South African side the Sharks wiped aside French outfit Clermont 50-12 in the Investec Champions Cup fourth round on Saturday, as they reinvigorated their tournament hopes.
Here’s how we rated the Sharks players:
Backs
15 Aphelele Fassi: The Springbok international was at his expressive best, scoring two tries and carrying for 66 metres. His second touchdown was a piece of underrated beauty. Noticing that the Clermont defence had turned their backs to a Sharks penalty, the 27-year-old tapped quickly to slide under the posts. 7
14 Yaw Penxe: He won the ball well in the air early on, which led to a Clermont player receiving a 20-minute red card, but from then on he failed to make much of an impact. He carried a few times, but missed a couple of simple tackles, which he will not thank the replays for. 5
13 Le Roux Malan: A quiet game, particularly compared to his centre partner, and turned over a couple of times. 5
12 Jurenzo Julius: A superb showing from the young, powerful centre. Displayed incredibly elusive running, most notably during his 50 metre charge that started on Sharks‘ 22 metre line and ended on Clermont’s. He beat five defenders for 117 metres and topped the tackle charts with 10. The ‘Boogie Man’, as he’s affectionately known, looks like a huge talent for the future. 8
11 Phikolomzi Sobahle: A very busy afternoon for the former Pumas star. He showed immense power to go over for his try and made an impressive 77 metres with ball in hand, beating three defenders in total. He was, however, turned over on three occasions, which will have raised concerns, particularly when they face tougher opposition. 6
10 Jordan Hendrikse: The Springbok fly-half blew hot and cold in the first half but improved massively in the second and was defensively superb throughout and was solid in front of the posts. 6
9 Jaden Hendrikse: Got on the scoresheet early on when he received the ball on the right wing from a trick play, after setting up the first with a nice dink over the top. Controlled the game well, but could have released the ball quicker from the base of the ruck on certain occasions. 7
Forwards
8 Nick Hatton: Didn’t put a foot out of place, but also didn’t add too much to the occasion, particularly when you compare his performance to those around him. He was confident in the lineout and took the collisions well when asked. 6
7 Emmanuel Tshituka: One of the busiest attackers in the match, the 25-year-old was powerful in the carry, gaining 66 metres from 13 carries – even beating a couple of would-be tacklers in the process. His added height on the flank also ensured useful variety in the Sharks’ successful lineout performance. 7
6 Matt Romao: Lost the ball a couple of times in contact, and his discipline wasn’t fantastic, but when required, he truly stepped up – most notably for Hendrikse’s try when he powered through the defence on his own to offload to the scrum half on the wing. Defensively, he was vital for the home side, particularly during those early stages when the game was so tight. 7
5 Jason Jenkins: He won’t remember this one in a hurry. Dropped the ball over the try line under very little pressure, and then turned over on another occasion. He failed to get into the game, except for the occasional carry or tackle. Ineffective. 4
4 Corne Rahl: Joint top in the charts for tackles made, won the ball in a high of five lineouts, and wasn’t afraid of making a line break either. This was a monster display by the giant lock. 8
3 Hanro Jacobs: All three of the front row were ripped off the field at halftime, but not because they were playing poorly. In fact, all three left everything on the field in a gallant display that allowed the replacements to face a battered and bruised Clermont front row. Jacobs may be the least experienced of the three, but you wouldn’t have been able to tell. 7
2 Bongi Mbonambi: His lineout was pinpoint, his tackles were clean, and his carries were assertive. 7
1 Ox Nche: His scrummaging was as powerful as ever, with the Clermont forwards clearly struggling against the 2025 World Rugby Men’s Player of the Year nominee. 7
Replacements: A perfect ten from the bench. Vincent Koch showed all his experience to power over from close range when he arrived on the field. Phatu Ganyane was devastating in the front row against the tiring Clermont forwards. Ross Braude made a couple of assists, and replacement fly-half Siya Masuku scored one of his own, while also kicking the extras. You could not ask for anything else from the replacements. 10
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