Sharks 39 – 21 Exeter Chiefs: Player Ratings as Devon club tastes defeat in Durban
12/07/2024 11:18 AM
By George Wellbelove
Sharks put in a strong performance to defeat Exeter Chiefs despite multiple discipline issues. At one point, the South African side were down to 12 men but they successfully managed to hold out the Exeter onslaught and record their first win of their Investec Champions Cup campaign.
The visitors started strongly and retained most of the possession within the first ten minutes. A yellow card for number eight Greg Fisilau did not stop their momentum as Dan Frost crashed over for the first score of the game.
However, the Sharks were unfazed and ran in four tries through Phepsi Buthelezi, Makazole Mapimpi, Grant Williams and Siya Kolisi before the Chiefs finally had a chance to add to their score.
The second half was one of fewer points. Kolisi added another try for his side but the Sharks spent lots of time defending as they suffered from ill-discipline. Three yellow cards in the space of four minutes threatened to unravel their hard work but they were able to repel pressure from Exeter to run out as the victors in this fascinating clash.
Take a look at our player ratings for both sides below.
Sharks – 39
Tries: 5 (Buthelezi 20′, Mapimpi 24′, Williams 27′, Kolisi 35′, 55′)
Conversions: 4 (Hendrikse 21′, 28′, 36′, 57′)
Penalties: 2 (Hendrikse 45′, 69′)
Drop Goals: 0
Yellow Cards: 3 (Etzebeth 66′, van Heerden 67′, Keyter 70′)
Red Cards: 0
Starting XV: 15. Aphele Fassi 14. Eduan Keyter 13. Ethan Hooker 12. Andre Esterhuizen 11. Makazole Mapimpi 10. Jordan Hendrikse 9. Grant Williams 1. Ox Nche 2. Bongi Mbonambi 3. Trevor Nyakane 4. Eben Etzebeth (c) 5. Emile van Heerden 6. James Venter 7. Vincent Tshituka 8. Siya Kolisi
Replacements: 16. Dylan Richardson 17. Ntuthuko Mchunu 18. Hanro Jacobs 19. Jason Jenkins 20. Phepsi Buthelezi 21. Jaden Hendrikse 22. Siya Masuku 23. Francois Venter
Exeter Chiefs – 21
Tries: 3 (Frost 14′, 40′, Feyi-Waboso 67′)
Conversions: 3 (Hodge 15′, 40′, 67′)
Penalties: 0
Yellow Cards: 1 (Fisilau 6′)
Red Cards: 0
Starting XV: 15. Josh Hodge 14. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso 13. Ben Hammersley 12. Tamati Tua 11. Tom Wyatt 10. Will Haydon-Wood 9. Stu Townsend 1. Scott Sio 2. Dan Frost 3. Marcus Street 4. Richard Capstick 5. Franco Molina 6. Ethan Roots 7. Jacques Vermeulen (c) 8. Greg Fisilau
Replacements: 16. Jack Innard 17. William Goodrick-Clarke 18. Jimmy Roots 19. Christ Tshiunza 20. Ross Vintcent 21. Will Becconsall 22. Harvey Skinner 23. Will Rigg
SHARKS PLAYER RATINGS
15. Aphelele Fassi – 8
Great game for the full back. Fast feet on show, particularly for Mapimpi’s try.
14. Eduan Keyter – 6
Did not contribute much to his side and was one of the three yellow cards within five minutes for a deliberate knock-on.
13. Ethan Hooker – 7
Brilliant run for Sharks’ third try and offload to Williams. Very solid performance in the centres.
12. Andre Esterhuizen – 7
Lots of strong carries and provided his side lots of stability in moments of chaos.
11. Makazole Mapimpi – 8
The Springbok was elusive and got a try to pay off for his efforts.
10. Jordan Hendrikse – 8
Commanded his side well and showed a solid performance off the tee.
9. Grant Williams – 9
Standout showing from the scrumhalf. Quick ball and smart kicking. Surely more opportunities for him in South Africa shirt in the future.
1. Ox Nche – 6
Some dominant scrummaging but nothing important to note.
