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Jenkins (9'), Esterhuizen (32'), Hooker (50'), Buthelezi (64')
Tries
Parry (59')
Masuku (10', 51'), Fassi (33')
Conversions
Edwards (60')
Masuku (80')
Penalties
Edwards (1')
The Hollywoodbets Sharks got the bonus-point win in Round 17 of the United Rugby Championship, beating the Ospreys 29-10 on Friday night at Hollywoodbets Kings Park to lock in a home quarter-final with one round to go.
With a star-studded side featuring Springboks Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth, Makazole Mapimpi, Bongi Mbonambi, Aphelele Fassi, and Vincent Koch, the Welsh knew it would be a big challenge to overcome the men in black and, in doing so, keep their playoff chances alive.
But the Hollywoodbets Sharks were too strong, and the win with one round to go means they join the Bulls by securing a home quarterfinal and head into the final round with confidence high as they have won three in a row and lost only two of their last nine Vodacom United Rugby Championship matches.
The Sharks will be sweating over the knee injury sustained by Eben Etzebeth, who left the pitch after half an hour in what has been a stop-start injury season for the skilful enforcer.
With two tries in each half for the home side, from Jason Jenkins, Andre Esterhuizen, Ethan Hooker, and Phepsi Buthelezi - the Sharks were not the complete package but delivered the win through aerial dominance and physical dominance. The 4th try from the Sharks was a peach with the kick through from Fassi, collected by Mapimpi, and the inside pass to Buthelezi.
The Ospreys' sole try came in the 59th minute for Sam Parry in what was his 5th of the season in the URC loss, and their play-off hopes look to be over with the loss in South Africa, but they had chances in the match.
They might rue Kieran Hardy's score, which was ruled out for a knock-on over the try line, while Dewi Lake was denied a score in the corner, and other breaks were not finished off as the side lacked the accuracy and precision needed.
Although there were personal milestones in the match, with Bongi Mbonambi playing his 50th for the Sharks, Adam Beard played his 100th league game, and Jac Morgan made his 50th regional appearance in an excellent performance in which he led the turnovers and tackle stats. One of two Welsh players picked for the British & Irish Lions mid-week, Morgan said of the Sharks before the game that they wanted to test themselves at that level.
Sharks Head Coach John Plumtree said before the weekend, “We’re reasonably happy with where we’re at [on the log], but we’re not happy with the way we’re playing at the moment. There were moments against Ulster where we were pretty good on both sides of the ball, but the first 20-30 minutes were scratchy, our skill sets were poor, and there were lots of soft individual moments.”
He asked the team to be better mentally prepared and for an 80-minute performance, which the side didn't quite deliver in the scrappy win, so there is still room for improvement.
Plumtree also expects two injured Springbok backs to be fit for the Vodacom URC playoffs, saying that centre Lukhanyo Am who missed the weekend’s win, and scrumhalf Grant Williams rested due to a niggling neck injury, are expected to be back in a timely boost.
The Welsh side will end their tour in South Africa next weekend against the Emirates Lions on Saturday, 17th May, while the Sharks host the Scarlets.
| # | Team | PL | W | L | D | PD | BP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Leinster Rugby | 17 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 278 | 12 | 72 |
| 2 |  Vodacom Bulls | 17 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 141 | 11 | 63 |
| 3 |  Glasgow Warriors | 17 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 149 | 15 | 59 |
| 4 |  Hollywoodbets Sharks | 17 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 25 | 10 | 58 |
| 5 |  DHL Stormers | 17 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 79 | 14 | 50 |
| 6 |  Benetton Treviso | 17 | 9 | 7 | 1 | -76 | 8 | 46 |
| 7 |  Munster Rugby | 17 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 14 | 46 |
| 8 |  Cardiff Rugby | 17 | 8 | 8 | 1 | -58 | 12 | 46 |
| 9 |  Edinburgh Rugby | 17 | 7 | 9 | 1 | 34 | 14 | 44 |
| 10 |  Scarlets | 16 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 41 | 9 | 43 |
| 11 |  Ospreys | 17 | 7 | 9 | 1 | -16 | 8 | 38 |
| 12 |  Ulster Rugby | 17 | 7 | 10 | 0 | -62 | 10 | 38 |
| 13 |  Emirates Lions | 16 | 7 | 9 | 0 | -26 | 7 | 35 |
| 14 |  Connacht Rugby | 17 | 5 | 12 | 0 | -62 | 15 | 35 |
| 15 |  Zebre Rugby | 17 | 5 | 11 | 1 | -191 | 7 | 29 |
| 16 |  Dragons | 17 | 1 | 16 | 0 | -262 | 5 | 09 |
