Player Ratings: Sharks

OPINION: The Sharks were no match for the All Blacks in their Greatest Rivalry showdown in Durban on Tuesday.

The 0-54 defeat was hard to watch for Sharks fans, and coach JP Pietersen will be hoping that the young players took some pointers.

See the Sharks Player Ratings below:

15 Zekhethelo Siyaya
The young man gave away possession too easily, and it just ramped up the pressure on his team. One example was opting for an attacking kick from his 22, which almost led to a try for Damian McKenzie.
4/10

14 Donovan Don
The speedster was used well under the high ball, and he caused a few problems for the All Blacks; in fact, he won several balls. It’s a pity he didn’t get much to work with on attack.
6/10

13 Jurenzo Julius
He was up against some world-class operators in the midfield, and he was bound to miss some tackles with them running at him all game. It’s a learning experience. Opportunities to run with the ball were very rare, but there were glimpses of his powerful running
5/10

12 Murray Koster
It was way too predictable in the midfield, and he never looked secure with ball in hand. It was also a tough time for him on defence with Jordie Barrett out there.
4/10

11 Litelihle Bester
The speedster misjudged a high ball in his 22, which eventually led to the All Blacks’ opening try. He also failed to control the ball on the ground deep in his own half, which also led to New Zealand’s fourth try. He was caught out of position a few times and his ball control in the wet needs to be worked on.
4/10

10 Vusi Moyo
With the quality ball he did receive, it was a bit predictable. With the rain pouring down, the best option was to kick, but the accuracy and decision-making were not always good.
5.5/10

9 Bradley Davids
With it being slippery, he tried to mix things up with his kicking with varying degrees of success. He also missed a few tackles around the fringes.
5.5/10

8 Nick Hatton (captain)
He was certainly the go-to man in the line-outs for the Sharks, and he did his job well. He also produced a great line-out steal in the 39th minute. He can be pleased with his work rate.
6/10

7 Manu Tshituka
He was quite brilliant in that first 15 minutes with ball in hand. He was aggressive and made metres. However, he disappeared as the game went on.
5.5/10

6 Phepsi Buthelezi
The big man had few carries, but there wasn’t much impact out there.
4/10

5 Deon Slabbert
He was physical in that opening quarter and did his fair share in the set-pieces. He will be kicking myself when he lost the ball after the second-half restart.
4.5/10

4 Hendre Stassen
He was the leading ball carrier on the field before he was replaced around the 24th minute mark. His work rate was impressive during that spell when the Sharks dominated the possession, but not the scoreline.
6.5/10

3 Vincent Koch
The Bok loves to dominate opponents at scrum time, but it didn’t happen against Ethan de Groot. Things got better as the game went on, and his work rate on defence and with ball in hand was noticeable.
6/10

2 Eduan Swart
His line-out throwing was good, especially his connection with Nick Hatton. He also produced some big tackles on defence.
5.5/10

1 Nemo Roelofse
He can be proud that he wasn’t bullied in the scrums. He also produced a high turnover in his own 22 when his team was under pressure.
5.5/10

Replacements:

16 Liam van Wyk (on for Eduan Swart)
There was not much you could highlight out there. Most of his minutes were used to defend.
4.5/10

17 Rambo Kubekha (on for Nemo Roelofse)
He provided some power in the set-pieces, but he hardly had any momentum to work with.
4.5/10

18 Simphiwe Ngobese (on for Vincent Koch)
He can be proud. He won his team a scrum penalty in the 69th minute, and he looked like he had plenty of power in open play.
6/10

19 Corne Rahl (On for Hendre Stassen)
He couldn’t really match the intensity that Hendre Stassen brought. To be fair, it was a disjointed performance by the whole team.
4/10

20 Matt Romao (On for Phepsi Buthelezi)
A few carries and tackles. The game was already lost when he was introduced.
4/10

21 Ivan van Zyl (On for Bradley Davids)
It might take him a while to get used to the systems at the Sharks. There was some nice passing, but it was all under pressure.
4.5/10

22 Luan Giliomee (On for Donovan Don)
He looked lively with not much impact.
5/10

23 Ma’a Nonu (On for Murray Koster)
His one-man haka will be talked about in the coming days. By the time he came onto the field, there was not much he could do to help the team.
5/10