Bulls scrum punishing the Sharks.
Bulls scrum punishing the Sharks.
The Goose puts the penalty wide.
Now a terrible pass from Goose and a Bulls knock.
Strong defense Willie.
Another knock. Scrappy stuff indeed.
Richardson goes off after his tackle on Hanekom, looks like he took a knock. Yeah got his head on the wrong side.
Penxe splits the Bulls defense open. Sharks score, Jaden Hendrikse.
Fassi slips past De Klerk like he's not even there. Pass to a stationary Mapimpi goes astray.
Papier jinxes and jives and feeds Wiese to score. He's a livewire. 10-7 Sharks.
So clear that Hannekom and Fassi are the best players on the field.
Fassi has more skill than anyone else and Hannekom can't help but be influential.
De Klerk steps past Jordan and feeds Vorster to score for the Bulls. Pass looked a little dodgy but try stands. 14-10 Bulls
Pass goes to ground for the Sharks, Tshituka with an average no looker.
These scrums are unexpected. Looks like Koch is being drilled. But this one holds and Louw blows it
Sharks concede another scrum penalty for collapsing.
Sharks front row looks a little overextended in my amateur opinion. Pitch also seems dodgy, big tufts of grass lying around.
Esterhuizen gets rid of the Goose and makes a few meters out from the Sharks tryline.
Hooker knocks a bounce that could have turned good for the Sharks.
Is Elrich Louw the real deal….I have my doubts.
So clear that Hannekom and Fassi are the best players on the field.
Papier is also a catalyst for the Bulls.
Is Elrich Louw the real deal….I have my doubts.
He looks a bit neither here nor there yes.
Half time, 14-10 Bulls. Not much in it, Bulls looks to have an edge though as the Sharks aren't getting much together.
Sharks start off with a terrible hoist from Jordan and Hooker's third knock of the game.
Jordan Hendrikse exponentially more solid than Manie too.
No way Manie should be ahead of him for the Boks. Still a good part of the season to go but if things stay as they are, Rassie really needs to give Jordan a better run in 2025.
Fassi boots it straight into touch.
I'm not convinced with Jordan at all. He's been iffy tonight. But I'll have him over Manie.
Bulls get close but penalized for holding.
Big Trev on for Koch.
Bulls again destroying the Sharks scrum.
Bulls blowing lots of scoring chances
Goose adds 3, 17-10
Goose kicks it dead from well inside his own half. He is probably the weak link in the Bulls side right now.
Esterhuizen overruns Jordan's pass or Jordan delayed too long. Another Sharks attack gone astray.
I hope Mike didn't see that knock from AE.
It's all we'll hear about for a few years.
Esterhuizen beats two and then loses it in the tackle.
Idiotic kick by Willie turns attack into desperate defense.
Bouncing ball in the Bulls goal area, De Klerk might have smacked it out deliberately as Mapimpi looked set to pounce.
We have an epidemic of poor tactical kicking by Springboks today.
And my feed is down. What happened?
Not a clear knock on…looked like one for all money
Back, all square at 17-17 so I guess the Sharks got a penalty try?
Another poor pass from Jaden to Mapimpi. Sharks backs not very accurate in their execution.
Was a kick chase over the Bools line….the Bools wing clearly knocked it over the dead ball line. But a Sharks player may have knocked it….ref gives a penalty try and a yellow.
Fassi with a desperate pass inside that was damn near intercepted. Would have been an easy Bulls try.
Thanks Moz.
It looked to me like Hooker knocked the ball in goal first.
Wilco comes off….he made a point against Ox today.
Another stupid kick by Goosen
Fassi is good.
...but he shows signs of attitude.
I hope he's getting good advice about how he presents, and that he's listening.
15 to go.
Hannekom makes a mistake and Jordan should knock this over.
Jordan with a penalty for the lead, misses.
Hendrikse does a Manie
And now the Sharks run into each other. They've looked disjointed all game.
The Bools are making stupid decisions…they need a bit of patience.
Bulls this time penalized for scrumming up.
Jordan has another go. This time it's over, 20-17.
Big old rumble from the Bulls and now they have a penalty. It's kickable, just outside the 22 on the sideline. No luck.
I see no Pollards out there.
