead the charge\u2019 while Springboks outcast a \u2018player reborn\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n 5 JF van Heerden: Solid shift in the engine room with the set-piece going well enough during the 80 minutes. 6<\/p>\n 4 Cobus Wiese: Similar to Van Heerden, the locks formed a decent unit behind the front-row to dominate the scrum, but Wiese would have liked to have impacted the game more elsewhere. 6<\/p>\n 3 Wilco Louw: Did his job really well, which was winning penalties from the scrum, and is certainly not at fault for this loss. Louw was excellent once again in the set-piece. 8<\/p>\n 2 Johan Grobbelaar: Similar to Louw, there was plenty to like with how the set-piece went, but their team-mates let them down. 7<\/p>\n 1 Gerhard Steenekamp: Rinse and repeat. Has become one of the premier looseheads in the world and he had the Sharks tighthead going into reverse. 8<\/p>\n Replacements: Unlike the Sharks, who got impact from their bench, the Bulls faltered in the second period and found themselves under increasing pressure. The front-row couldn\u2019t continue the good work of the starters and even more mistakes crept into their game. 3<\/p>\n Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as\u00a0a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a>\u00a0for world-class coverage you can trust.<\/p>\n![\"Planet](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Player-Ratings-key1.jpg\")
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