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SHARKS TAKES INCREDIBLE WIN OVER STORMERS IN VODACOM CUP

Published: 2026-01-25 10:21:23 Last Updated: 2026-01-26 12:07:55

In front of a packed DHL Stadium, the Hollywoodbets Sharks defeated the DHL Stormers 30-19 to break their Vodacom URC drought in Cape Town. The team's performance can be seen as a powerful endorsement of their new coach, JP Pietersen.
Before this match, there was substantial discussion over whether the Sharks' victories over the Vodacom Bulls in the URC and Saracens and Clermont-Auvergne in the Investec Champions Cup truly signified the long-awaited turnaround for the devoted Sharks fans.
The Sharks may need to hold off on celebrating for the next seven days because the teams' rematch is scheduled for Hollywoodbets Kings Park in Durban on Saturday. However, this performance, which ended in a four-try-to-two victory and a full house of log points for the visitors, should be viewed as a huge step in the right direction.
Without a doubt, the Stormers were evil, and it must be acknowledged that this kind of outcome was possible due to the warning signs that have been sounding in the most recent home games. Three weeks ago, they defeated the Bulls here in a titanic rivalry, but last week, they were ineffective against a weaker Leicester Tigers in their away Champions Cup match against Harlequins, even though they ultimately had too much firepower.
The day before the match, their director of rugby, John Dobson, made a troubling statement at a press conference: "Maybe we feel too much pressure (to entertain) when we play at home." Since they returned off a winning run of five games played overseas, where they played pragmatic rugby, it has appeared to this scribe that they have reverted to their previous practice of playing too much loose rugby and too many Hail Mary passes.
The Stormers enjoy discussing their running DNA, but this was published after last week's game as well, so it is not based on hindsight. The winning DNA is undoubtedly what the Stormers' numerous supporters want. There was much too much play in this game that wouldn't have been out of place in a touch game on the beach, and the Sharks, with their strategy and no-nonsense approach, feasted on it.
The Sharks took advantage of what appeared to be another weak start for the Stormers, who made four errors in their own half before Jason Jenkins scored a fantastic driving maul try. In the second half, Phepsi Buthelezi added another goal to round off an outstanding performance by the Sharks flanker, who easily defeated his opponent, No. 6 Paul de Villiers, that day.
Andre Esterhuizen scored the Sharks' third driving maul try in the final ten minutes, their fourth of the match. The Springbok centre was excellent as usual. His ability has skyrocketed since Bok coach Rassie Erasmus began utilising him as a flanker, and he played a significant role in the Sharks' overwhelming victory against their coastal rivals.

Jordan Hendrikse converted the Jenkins try from touch, and the Stormers quickly demonstrated their attacking prowess by winning the ball back off the kickoff, with captain Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu ghosting through to set up Damian Willemse's try on the right. In contrast to his opposite number, Feinberg-Mngomezulu could not convert from touch. However, the Sharks had a cunning percentage strategy up their sleeve, and a solid 60-meter kick from the game's opening scrum exposed Hartzenberg on the right as the cross kick landed safely in the hands of youthful winger Jaco Coetzee, who could sprint over to facilitate the conversion.

When Hendrikse kicked his first of two penalties in the game, the score was 14-5 and shortly 17-5. The Stormers had begun to appear smug; their defence was once again passive, as it had been in the first half of the majority of their home games, and all of a sudden they were chasing. The Sharks, on the other hand, had the early advantage in scrums and were often accurate in their defence. Although they did give up some ball during their own lineouts, they usually controlled that phase.

The Stormers have chased games successfully overseas, most notably the Munster game in Limerick, but they did not perform particularly well in this game due to their constant frenzy and inadequate possession defence.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu consistently produces outstanding moments, and a fast tap penalty was delivered in. With 14 minutes remaining, Damian Willemse put the Stormers back in the game at 17–12. Throughout the remainder of the half, the Stormers appeared to be becoming stronger as they won a string of penalties.

There was a general belief in the press box at halftime that "the Stormers bench will win it," but that rapidly changed when Salmaan Moerat entered the game as a substitute and was sent back to the side of the field after receiving a yellow card. That came after a string of Sharks penalties close to the Stormers' line, and the Sharks got it right and bulldozed over for the Buthelezi try straight after Moerat was eliminated.

It was suddenly a 10-point game once more. The Stormers had multiple opportunities to cut the Sharks' 22-point lead in the second half, but their own dreaded maul simply didn't work, and they weren't helped by a poor all-around lineout effort that kept letting the Sharks get away with it. It was anticipated that the Stormers' maul would cause problems for the Sharks, but on that particular day, the opposite proved true.

It was that kind of game, a traditional South African derby in which unexpected things kept happening. Nevertheless, the Stormers didn't help themselves, and they will have a lot on their minds when they travel to Durban for the rematch the following week.

Article Tags: Viral Rugby Championship Cup Vodacom Stormers Sharks