Moodie with a good run before forcing an offload that goes astray. Our guys really need to learn composure.
Goose with a long range effort. Hits the post. Bulls immediately have another penalty from around where Goose missed his earlier effort.
Hits the uprights, Bulls can’t catch a break.
They go for touch now, fuck this poles nonsense 
Stupid carry by Gans with no momentum right into the Sharks maelstrom. Bulls fortunately had an advantage otherwise it would have been another opportunity squandered.
And now the Bulls drop it.
Looks like the Sharks will hang on. Scrum in the last minute...
37 seconds to go...scrum reset...
Bulls need a big scrum like never before here.
And another reset...haha
Finally the Sharks complete the scrum...
Hendrikse kicks it out and the Vissies win it by 3.
Sharks hang on. They have truly bumbled their way to a win and the Bulls, well, you can only squander so many chances...
Well done by the Sharks….great captaincy by Esterhozen….haha.
Wilco is my MOM.
It’s actually the first time I have seen the Ox under pressure. Wilco has become such a good prop, man he is brutally strong!
Bulls were the better side and should have won.
Cobus Wiese should be in the Bok mix.
Cheers boys.
Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package. 
The Sharks continued their march up the United Rugby Championship points table when they eked out a precious 20-17 win over the Bulls at Kings Park on Saturday.
They were forced to dig deep after suffering late withdrawals with several high-profile players unavailable through injury and illness.
It was a typically tense derby with the Sharks crucially starting and finishing the stronger team. They were under the cosh in the set pieces but their superior game management helped them carry the day.
In that regard the Hendrikse brothers, Jordan and Jaden played their part, as did hard running inside centre Andre Esterhuizen.
The Sharks ran into a 10-0 lead by the 19th minute with all the scoring coming through the Hendrikse brothers. Flyhalf Jordan got the ball rolling with a penalty in the sixth minute and the hosts went further ahead when scrumhalf Jaden scored a converted try in the 18th minute.
The Bulls riposte was five minutes in the making. They eked out metres eventually setting up a moment for loose forward Cameron Hanekom showing his bloodymindedness in the carry before Embrose Papier stepped to telling effect. That left the hosts exposed and Bulls flanker Cobus Wiese ran onto the Papier pass to score. Johan Goosen duly converted but the Bulls weren't done.
The visitors continued to forge ahead and few embodies that exercise at close quarters better than centre Harold Vorster. He barged his way over the tryline in the 28th minute for another try that was converted by Goosen.
By then the visitors were firmly in the ascendancy. They were starting to boss the collisions, no more tellingly than in the scrum. It served to have an enervating impact on the hosts and by the break the Sharks had conceded seven penalties to the Bulls one.
The home team's scrum continued to suffer despite a change in front row personnel. Crucially in the 45th minute however Sharks' centre Esterhuizen exacted a turnover on his own tryline to repel an attack that might otherwise have proved a huge psychological blow to the hosts.
Though the Bulls nudged further ahead thanks to a Goosen penalty in the 47th minute the Sharks were starting to make territorial inroads through their tactical kicking.
Their attacking endeavour and precision from the boot helped fashion an outcome in the 52nd minute they would not have believed possible in their wildest dreams. They surged up field from deep and the Bulls were scrambling in defence after Jordan Hendrikse chipped ahead towards the visitors' tryline.
Bulls' winger Sebastian de Klerk was deemed to have denied Makazole Mapimpi a try scoring opportunity when he knocked the ball dead with the Boks winger looming menacingly in the 52nd minute. That penalty try and resultant red card proved crucial
Bulls' props Gerhard Steenekamp and Wilco Louw were withdrawn from the action in the 58th minute and suddenly the scrums were few and far between.
At 17-all the game became more tense as the battle for territory intensified.
Jordan Hendrikse missed two penalties in the final quarter before he landed one in the 70th minute to hand the hosts a telling three-point lead.
Goosen had an opportunity to level matters in in the 72nd minutes but missed to the right from an acute angle.
The Bulls however maintained their dominance in the scrum and when the Sharks transgressed in that facet again Goosen had another crack from long range. He hit the left upright but the Sharks through Phepsi Buthelezi fluffed their lines in trying to exit. It handed the Bulls another opportunity, but this time with greater promise.
