Sharks vs Vodacom Bulls - 21 Dec by Sharks Uncaged

HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS

KICK-OFF 18H00 VS

VODACOM BULLS

MATCH PREVIEW

READY TO FEAST

WORDS: ALBERT HEENOP

The Hollywoodbets Sharks resume their highly promising Vodacom URC with this mouth-watering derby against the Bulls, and what better way to celebrate another Sharks Fest than with a do-or-die duel with the arch enemy…

The Hollywoodbets Sharks returned from the UK, having gone down 17-56 to the Leicester Tigers in Round 2 of the Investec Champions Cup at Welford Road last Saturday.

Coach John Plumtree’s relatively young and inexperienced charges started positively enough to take an early 10-7, but the power and experience of the highly experienced Leicester pack took its toll thereafter and set the platform for a comprehensive home win for the Tigers.

The Hollywoodbets Sharks, in contrast to the home side, were without a host of frontline stalwarts, who were either injured or rested according to Springbok protocols.

This once more highlighted Plumtree’s dilemma in terms of the rotating and selection of players, as the likes of Kolisi, Am, Esterhuizen, Mapimpi, Williams, Etzebeth, Koch, Mbonambi and Nché, to name a few,

would have made a World (Cup) of difference at Welford Road.

Without these Bok bruisers, though, the Sharks expose themselves to the type of mauling suffered by the Tigers, yet the Boks cannot be fielded for every single game.

“We’re all competitive. But the reality is we’ve got to look after these athletes. They are not robots. They don’t front up every week. And right now, the South African boys are treated like robots,” Plumtree observed after last week’s outing against Leicester.

The Bulls and Stormers are in pretty much the same predicament, although not on the exact same scale as the Hollywoodbets Sharks.

Several stars will be returning today for the resumption of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, and the Durban-based outfit

will be keen to carry on where they had left off at the end of November, having won four of their six URC games to date - the last three on the trot.

The last time the Hollywoodbets Sharks were in action in the URC, they persevered in dramatic fashion in yet another thrilling derby against the Stormers.

The home side raced to an impressive 14-0 lead through tries by Siya Kolisi and young Ethan Hooker, but the Cape-based club managed to crawl their way back into the contest through a penalty try in the second half, with only André Esterhuizen’s score after the break securing the hard-earned 21-15 win.

BUT THE REALITY IS WE’VE GOT TO LOOK AFTER THESE ATHLETES..."

The return encounter with the Stormers takes place next Saturday down in Cape Town, but for the time being, the Hollywoodbets Sharks’ focus is solely on taming the Bulls. Jake White’s side also suffered defeat in the Champions Cup last week, conceding a 21-30 defeat at home to the Northampton Saints.

The Bulls are nevertheless the best-placed South African side currently in the URC, lying third on 24 championship points, behind Leinster (34) and the defending champions, Glasgow Warriors (27), and followed by Cardiff (21) and the Lions and Hollywoodbets Sharks, who are both on 19 points.

In the new year, the URC will take another threeweek break to allow for more Champions Cup fixtures, recommencing on January 25 with the Hollywoodbets Sharks travelling to Wales to take on Cardiff.

It’s all to play for.

Here’s wishing you a Black and White Christmas

EVERGREEN (AND GOLD) FLYER

Makazole D-rex Mapimpi immortalised himself as a legend among legends of the Springbok saga in 2019. Five years on, the Mdantsane-born Hollywoodbets Sharks flyer’s longevity at the sharp end of the game is something to behold…

On November 2, 2019, Makazole Mapimpi became the very first Springbok rugby player to score a try in a Rugby World Cup final when he touched down in the 66th minute of South Africa’s 32-12 triumph over England in the global showdown at the International Stadium Yokohama in Japan.

A late bloomer, Mapimpi was already 29 years old at the time, having celebrated his test debut for the Boks barely a year earlier with a try against Wales at the RFK Stadium in Washington DC.

At 34 years of age, Mapimpi is showing no signs of slowing down, literally and figuratively.

Just over a month ago, the 46-test Springbok winged in for a brace of tries in South Africa’s 3215 win against Scotland in Edinburgh during the recent Autumn Nations Series.

That feat had Bok coach Rassie Erasmus again gushing Mapimpi’s praise.

“He is a special guy,” Erasmus said afterwards at the post-match conference in Edinburgh.

“It will be a sad day when Mapimpi is done; he always produces.”

It was, in fact, the second time that Mapimpi had scored two tries at Murrayfield, as he also belted the Scots with a brace in 2021.

Mapimpi, who was unavailable for the Castle Lager Rugby Championship clash with the All Blacks in Cape Town in September this year due to his wife giving birth, turned out on five occasions for South Africa in 2024 - scoring six tries.

Despite having missed out on the Boks’ backto-back RWC final win last year, due to an eye injury sustained in the pool match against Tonga, Mapimpi is now tied with former Bok centre Jaque Fourie in third place on the Springboks’ alltime try-scoring list, behind Bryan Habana (67) and the late Joost van der Westhuizen (38).

