Sharks player ratings vs Munster | 2026/27 URC

Sharks player ratings: The Sharks arrived in Limerick and immediately understood what sort of evening this was going to be. With rain pouring down throughout, this was not a night for fancy rugby or highlight-reel attack. Instead, the South Africans embraced the awful conditions, squeezed territory, won collisions and punished errors. Their set-piece grew stronger as the game progressed and, once they got their noses in front, they looked the side far more likely to finish the job.

15. Zekhethelo Siyaya – 9
What a talent. His electric 50-metre break and kick ahead created complete chaos before Lombard reacted quickest to score. Nearly produced another outrageous solo try later in the half but just failed to gather. Closely marked after the interval but remained the game’s most dangerous attacker, beating eight defenders and making two line breaks.

14. Edwill van der Merwe – 6.5
Limited opportunities but stayed disciplined and did his defensive work well. The game largely passed the Bok by.

13. Suleiman Hartzenberg – 6
Solid without grabbing the headlines. Helped shut down Munster’s midfield attack and handled difficult conditions sensibly.

12. Ethan Hooker – 6
Marked his 50th Sharks appearance with respectable display in the midfield. Took a huge hit from Gleeson but kept coming. Carried strongly and defended diligently, even if he was well marshalled by Munster.

11. Jaco Williams – 6
Won one aerial duel against McCarthy and consistently challenged Munster’s back three. Neat outing in difficult conditions.

10. Gianni Lombard – 7.5
His excellent clearance after Russell’s booming kick was an early indication of the confidence he was playing with. Took advantage of Munster errors, bagged the opening try and added the points that ultimately stretched the gap. Controlled territory very effectively.

9. Jaden Hendrikse – 8.5
A very good game. Pressured O’Connor into a penalty after the mark incident, smashed into Gleeson to help force a turnover and produced a superb second-half clearance kick. Dictated play and made better decisions than his opposite number.

1. Ox Nche – 7.5
Missed a fair few tackles but his scrum work was outstanding. Initially found Brookes stubborn resistance before eventually gaining the upper hand. Sin-binned for an off-the-ball head shot on Loughman but fortunate the review process kept it yellow. Would have been an 8.5 but for the brainfade yellow.

2. Ethan Bester – 7
Solid at the lineout and accurate with his darts before departing. Gave very little away.

3. Hanro Jacobs – 7
The 129kg tighthead put his size to excellent use. Helped turn the scrum battle decisively in the Sharks’ favour during the second half.

4. Jason Jenkins – 6.5
Back against his former club and clearly relished it. Physical from the opening exchanges and constantly involved around the fringes, even if the flowers went to his engine-room partner.

5. Emile van Heerden – 8.5
Conceded a couple of penalties but made up for them with a magnificent lineout steal that launched the score which effectively finished the game. Making 71 metres as a second-row says it all.

6. Tinotenda Mavesere – 8
Repeatedly punched holes in the Munster defence. One huge 15-metre surge from the back of a maul stood out, while his carrying after half-time remained consistently effective.

7. Manu Tshituka – 7.5
Worked his backside off all evening. Excellent on both sides of the ball, constantly turning up in defensive collisions and carrying with intent whenever called upon.

8. Nick Hatton – 8
Played sensible rugby in the conditions and then produced the key attacking moment. Exploited space magnificently after Van Heerden’s steal, galloping roughly 30 metres before creating the platform for Van Zyl’s score.

Replacements – 7
Ivan van Zyl applied the finishing touch to the decisive try. Cameron Dawson and Thomas du Toit helped maintain forward dominance, while Vincent Tshituka added further energy. Esethu Mnebelele’s evening was less smooth after being penalised for taking too long at a lineout, but collectively the bench helped see the Sharks home professionally.