They however came up short in the resulting mauls, and as a result, the scoreboard.
Sharks (10) 20 - Try: Jaden Hendrikse, penalty try. Conversion: Jordan Hendrikse. Penalties: Jordan Hendrikse (2).
Bulls (14) 17 - Tries: Cobus Wiese, Harold Vorster. Conversions: Johan Goosen (2). Penalty: Goosen.
I agree Bulls we’re better but yet again couldn’t close out the game.
Cobus Wiese is really playing good rugby and he is out performing Elrigh and definitely needs to be in the Bok Mix.
AE played solid again. Anyone know where I can get full recording of game? My feed vanished halfway .
Congrats Sharks for hanging in there and grabbing the win.
Wilco is definitely our leading TH prop….I feel sorry for his opponents:)
,,
Thanks Blobbie:)
Yes Wilco is a very strong scrummager. Koch does more outside the scrum.
A front tow of Ox, Marx and Wilco with Eben and Snyman at lock and Kolisi, COBUS Wiese and Du Toit would be one powerful pack!
I was not impressed by Estrhizen at all - he si remaining a marginal fanchise player and unfit to play for the Springboks, I have all along been a fan of Wiese.
No one believes you anymore Uncle CM.
Your View points on Esterhuisen is not true, as there is no evidence to back it up.
Try and end the year without untruthful statements.
While you at it, try to go into and sticking to the truth in 2025.
Sure here are acts like inability to score tries n test level - neither assisting of scoring of tries, He has a string of deiciencies in ball skills and defense as well. Even Pakie refer to two cases in yesterday's match where he existence of deficiencies of Esterhuizen came ut learly. It even hapen in franchise matches.
The Bulls managed another defeat in a matc they should have won and that is the fact of the story. It is becoming the eslts to eb expected from them. Theya re playing the Stormers tis coming weekend and I will not be surprised if it represents another lss even th sh it like Libbok as Stormers flyhalf.
I think he Stormers ahd an inside cener prolem - but to play Sacha in that position with shit at flyhalf is not the answer,
.
Sorry but that is no evidence at all!
It’s your own Bias opinion that is based on lies….
Besides the 1 mistake ( all Rugby players make mistakes) go ahead and backup your claims with Actual video footage and time stamps?!
Ou Maaik suffers from EDS, MP. No use trying to get actual sense on the issue out of him.
Ou Maaik's comments about AE are no more ludicrous than Moffie's comments about PSdT and Rassie.
Two Grumpy Old Men incapable of ever changing their minds about anything despite all the clear evidence.
Esterhuizen remains a poor mans Allende. Now that's a fact.
There is absolutely no equivalency between Mike's comments on Esterhuizen and Mozzie's absurd take on Rassie and Du Toit.
Roooitwit 
gets it slightly right and for him this quite an achievement!
Esterhuizen was one of the better Sharks. He made one error in losing the ball in contact, something DDA is just as prone to do. There was a timing issue on the pass between him and Jordan on another occasion, Jordan delayed the pass longer than Esterhuizen expected, that's neither here nor there, it happens.
The turnover penalty he won on the Sharks line in the 45th minute was a potential try saver. His dummy run at 17:32 engaged both Vorster and Goosen to open the gap for Penxe which led to the Sharks try. That's the value you get from someone of that threat level - no one can afford to ignore him. At 22:37 he puts Wiese on his ass and gets through the second tackle of Bulls #1. At 38:23 he gets the ball under pressure on his own goal line, shoves off Goosen and makes 3m through Hanekom's tackle to set it up again for a total gain of almost 15m from where he received the ball. Solid stuff.
Esterhozen is creative he opens up running lines for outside backs. Dud Allende is a blunt instrument….a crash baller, who hasn’t thrown a creative pass in 10 years. Esterhozen can crash ball as well as dud and gives you other dimensions.
Dud Allende bottles up 12 channel in structured play. But ask him to make an open field tackle or decipher an opponent’s intent and he is lost. Witness the recalled try NZ scored in the final after Mo’unga bamboozled Dud and then gassed him.
Esterhuizen sells something you can see and measure.
DDA is all about that invisible stuff. Invisible, non-existent...same same ;)
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I sense a scrappy game in the making.