Moreover, Mapimpi’s 32 tries in 46 tests give him an astonishing try-scoring ratio in tests of 70 percent.

On the club front, the veteran flyer has been equally impressive for the Hollywoodbets Sharks in both the Vodacom United Rugby Championship and Investec Champions Cup.

Defying his 34 summers, Mapimpi is still giving chase and hunting down opponents with the enthusiasm and sheer pace of a man 10 years his junior. And, the Hollywoodbets Sharks are reaping the benefits all the time.

In the recent URC thriller against the Stormers at Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Mapimpi made three, telling clean breaks and gained 109 metres. A month earlier, against Irish giants Munster, he beat four defenders with his trademark tenacity, gained 123 metres, performed four offloads and scored a beaut of a try in the Hollywoodbets Sharks’s stunning 41-24 win.

Long may Makazole Mapimpi’s exhilarating exploits and try-scoring, in both black and the green and gold, continue.

HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS PLAYER PROFILES

BORN: 02/12/1995 HEIGHT: 2.03 m

BORN: 17/07/1999 HEIGHT: 1.92m BORN: 23/03/2000 HEIGHT: 1.81m

104KG WEIGHT: 92KG

HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS

VODACOM BULLS

APHELELE FASSI

YAW PENXE

ETHAN HOOKER

ANDRE ESTERHUIZEN (C)

MAKAZOLE MAPIMPI

JORDAN HENDRIKSE

JADEN HENDRIKSE

NICK HATTON

MANU TSHITUKA

PHEPSI BUTHELEZI

JASON JENKINS

CORNE RAHL

VINCENT KOCH

HEAD COACH

JOHN PLUMTREE

MANAGER

TREVOR BARNES

ETHAN BESTER OX NCHE

BRYCE CALVERT

RUAN DREYER

TREVOR NYAKANE

LAPPIES LABUSCHAGNE

TINO MAVESERE

CAMERON WRIGHT

SIYA MASUKU

JURENZO JULIUS

KICK OFF 18H00

REFEREE

MORNE FERREIRA

WILLIE LE ROUX

SEBASTIAN DE KLERK

STEDMEN GANS

HAROLD VORSTER

CANAN MOODIE

JOHAN GOOSEN

EMBROSE PAPIER

ELRIGH LOUW (C)

COBUS WIESE

CAMERON HANEKOM

JF VAN HEERDEN

RUAN VERMAAK

WILCO LOUW

AKKER VAN DER MERWE

GERHARD STEENEKAMP

JOHAN GROBBELAAR

JAN-HENDRIK WESSELS

FRANCOIS KLOPPER

SINTU MANJEZI

MARCELL COETZEE

KEAGAN JOHANNES

SERGEAL PETERSEN

DEVON WILLIAMS

ASSISTANT REFEREES

AIMEE BARRETT-THERON, GRIFFIN COLBY TMO

QUINTON IMMELMAN

VODACOM BULLS PLAYER PROFILES

BORN: 09/04/1997 HEIGHT: 1.91 m WEIGHT: 126.1KG

BORN: 01/05/1998 HEIGHT: 2.03 m WEIGHT: 117KG

BORN: 06/02/1997 HEIGHT: 1.99m WEIGHT: 125KG

BORN: 27/07/1992 HEIGHT: 1.85m

VODACOM BULLS PLAYER PROFILES

BORN: 17/07/1991 HEIGHT: 1.77m BORN: 20/07/1994 HEIGHT: 1.85 m WEIGHT: 103KG WEIGHT: 144KG

BORN: 15/02/1994 HEIGHT: 1.81 m WEIGHT: 99KG

BORN: 05/04/2000 HEIGHT: 1.78 m WEIGHT: 89KG

BORN: 18/08/1989 HEIGHT: 1.84m

WEIGHT: 94KG

BORN: 06/05/2004 HEIGHT: 2.01 m WEIGHT: 111KG WEIGHT: 115KG

BORN: 20/09/ 1999 HEIGHT: 1.95m

BORN: 05/11/2002 HEIGHT: 1.91m

BORN: 10/05/2002 HEIGHT: 1.92m WEIGHT: 104KG

BORN: 30/12/1997 HEIGHT: 1.83m

BORN: 08/05/2001 HEIGHT: 1.89m

BORN: 07/09/1999 HEIGHT: 1.89m

WEIGHT: 121KG WEIGHT: 103KG WEIGHT: 123KG

BORN: 25/04/1997 HEIGHT: 1.69m WEIGHT: 76KG

BORN: 11/11/1993 HEIGHT: 1.88 m WEIGHT: 101KG ELRIGH LOUW (C)

