13 Ethan Hooker: One break aside after nice work from Jordan Hendrikse, it was a mixed day for the centre, who made a few errors. It\u2019s just not clicking for the Sharks behind the scrum. 6<\/p>\n
Led the charge<\/p>\n
12 Andre Esterhuizen (c): Some good carries as usual in the first half, but it was a scrappy gam,e and his influence was limited by his side\u2019s lack of fluency. However, it grew as the match wore on, and Esterhuizen was immense in the final quarter. 8<\/p>\n
11 Makazole Mapimpi: Couldn\u2019t argue with his basics, which included a fine turnover at the breakdown, but it is tough for the Sharks wings at the moment. 6<\/p>\n
10 Jordan Hendrikse: A couple of highlight moments, including a superb high ball take and a wonderful off-load, but Hendrikse couldn\u2019t quite provide that consistent spark or control. 6<\/p>\n
9 Grant Williams: Completing an incredibly talented but underperforming backline was Williams, who battled to get quick ball for his team. It was not really forthcoming, however, but his kicking was accurate. 6<\/p>\n
![\"Planet](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Player-Ratings-key1.jpg\")
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8 Phepsi Buthelezi: Gain line success was a bit of a struggle with defences on top, but he struggled to impact the game in other areas. 5<\/p>\n
7 Vincent Tshituka: More prominent than Buthelezi with a few positive contributions, but there were also the odd error with the battle at close quarters. Still, there were some excellent moments. 7<\/p>\n
Bulls player ratings: Powerhouse forward let down by uninspiring backline after being a \u2018standout in a sea of mediocrity\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Another second-half star<\/p>\n 6 Siya Kolisi: Generally mistake-free, which was in contrast to many of his Sharks team-mates, but Kolisi really came to the fore late on. He made a massive hit on the superb Jeandre Rudolph and scored a crucial try as the Sharks took the lead. 7<\/p>\n 5 Emile van Heerden: The lineout went pretty smoothly while Van Heerden was also a threat on the visitors\u2019 ball as the lock put in a solid shift. 6<\/p>\n 4 Jason Jenkins: There was the odd charge over the gain line as Jenkins provided the ballast in the second-row, but there was not much give from either side in the physical exchanges. 6<\/p>\n 3 Hanro Jacobs: Had the tough ask of containing Gerhard Steenekamp and unsurprisingly the Springboks loosehead duly got the better of the tighthead. 4<\/p>\n 2 Bongi Mbonambi: It was not the easiest day in the middle of that Sharks scrum as the Bulls sent them into reverse at the scrum, but his lineout throwing was sound. 5<\/p>\n 1 Phatu Ganyane: Similar to Jacobs, he had a tough day at the office against the all-Springboks front-row. 4<\/p>\n Replacements: Jaden Hendrikse looked like a player reborn and was central to their win. The scrum-half earned two breakdown turnovers late on and also caught a high bomb to prevent the Bulls from gaining a losing bonus point. The front-row were also more solid in the set-piece, albeit that was helped by Steenekamp\u2019s and Wilco Louw\u2019s withdrawal. 8<\/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