Springbok stars fire Sharks past Leinster

MATCH REPORT: The Sharks maintained their winning start to the United Rugby Championship season with a 26-20 victory over Leinster in Round Two at Kings Park.

The Durban side had not beaten Leinster since 2023, but produced an impressive performance up front to overcome the defending champions.

The Sharks scored four tries to Leinster’s three, with Manu Tshituka, Lili Bester, captain André Esterhuizen and Edwill van der Merwe crossing for the hosts.

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Robbie Henshaw, Thomas Clarkson and Andrew Osborne replied for Leinster.

The result is Sharks second win after success over Ospreys, while for Leinster this is their second defeat in South Africa following last weekend loss to Lions.

Leinster enjoyed the greater share of possession in the opening stages and looked particularly dangerous when counter-attacking from deep.

The breakdown was fiercely contested, with both sides making it difficult for the other to establish sustained momentum.

It took 16 minutes for the opening points to arrive.

Ireland centre Henshaw crossed after Leinster worked through a series of phases inside the Sharks’ five-metre line, with Caspar Gabriel adding the conversion to put the visitors 7-0 ahead.

The Sharks thought they had responded when Darrien Landsberg went over the line, but the lock was held up.

They came close again from a driving maul, but Leinster’s defence held firm.

The momentum then began to shift towards the hosts as their scrum became increasingly dominant.

Leinster conceded a series of penalties before being punished after another strong set-piece.

Following another powerful scrum, Tshituka found space and crossed for the Sharks’ opening try.

Vusi Moyo converted to level the scores at 7-7.

Leinster’s discipline continued to cause problems and they were reduced to 14 men when prop Thomas Clarkson was shown a yellow card following another scrum infringement.

The Sharks took advantage of the extra man.

Quick hands created space out wide and Lili Bester finished the move to put the hosts ahead for the first time.

Moyo added a difficult conversion from the touchline to give the Sharks a 14-7 lead at half-time.

Lions overpower Ospreys with five-try second-half masterclasshttps://t.co/PU86bP2xFa

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Despite being a man down, Leinster started the second half strongly as the Sharks conceded three penalties in quick succession.

Leinster returned to 15 players and, following a quick tap-and-go, patiently worked their way towards the Sharks’ line before Clarkson powered over for his second try.

The conversion was missed, leaving Leinster two points behind at 14-12.

The Sharks then turned to their bench, with the introduction of experienced Springboks including Eben Etzebeth and Ox Nche helping the hosts regain control of the contest.

Leinster, however, continued to threaten and used the boot effectively, with replacement Sam Prendergast helping to change the momentum.

Prendergast kicked a penalty to put Leinster ahead for the first time at 15-14.

The lead did not last long.

Etzebeth sold a dummy before running a strong line and releasing captain Esterhuizen, who powered over for the Sharks’ third try.

Moyo converted to restore the hosts’ lead at 21-15.

With 10 minutes remaining, the Sharks were forced to defend a Leinster driving maul.

They held firm to deny the visitors momentum and then delivered the decisive blow at the other end.

Springbok wing Edwill van der Merwe intercepted a pass and raced clear to score the Sharks’ fourth try, securing the bonus-point victory.

Leinster had the final say when Prendergast’s cross-kick was neatly collected by Osborne, who crossed in the corner to secure a losing bonus point for the visitors.

But it was the Sharks who held on for a 26-20 victory and a second successive win to open their URC campaign.

Player of the Match: Lili Bester and Edwill van der Merwe deserve mentions for their work in the backline. While Eben Etzebeth was immense when he came off the bench, making a break, offload and setting up a try.  However our nod goes to Sharks prop Thomas du Toit, who was one of the standout performers for the hosts. He was solid at scrum time, putting Leinster under constant pressure and helping provide the platform for the Sharks’ victory.