BORN: 07/04/1995 HEIGHT: 2.01m WEIGHT: 118KG WEIGHT: 123KG

BORN: 08/05/1991 HEIGHT: 1.90m

BORN: 01/08/1994 HEIGHT: 1.73m

BORN: 09/08/2002 HEIGHT: 1.90m

WEIGHT: 107KG

BORN: 16/04/1992 HEIGHT: 1.74m

AKKER VAN DER MERWE WILCO LOUW

EMBROSE PAPIER

GERHARD STEENEKAMP

RUAN VERMAAK

COBUS WIESE

MARCELL COETZEE

SINTU MANJEZI

SEBASTIAN DE KLERK

STEDMEN GANS WILLIE LE ROUX

JAN-HENDRIK WESSELS

JOHAN GROBBELAAR

FRANCOIS KLOPPER SERGEAL PETERSEN

WILLIAMS

SCRUM-HALF

KEAGAN JOHANNES

Bet on selected slots, crash games and live tables

EVERY MONDAY, TUESDAY & THURSDAY 08:30pm - 10:30pm Competition Runs: 9 Dec 2024 - 31 Jan 2025

MAJOR MATCHUP HENDRIKSE VS PAPIER

Jaden Hendrikse teams up with brother Jordan as the halfback pair of the Hollywoodbets Sharks in this crunch Vodacom URC encounter with the Bulls.

The two became the 36th set of Springbok brothers a month ago when they turned out together at nine and 10 for South Africa against Wales in Cardiff. Scrumhalf Jaden (24) already has 20 Bok tests under his belt, having made his debut against Argentina in 2021 and despite injuries curtailing his career over the past year.

He delivered inspirational performances off the bench for the Boks in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship this season with his incisive kicking, slick service and overall cool, calm and collected demeanour.

Embrose Papier is an extremely elusive customer, sniping from the base of the ruck and scrum, as his sensational solo try for the Bulls against Ospreys at Swansea in October once again illustrated.

However, although he already played for the Springboks six years ago, Papier still has only seven test caps to his name, all of which were in 2018. This was due to a combination of injury and selection woes.

Yet, Papier’s recent form for the Bulls, having represented them more than 100 times already since 2016, suggests that the 27-year-old is still far from done, and the Hollywoodbets Sharks will need to keep a close check on him today.

FACTS, STATS & TRIVIA

THE ROAD SO FAR…

The Hollywoodbets Sharks are heading the attacking stats from a South African perspective in the Vodacom URC. The Durban-based club is the sixth-best attacking unit in the competition at present, be-hind the defending champions, the Glasgow Warriors (1st), Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Edinburgh.

Did you know:

* The Hollywoodbets Sharks have, after six games and bearing in mind that the Irish, Scottish and Welsh sides have all played one round more than us, scored 163 points.

* The above tally includes 20 tries, of which Springbok centre André Esterhuizen has scored four - joint second-most in the Vodacom URC. Esterhuizen has also carried the ball success-fully 39 times and beaten 23 defenders.

* In terms of general attacking play, the Hollywoodbets Sharks have made 62 offloads, gained 2444 metres, beaten 133 defenders and made 52 clean breaks.

* Young Ethan Hooker, whether he is operating at centre or out on the wing, continues to im-press with his attacking instinct and has to date made 10 clean breaks, joint second-most in the competition.

WELCOME TO

THE SHARKS ACADEMY

THE SHARKS ACADEMY IS A WORLD-CLASS SOCCER AND RUGBY ACADEMY WHICH IS BACKED BY STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SHARKS.

@THESHARKSACADEMY

@SHARKSACADEMY

@SHARKS_ACADEMY

VODACOM UNITED RUGBY

HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS VS EMIRATES LIONS

CONNACHT RUGBY VS HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS | 36-30

DRAGONS RFC VS HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS | 30-33

BENETTON RUGBY VS HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS | 38-10

HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS VS GLASGOW WARRIORS | 28-24

HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS VS MUNSTER RUGBY | 41-24

HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS VS DHL STORMERS | 21-15

HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS VS VODACOM BULLS

DHL STORMERS VS HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS

CARDIFF RUGBY VS HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS

VODACOM BULLS VS HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS

EMIRATES LIONS VS HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS

HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS VS ZEBRE PARMA

HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS VS

PARK

HOME HOLLYWOODBETS KINGS PARK

SHARKS VS VODACOM BULLS

HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS VS VODACOM BULLS

TITLE SPONSOR

APPAREL SPONSOR STADIUM SPONSOR

ASSOCIATE SPONSORS

APPAREL SPONSOR STADIUM SPONSOR

ASSOCIATE SPONSORS

OFFICIAL PARTNERS

ASSOCIATE SPONSORS

OFFICIAL PARTNERS

MEDIA PARTNERS

MEDICAL SPONSORS

OFFICIAL PARTNERS

STADIUM PARTNERS

DEVELOPMENT SPONSORS CLUB SPONSORS

STADIUM PARTNERS

DEVELOPMENT SPONSORS CLUB SPONSORS

DEVELOPMENT SPONSORS

ACADEMY SPONSORS CLUB COMPETITION SPONSORS

COMPETITION SPONSORS