Rugby
SA United Rugby Championship Team of the Week – Round 11
Embrose Papier and Ethan Hooker headline our South African United Rugby Championship Team of the Week after starring for the victorious Bulls and Sharks respectively on Saturday, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.
Returning to their power game of old, the Bulls made a statement with a 52-17 thrashing of the Lions at Ellis Park and exacted revenge for the 43-33 loss the Lions inflicted on them at Loftus Versfeld in November.
Meanwhile, the Sharks showed that their victory in Cape Town seven days prior was no fluke by doing the double over the vaunted Stormers, coming back from 10 points down to triumph 36-24 at Kings Park.
Bulls stars dominate our Team of the Week with 11 of them earning selection. A trio of Sharks and a lone Lions ace complete our line-up.
15: David Kriel (Bulls)
Aphelele Fassi had a good game, but Kriel was pure dynamite off the Bulls’ bench. The utility back increased the pace and potency of the backline and created tries for Embrose Papier and Mpilo Gumede.
14: Kurt-Lee Arendse (Bulls)
He’s not in peak form yet, as his challenge in the air on Richard Kriel showed, but the yellow card only ended up costing his team three points. He made amends by scoring a try and assisting Gumede for his.
13: Ethan Hooker (Sharks)
Hooker’s work rate as a centre was something to behold. Over and above his core responsibilities, he was like an extra forward at the rucks, from where he scored a clever pick-and-go try, and making two tackles in the final 30 seconds of the game capped a tireless effort.
12: Harold Vorster (Bulls)
Perhaps it was returning to his old stomping ground that saw the veteran turn back the clock. Vorster looked 10 years younger as he smashed over the gainline, made clean breaks, scored a brace and had a key hand in Arendse’s try to win the Man of the Match award.
11: Jaco Williams (Sharks)
Already with one try to his name, Williams was hungry for more and highlighted why it’s important to chase what looks to be lost causes as he scored his second right under Warrick Gelant’s nose to take the game away from the Stormers.
10: Handre Pollard (Bulls)
Pollard once again didn’t have the greatest of starts but grew in stature as the match progressed. The Bulls’ game plan on the day perfectly suited the double World Cup winner, who finished with 15 points.
9: Embrose Papier (Bulls) – Player of the Week
Papier controlled the clash at Ellis Park with aplomb. His kicking was both a nightmare to deal with and pinned the Lions in their territory. He was super sharp on attack, including producing a five-pointer and a couple of try assists, and he was clutch in cleaning up as a sweeper. He’s doing everything in his power to earn a Springbok recall.
8: Jeandre Rudolph (Bulls)
Another week, another quality performance by red-hot Rudolph. He applied punishing pressure non-stop, winning one collision after the other to help pummel the Lions.
7: Elrigh Louw (Bulls)
Like his fellow loose forwards, he feasted on the Lions. “The Sheriff” punched dents and holes into the hosts’ defence and hit ball carriers back with some brutal hits.
6: Marcell Coetzee (Bulls)
It’s well-known that Coetzee is a hard charger, and he played an important role in his team’s forward-based gainline dominance. However, he also displayed his underappreciated offloading skills with two magical balls to Rudolph and Pollard, the second a try assist. Plus, he won a textbook turnover.
5: Reinhardt Ludwig (Bulls)
One of the unsung heroes of the Bulls’ demolition job, Ludwig did the donkey work and did it at a high level. His work in the lineout was top-tier and he was industrious in open play, making nine carries and 10 tackles.
4: Ruan Vermaak (Bulls)
Sporting a majestic moustache that would make Tom Selleck an instant Bulls fan, Vermaak played out of his skin. He showed wonderful athleticism in the lineout (including a steal) and restarts, carried and cleaned well, and even managed a good intercept and kick-through.
3: Asenathi Ntlabakanye (Lions)
The best of the Lions players, Ntlabakanye put in a massive shift in the Joburg heat. His scrummaging and carrying were top-class and his defence was even better as he made no less than 17 tackles.
2: Johan Grobbelaar (Bulls)
“Grobbies” has been playing like a man on a mission in recent weeks and was excellent at Ellis Park. He was all over the show, carrying relentlessly and with good leg drive, which included a fifth URC try, seized a turnover in his 22 in the third quarter and was solid in all other areas.
1: Ox Nche (Sharks)
Nche is known for his destructive scrummaging and while he was kept to winning just one penalty in the set piece, it did lead to a try. It was with ball in hand that he really impressed as two of his power carries led to tries.