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Recap: Sharks vs Bulls LIVE | Super Rugby

RugbyPass Live Match Centre

Follow all the action on the RugbyPass live blog from the Super Rugby match between the Sharks and the Bulls at Jonsson Kings Park.

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Keep up to date with the latest score, stats and join the conversation from anywhere in the world in our Live Match Centre (click here).

Lukhanyo Am will lead an exciting Sharks team in which Ox Nche, James Venter and Sikhumbuzo Notshe all make their club debuts.

The home team have a Springbok laden backline consisting of Springbok World Cup winners Makazole Mapimpi (left wing), Sbu Nkosi (right wing) and Am (outside centre), as well as fellow Springboks Andre Esterhuizen (inside centre) and Curwin Bosch (flyhalf).

The Bulls include former Springbok fly-half Morné Steyn, who last played for the Pretoria outfit in 2013 and is the only three-time Super Rugby champion that remains within the South African circuit. His duel with Bosch is bound to play a key role.

(Continue reading below…)

Bulls’ Tongan import Nafi Tuitavake speaks out

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Steyn is joined by two 2019 World Cup winners in Warrick Gelant (full-back) and Trevor Nyakane (replacement prop), while Josh Strauss (No8), Jeandre Rudolph (flank), Andries Ferreira (lock) and Wian Vosloo (replacement loose forward) will be running out for the Bulls for the first time.

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History favours the visitors with the Bulls securing eight wins and a draw in their last nine matches against the Durban-based franchise, who begin their campaign at home for the first time since 2015. 

The Pretoria side won five of their six South African derbies last season, their most derby victories in a single campaign since 2013.

SHARKS: 15. Aphelele Fassi; 14. Sbu Nkosi, 13. Lukhanyo Am (capt), 12. Andre Esterhuizen, 11. Makazole Mapimpi; 10. Curwin Bosch, 9. Louis Schreuder; 8. Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 7. Tyler Paul, 6. James Venter, 5. Hyron Andrews, 4. Ruben van Heerden, 3. Thomas du Toit, 2. Kerron van Vuuren, 1. Ox Nche. Reps: 16. Craig Burden, 17. Juan Schoeman, 18. John-Hubert Meyer, 19. Le Roux Roets, 20. Henco Venter, 21. Sanele Nohamba, 22. Boeta Chamberlain, 23. Jeremy Ward.

BULLS: 15. Warrick Gelant; 14. Cornal Hendricks, 13. Johnny Kotze, 12. Burger Odendaal (capt), 11. Rosko Specman; 10. Morne Steyn, 9. Ivan van Zyl; 8. Josh Strauss, 7. Abongile Nonkontwana, 6. Jeandre Rudolph, 5. Juandre Kruger, 4. Andries Ferreira, 3. Wiehahn Herbst, 2. Jaco Visagie, 1. Lizo Gqoboka. Reps: 16. Johan Grobbelaar, 17. Simphiwe Matanzima, 18. Trevor Nyakane, 19. Ruan Nortje, 20. Ryno Pieterse, 21. Wian Vosloo, 22. Embrose Papier, 23. Manie Libbok.

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WATCH: New-look Sharks front up to media ahead of the clash with the Bulls

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fl 1 hour ago
Ex-Wallaby laughs off claims Bath are amongst the best in the world

“Yes I wrote that, because you had Leinster as the best team in the world. What was that based on - winning the URC this season?”

It was based on Leinster’s performances over the course of this season, and on their trophy. If Bordeaux beat Toulouse then I’ll change my mind and move them to first. But as it is I expect Bordeaux, Toulouse, and Leinster to all finish with one trophy each, and with Leinster having produced the best week-on-week performances of the three.


“One of those teams won the league in each of those years so yes they were worse. If I was a fan of either of those four teams I would rather have been a fan of a team that won a trophy than didn’t.”

That’s true - I would too. With regard to Stormers I think their trophy was very much enabled by the fact that they weren’t playing in europe, so were able to rest their players much more than the non-SA teams were so I’m not sure whether I would or wouldn’t consider them to have had a better season than Leinster in 2022, but clearly Munster and Glasgow (respectively) had better seasons than Leinster in 2023 and 2024. But if I was a fan of one of those 3 teams I would rather be a fan of a team that won 66 URC+CC matches over the course of 3 seasons (Leinster) than a team that won 46 (Munster) or 42 (Glasgow). If you think trophies are literally the only thing that matters, do you think Blackburn Rovers are a more successful Premier League team than Tottenham Hotspur are?


“You contradict yourself alot. Trophies matter in one post and in the same post coming second consistently makes you better.”

Its going to get really frustrating if you’re not willing to read what I write. I said: “Trophies matter. They matter a lot. But so does winning games. So does making finals.” How does that contradict my assessment that Leinster were better than Stormers?


“I doubt Leinster would say they have been the better team in any of the seasons you keep going on about.”

Teams generally downplay talk of them being the best, so that wouldn’t surprise me. But crucially I don’t think Leinster were the best team in 2022, or in 2023, or in 2024, so I’m not sure what you think you’re responding to.


“Lets make it clear though - you are the one who went on and on about previous seasons with your deep dive into la Rochelle and Stormers etc.”

Yeah - I did that because you brought up Leinster’s trophyless record from 2022-2024, so I thought that was worth responding to. If you’d like though I can stop responding to the things you say?

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