Springbok wing wins intense battle for Sharks

MATCH REPORT: A Makazole Mapimpi try in the dying seconds awarded the Sharks a vital 18-17 victory over Edinburgh in the United Rugby Championship on Friday evening.

The Sharks trailed for most of the game, but fought gallantly in the end to secure victory in what was a very intense and at times heated battle.

Three minutes into the game, the Sharks were on the board thanks to the efforts of flyhalf Jordan Hendrikse.

But the first try of the game went to Edinburgh after the home side set up camp in the Sharks’ 22.

It was James Lang with an impressive dive in the corner who got over the whitewash first.

Edinburgh was pinpointed in gathering their high kicks out of the air. They bombarded the Sharks and spent all of the first 20 minutes of the game in the Sharks’ half of the field.

The pressure paid dividends as Jamie Ritchie scored their second try halfway through the first half.

Mistakes on the Sharks’ side were rife, with Aphelele Fassi being one of the culprits, with silly errors indicating his rustiness after a long layoff.

Defence out wide cost the Sharks, and these are the areas the home side targeted.

One area the Sharks stood strong was in their scrums, where the Bok forwards Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi, and Vincent Koch showed their worth.

Just before halftime, Hendrikse narrowed the gap to 6-10, but the Sharks had to do better in the second half.

The teams went into halftime with the visitors trailing by four points.

The Sharks stepped up a gear in the second half, scoring within the first two minutes after Lukhanyo Am broke away, handed off to Fassi, who finished it off.

Hendrikse added the extras, and the visitors were in the lead for the first time.

Then Fassi had a moment of indecision, could not pick up a ball that was kicked through, and suddenly Edinburgh was two metres away from the tryline.

Am bore the brunt of the Sharks’ indiscretion and got his marching orders.

Edinburgh was working hard to reclaim the lead.

The result was a full-scale brawl in front of the Sharks’ uprights, and referee Andrew Brace had his hands full to calm things down.

Etzebeth joined Am next to the field, as well as Edinburgh’s ⁠Sam Skinner, for jersey pulling.

It was 14 players against 13 and eventually the home side forced their way over by way of hooker ⁠Ewan Ashman.

Thompson added the extras, and Sean Everitt’s men were ahead again, 17-13.

An easy penalty attempt by Hendrikse went awry and could prove to be costly for the Sharks.

Even with 13 men on the field, the Sharks launched a ferocious attack, and Jordan Hendrikse was just short of the whitewash.

After an hour, both teams were back to their full tally of players.

The homeside stood strong in defence and moved play back to the halfway line.

And then Fassi limped off with what looked like an ankle injury, replaced by Siya Masuku.

Another attempt by Hendrikse at three points went skew, causing coach John Plumtree to hang his head in frustration.

Edinburgh was all over a kick chase to force the penalty for holding on by Masuku, they kicked for the corner and from the line out almost got over, but Siya Kolisi got under the ball.

But the home side launched another attack, and the Sharks were lined up on their try line to try and stop them. But the visitors stood firm.

A few Springboks did not do their reputation any favours (read Fassi and Hendrikse brothers).

As the Sharks were once again totally beaten on the outside, Ethan Hooker managed to hold it up for deny Edinburgh what was certain to be a try.

With two minutes to go, a scrum ensued on the halfway line in the middle of the field.

The Sharks won a penalty and opted to go for the sideline. Masuku stepped up and launched a bomb into the corner.

From the lineout, the Sharks got the maul going and edged their way closer to right under the posts. Andre Esterhuizen and Kolisi tried to force their way over but were stopped in their tracks.

The ball got recycled.

A clutch pass by Masuku to the outside saw Makazole Mapimpi finish it off for the Sharks to snatch victory in the dying seconds.

Siya Masuku’s epic match-winning moment 👏

Finished by 2x #RWC champion Makazole Mapimpi 🫳🎤#BKTURC #URC | #EDIvSHA pic.twitter.com/9e9t9ss5kO

— BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) April 18, 2025

Scorers:

For Edinburgh:
Tries: Lang, Richie, Ashman
Cons: Thompson

For Sharks:
Tries: Fassi, Mapimpi
Cons: Hendrikse
Pens: Hendrikse 2

Teams

Sharks: 15 Aphelele Fassie, 14 Ethan Hooker, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Jordan Hendrikse, 9 Jaden Hendrikste, 8 Siya Kolisi, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 Phepsi Buthelezi, 5 Emile van Heerden, 4 Eben Etzebeth (captain), 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche
Replacements: 16 Fez Mbatha, 17 Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18 Hanro Jacobs, 19 Jason Jenkins, 20 James Venter, 21 Grant Williams, 22 Siya Masuku, 23 Jurenzo Julius

Edinburgh: 15⁠ ⁠Wes Goosen, 14⁠ ⁠Harry Paterson, 13⁠ ⁠Matt Currie, 12⁠ ⁠James Lang, 11⁠ ⁠Ross McCann, 10⁠ ⁠Ross Thompson, 9⁠ ⁠Ali Price, 8. ⁠Magnus Bradbury, 7⁠ ⁠Ben Muncaster, 6⁠ ⁠Jamie Ritchie, 5 ⁠Grant Gilchrist, 4 ⁠Sam Skinner, 3 ⁠D’arcy Rae, 2 ⁠Ewan Ashman, 1 ⁠Pierre Schoeman
Replacements: 16 ⁠Dave Cherry, 17⁠ ⁠Boan Venter, 18 ⁠Angus Williams, 19⁠ ⁠Glen Young, 20⁠ ⁠Freddy Douglas, 21 ⁠Charlie Shiel, 22 ⁠Cammy Scott, 23 ⁠Mosese Tuipulotu

Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant Referees: Mike Adamson (Scotland), Jonny Perriam (Scotland)
TMO: Brian McNeice (Ireland)