SA United Rugby Championship Team of the Week – Round 2

Captain fantastic Francke Horn delivered on all fronts to help the Lions secure a second successive win in the United Rugby Championship at the weekend, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld. 

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A malfunctioning lineout was largely to blame for the Stormers’ 17-13 loss to Edinburgh in the Scottish capital on Friday night. 

On Saturday, the Lions turned it on in the second half to overcome the Ospreys 35-19 at Ellis Park, and the Sharks defeated defending champions Leinster 26-20 at Kings Park, while the Bulls succumbed 26-22 to Munster in Limerick. 

Our South African Team of the Week consists of six Sharks, five Lions, a pair of Stormers and two all-action Bulls forwards.

15: Boeta Chamberlain (Lions)

The journeyman has made his way to the Lions and was influential in their 16-point win. He played his part in the kicking game, twice executing classy stabbing kicks that found touch in the attacking 22, and he scored a try.  

14: Kelly Mpeku (Lions)

The Lions flyer fired on all cylinders, shining on attack and in the air. He added his weight to a driving maul that resulted in a try, played a part in Chamberlain’s score and was rewarded with a brace of tries. Aerially, he retained two box kicks and forced Keelan Giles to knock-on on another occasion. 

13: Ethan Adams (Lions)

The former schoolboy and Junior Springbok prodigy’s preferred position is inside centre, but he delivered in spades in the No. 13 jersey. “The Tank” moved bodies with his strong running, beat two defenders, made a clean break, and best of all, created Mkepu’s second try by seizing a turnover. 

12: Andre Esterhuizen (Sharks)

“Andre the Giant” grew into the game and played a key role in the Sharks regaining control and finishing off the match. He sat down opposite number Robbie Henshaw in the 65th minute and did great work off the ball to round off the try of the weekend.

11: Edwill van der Merwe (Sharks)

Much like Mpeku, Van der Merwe shone on the ground and in the sky in a Man of the Match performance. A clutch player, he had a hand in Esterhuizen’s try, and read Leinster like a book to score the Sharks’ bonus-point try and seal the deal.  

10: Yaqeen Ahmed (Stormers)

Picking a flyhalf was the most difficult selection of the round. Curwin Bosch had a solid game but cost the Bulls a charge-down try when he took too long to clear; Chris Smith left his goal-kicking boots at home, and Vusi Moyo made a litany of mistakes. Thus, we went with Ahmed, who was solid aside from missing a kick at goal in the first half. 

9: Nico Steyn (Lions)

Steyn ran the show remarkably well for the Lions. He was a fast and smooth operator when it came to the running game and set off on a good sniping run in the 10th minute. His kicking from the base was what stood out most, with his pinpoint precision leading to four retentions.

8: Francke Horn (Lions) – Player of the Week

The glue of the Lions had a great game. He created two tries with terrific offloads, produced turnovers – both in the mauls and on the floor – broke tackles, defended well and was a key figure in the lineouts. He was voted Man of the Match and deservedly so. 

7: Hacjivah Dayimani (Stormers)

It’s not often that a player on the losing side is voted Man of the Match. That’s how good Dayimani was. Known as a phenomenal athlete, he showed that with explosive breaks and some serious soccer skills. However, he’s also worked on his power and demonstrated that by outmuscling two defenders to score. We had to include both him and Horn, hence his selection here. 

6: Marcell Coetzee (Bulls)

The Bulls captain was more machine than man against Munster, inspiring his team through his actions. His love for the badge was clear to see as he put his body on the line in a tireless effort on both sides of the ball, leading the Herd in carries (15) and tackles (20).

5: Reinhardt Ludwig (Bulls)

The Bulls No. 5 jersey is up for grabs after Ruan Nortje’s departure, and this was a Nortje-like performance by Ludwig, who played his heart out. On top of marshalling the lineout, he was a standout in open play and finished second behind Coetzee with 16 tackles.

4: Eben Etzebeth (Sharks)

The most-capped Springbok of all time came on for the Sharks in the 53rd minute and delivered a world-class cameo complete with a centre-like dummy, break and assist for Esterhuizen to score the go-ahead try. 

3: Vincent Koch (Sharks)

“Mr Incredible” lived up to his nickname, lighting the fuse that blew up Leinster’s scrum by winning the first of the Sharks’ many penalties in the set piece. He also produced a beautiful jackal in the eighth minute and was a busy tackler.  

2: Esethu Mnebelele (Sharks)

Drafted from the Bulls after captaining the Junior Boks to the World Under-20 Championship title earlier this year, Mnebelele enjoyed a rock-solid debut for the Sharks. On a weekend where lineout throwing came into the spotlight, he was a perfect 10 from 10, plus he formed part of a dominant scrum and was mobile across the park.

1: Thomas du Toit (Sharks)

After bizarrely being pinged early on, Du Toit set the record straight by destroying Leinster at scrum time. He showed his Bok power, winning no less than four penalties and driving Thomas Clarkson into conceding a yellow card, while both of the Sharks’ first-half tries came from dominant scrums. He narrowly missed out on the Man of the Match award.