URC Round 3: Sharks’ unbeaten run ends as SFM leads Stormers to win

The Stormers ended the Sharks’ URC winning streak after a fierce game in Cape Town on 10 October.

The hosts were marshalled by Player of the Match Sacha Feinberg-Ngomezulu, who was in peak form.

The visitors looked set for a massive comeback, but failed to come away with points in the Western Cape.

Discipline costs Sharks in URC Round 3

When the Stormers had the ball in hand, they were always threatening, using quick hands and clever kicks to keep the Sharks guessing.

The lineouts were also vastly improved from the Cape Town team’s loss to Edinburgh the week before.

By comparison, the Sharks seemed to be scrambling on defence, with their scrum initially failing to gain any footing.

The Stormers also dominated the early aerial contest, struggling to field hoist kicks and not pressuring the kick chasers.

The Sharks also have some injury concerns, with Eben Etzebeth and Vusi Moyo both leaving the field early.

According to the URC website, the result has pushed the Stormers to 4th on the standings.

How did the first half play out?

The first points came from a wide move across the field, with Seabelo Senatla crossing down easily for the hosts.

Discipline cost the Sharks a few minutes later, conceding a penalty to go 8 points down.

However, the visitors then hit back from a maul, with Manu Tshituka powering his way over.

Midway through the half, Senatla looked to have scored his second, putting a kick through and brilliantly dotting it down himself.

However, after a TMO check, his foot was shown to have been in touch.

The Sharks’ biggest chance of the half came at 26 minutes, when Feinberg-Ngomezulu’s hoist was fielded excellently by Zekhethelo Siyaya.

He then lost the ball trying to chip it through the defensive line.

Replacement fullback Gianni Lombard slotted a long penalty to make it 8-8 after the half-hour mark.

Matt Romao was then sin-binned for a dangerous tackle on Jonathan Roche, with the Stormers following up with a Hacjivah Dayimani try from the lineout maul.

The 14-man Sharks then conceded another try through Andre-Hugo Venter from another maul, with Tshituka yellow-carded to rub salt in the wound.

Feinberg-Ngomezulu then added another conversion to make it 22-8 at halftime.

What happened in the second half of the URC derby?

The Stormers immediately extended their lead with a Leolin Zas try 2 minutes after the whistle.

On the opposite end, a Sharks attack ended in a turnover – Feinberg-Ngomezulu released Senatla with a kick, with Ethan Hooker preventing a certain try.

However, the visitors remained pinned in their own half.

With the scrum still under pressure, Dayimani got his second after the Stormers rolled their forward pack over the line.

Leading by 26 points, things look sealed with more than half an hour to play.

However, Romao redeemed himself with a try mauled over from the lineout, with Lombard adding the 2 points.

Minutes later, the Sharks were penalised in their half, before Feinberg-Ngomezulu kicking the ball over the dead-ball line to gift possession back.

After a dreadful Cobus Reinach hoist and a penalty against them, the Stormers could not keep Phepsi Buthelezi out to take the score to 22-34.

Momentum looked to be with the Sharks, with Hooker putting in a massive shift.

Haashim Pead then made his debut off the bench, but did not have much time to make an impact.

The Stormers eventually made it click again, rolling over from the maul to let JJ Kotze claim the try.

With the result out of reach, the Sharks chased hard for a bonus point.

However, the Stormers were too good on attack and defence, coming away with the spoils.

HOW DO YOU RATE THE STORMERS’ PERFORMANCE IN THE URC ROUND 3?