2. Bongi Mbonambi – 6
Went off early but returned after HIA. Played decently but did not effect the game overly.
3. Trevor Nyakane – 7
Solid in the scrum and lineout. Brilliant engine on him and did well.
4. Eben Etzebeth – 7
The towering second row was a nuisance at the breakdown and put in some big carries. Went off injured after his yellow card.
5. Emile van Heerden – 6
Not much to say about van Heerden. Did his job and that was about it.
6. James Venter – N/A
Went off injured early and was replaced by Buthelezi.
7. Vincent Tshituka – 6
Overshadowed by his forwards counterparts but did not really put a foot wrong.
8. Siya Kolisi – 9
Man of the match performance from Kolisi. Looked right at home in the eight shirt and performed superbly. A couple of tries for him too.
Replacements:
16. Dylan Richardson – 6
A brief cameo in the first half and then more minutes in the second. Did not put a foot wrong.
17. Ntuthuko Mchunu – 6
Held his own in the scrum. Some solid defensive work on the line.
18. Hanro Jacobs – 6
Much like Mchunu, Jacobs did not have the right platform to fully show his strengths but did not make any mistakes either.
19. Jason Jenkins – 6
Tricky for Jenkins with the amount of yellow cards that Sharks had. Mainly defensive and put in a few tackles.
20. Phepsi Buthelezi – 7
On early for James Venter and capped off a good showing with a try. Strong work from the replacement.
21. Jaden Hendrikse – 7
Played well and helped to settle his side down at the end of the game.
22. Siya Masuku – N/A
Did not have enough time to affect the match.
23. Francois Venter – 6
Did his job in defence and was decent to stopping Exeter score too.
EXETER CHIEFS PLAYER RATINGS
15. Josh Hodge – 6
Excellent kicking off the tee that kept his side in it for parts of the game. Did not have any opportunities to stretch his legs and run with the ball.
14. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso – 5
No involvement within the first half but took his try well. At fault for Kolisi’s first score.
13. Ben Hammersley – 5
Tricky day for the outside centre. Looked slightly out of his depth and should have scored from a cross field kick.
12. Tamati Tua – 5
Much like Hammersely, Tua did not have a great game. Nothing important to note.
11. Tom Wyatt – 5
Very quiet day for Wyatt. Did not receive any ball.
10. Will Haydon-Wood – 6
A couple of great cross field kicks and good in-play kicks out of the hand. Decent showing from the fly half.
9. Stu Townsend – 6
Quiet game for Townsend. Did decently well.
1. Scott Sio – 5
Got the better of by his front counterparts in the scrum.
2. Dan Frost – 8
Exeter’s best player on the day. Brilliant carries and took his tries very well.
3. Marcus Street – 6
Not much to mention about Street. Overshadowed by Nche’s scrummaging ability.
4. Richard Capstick – 6
The makeshift second row looks slightly uncomfortable in this position. Perhaps time to revert back to the flank.
5. Franco Molina – 6
A couple of lineout takes but did not have a huge impact on the match.
6. Ethan Roots – 6
Some barnstorming carries and important tackles. However, Roots was largely ineffective.
7. Jacques Vermeulen – 6
In similar fashion to Roots, the Exeter captain did what was required of him but had no larger influence.
8. Greg Fisilau – 5
Early yellow card for a high tackle which his side did well to deal with. After that, Fisilau went missing for the rest of the game.
Replacements:
16. Jack Innard – 6
Could not replicate Frost’s blistering performance but did not make any errors either.
17. William Goodrick-Clarke – 6
On early in the second half for Sio. Did well to help stabilise the scrum.
18. Jimmy Roots – 6
Largely went missing during his stint on the pitch. Not much to say.
19. Christ Tshiunza – 6
Some decent lineout takes and powerful work.
20. Ross Vintcent – 5
Unusually quiet game for the Italian. Shut down by his opposition well.
21. Will Becconsall – 5
Did not affect the game in the way that he should have done. Perhaps should have done more to help hsi side socre when Sharks were down to 12 men.
22. Harvey Skinner – N/A
23. Will Rigg – 4
Had two cameos on the field as a HIA replacement and dropped a few balls. One to forget for Rigg.
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