Mbonambi double helps Sharks sink Cardiff
01/25/2025 02:34 PM
MATCH REPORT: Springbok hooker Bongi Mbonambi scored two tries as the Sharks recorded a 42-22 away win over Cardiff in Round 10 of the United Rugby Championship.
The visitors outscored the hosts by six tries to four with Jordan Hendrikse adding 12 points with the boot.
The Sharks made good use of their strong pack in the match and they looked dominant for large periods.
There was a nervy moment in the second half when Cardiff clawed their way back to within six points, but John Plumtree's side eventually finished the game strongly.
The story continues below...
[rp-mc-teams-match-summary id="204|942303|2025"][/rp-mc-teams-match-summary]
The home side dominated the kicking game in the opening minutes and it led to the first points of the game.
It all started when wing Tom Bowen weaved his way through the Sharks' defence after collecting the ball from a cross-kick. The ball was spread through the hands before Alex Mann was put into space to score a try.
After sustained pressure inside Cardiff's half, the Sharks eventually hit back when Mbonambi broke away from a maul to power over for a five-pointer.
It didn't take long for the Sharks to extend their lead when centre Jurenzo Julius was put into space to sprint in for his team's second try.
The Sharks nearly had another try in the 27th minute when Ntuthuko Mchunu powered over the Cardiff tryline. However, the TMO ruled that he lost control of the ball while trying to place it for a try.
That third try eventually came in the 33rd minute after Cardiff failed to deal with a cross-kick from Siya Masuku and Makazole Mapimpi was on hand to snap up the loose ball and ease over for the five points.
Jordan Hendrikse converted all three tries.
However, Cardiff had the final say in the first half when Bowen showed off his speed once again to sprint down the touchline with limited space to score a great try.
At half-time, it was 21-10 to the Sharks.
The story continues below...
[rp-mc-teams-attack id="204|942303|2025"][/rp-mc-teams-attack]
It was a fantastic start to the second half for the Sharks after Mchunu ran a great line in the Cardiff 22 before feeding the ball to Mbonambi, who had the pace and power to score his second try in the 42nd minute.
However, Cardiff hit back straight away when Bowen collected the ball after a Cam Winnett grubber before sprinting in for his second try.
After sustained pressure inside the Sharks' half, the home side managed to close the gap when the ball was spread through the hands and Gabriel Hamer-Webb finished off some great play by scoring a try in the corner.
Callum Sheedy could not add the extras, but Cardiff were only six points down with 20 minutes left on the clock.
However, the visitors extended their lead in the 73rd minute after Jaden Hendrikse collected the ball from a Mapimpi chip kick before feeding the ball to Francois Venter to score his team's fifth try.
The game was put to bed in the 76th minute when wing Yaw Penxe took advantage of some loose play to weave his way to the tryline for a five-pointer.
[rp-mc-teams-defence id="204|942303|2025"][/rp-mc-teams-defence]
The scorers:
For Cardiff:
Tries: Mann, Bowen 2, Hamer-Webb
Con: Sheedy
For Sharks:
Tries: Mbonambi 2, Julius, Mapimpi, Venter, Penxe
Cons: Jordan Hendrikse 6
Teams:
Cardiff: 15 Cam Winnett, 14 Gabriel Hamer-Webb, 13 Rey Lee-Lo, 12 Rory Jennings, 11 Tom Bowen, 10 Callum Sheedy, 9 Johan Mulder, 8 Alun Lawrence, 7 Thomas Young, 6 Alex Mann, 5 Seb Davies, 4 Josh McNally (captain), 3 Rhys Litterick, 2 Daf Hughes, 1 Rhys Barratt.
Replacements: 16 Efan Daniel, 17 Danny Southworth, 18 Will Davies-King, 19 Rory Thornton, 20 Mackenzie Martin, 21 Ethan Lloyd, 22 Jacob Beetham, 23 Regan Grace.
Sharks: 15 Jordan Hendrikse, 14 Yaw Penxe, 13 Jurenzo Julius, 12 Ethan Hooker, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Siya Masuku, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Nick Hatton, 7 Emmanuel Tshituka, 6 Phepsi Buthelezi, 5 Jason Jenkins, 4 Vincent Tshituka (captain), 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu.
Replacements: 16 Ethan Bester, 17 Ruan Dreyer, 18, Vincent Koch, 19 Deon Slabbert, 20 Jeandre Labuschagne, 21 Jaden Hendrikse, 22 Francois Venter, 23 Lukhanyo Am.
Referee: Mike Adamson (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Mike English (Wales), Gwyn Morris (Wales)
TMO: Andrew McMenemy (Scotland)
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