The Sharks overcame a turgid first half to claw their way to a vital 22-19 United Rugby Championship win over Ulster in Belfast on Saturday night. The Durbanites were 19-0 down after half an hour, and looked like they hadn’t rocked up for kickoff. It was not an excuse that Springbok legend Eben Etzebeth was a late withdrawal because of flu, with a late reshuffle seeing Vincent Tshituka moving from flank to lock and his brother, Manu, taking his place in the loose trio. The Tshituka brothers were arguably the best Sharks players on the field.
Shortly after kickoff, a two-try burst by the pumped-up home team rocked the Sharks onto the back foot. First flyhalf Jack Murphy scored, and then centre Jude Postlethwaite finished off a counter-attack after a Sharks probe into the Ulster 22 had come unstuck. The Sharks looked fast asleep, and it was a big worry when the Ulster scrum steamrolled over their opponents in the first set piece. The lineout also creaked at the first throw-in, and when Jordan Hendrikse dropped an up-and-under, it confirmed a team in disarray.
It took 30 minutes for the Sharks to fashion a meaningful attack, only for it to end badly. Ulster counter-rucked under pressure in their 22, won the ball, worked it on the blindside, and 70 metres later, scrumhalf Nathan Doak scored at the other end of the field. The Sharks frantically fought back, and it was beefy lock Jason Jenkins who broke through the defence and stampeded 20 metres before being tackled. Ulster fullback Jacob Stockdale illegally tried to steal the ball, but it went back to Jaden Hendrikse, and he looped a wide pass to the corner for Makazole Mapimpi to dart over.
Stockdale was yellow-carded for his indiscretion, and the deficiency in defence seemed to have been exploited by the Sharks when they took the ball through the phases until Mapimpi went over in the 39th minute, but the TMO contentiously ruled a forward pass in the build-up. Replays showed that the final pass from Aphelele Fassi to Mapimpi was flat at worst, but the officials seemed to be influenced by the crowd’s appeal for a forward pass. The poor call was crucial, and the Sharks went into the shed 19-5 in arrears, and with a mountain to climb.
The visitors were much better in the second half, but several good opportunities were squandered by untidy work at the breakdown, where Ulster won several crucial turnovers. To be fair to the Sharks, they manfully stuck to the task, and eventually they secured enough phase play for Vincent Tshituka to crash over. It was 19-12 at the three-quarter mark and the Sharks had hope.
Ten minutes before time, Jurenzo Julius, on for Lukhanyo Am, boogied through the defence to complete the Sharks’ best build-up of the game. Jordan Hendrikse’s conversion made it 19-19. With three minutes to go, Hendrikse kicked the three points to secure the spoils. The Sharks took four points in a game in Belfast on April 26, 2025, while Ulster got a losing bonus-point.
Ulster’s bid to reach the United Rugby Championship Play-Offs suffered what could prove a mortal blow as they managed to cough up what had been a 19-0 lead to lose by just three points. There was so much to admire from their endeavour and the way they had managed most of the first half but, following Nathan Doak’s try on the half hour, Richie Murphy’s men failed to score again as the star-laden Sharks racked up 22 on the scoreboard without reply.
While Ulster led 19–5 at half-time, the second half was all Sharks, who fought back to claim a 22–19 win. The Sharks showed grit to fight back from a 19–5 deficit against Ulster at the break. The Sharks recovered well from a stunning Ulster start, gradually winning momentum back in the second half and securing a 22–19 victory in their United Rugby Championship match at Kingspan Stadium in Belfast.
Ulster were dominant in the set-pieces and aerial play, leading 19–5 at half-time before a Sharks resurgence saw Ulster lose their last game played at home before the URC play-offs. The Sharks felt the absence of Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth in the lineouts. Named captain for the day, he was withdrawn at the last minute due to flu. Vincent Tshituka stepped in at No 4, but the Sharks struggled, losing several lineouts as a result.
Still, the star-studded Sharks featured 11 Springboks in their starting XV. But they often lacked the killing instinct to finish their opportunities, only clawing their way back into the game through grit and repeated efforts. Ulster came out guns blazing, scoring two tries in the first 10 minutes. Jack Murphy scored the first after a good line break from fullback Jacob Stockdale, while Jude Postlethwaite scored the second try after a charge down.
The score remained unchanged until the 29th minute, when Ulster’s Nathan Doak scored a converted try after a Stockdale kick-and-chase. The Sharks finally responded in the 33rd minute, Makazole Mapimpi scoring from an overlap. In the process, Stockdale received a yellow card for a cynical foul. The Sharks looked to capitalise on the extra man with another overlap try, but it was disallowed due to a forward pass. The Sharks trailed by 14 points at half-time.
The Durban side gained more possession and momentum in the second half but twice lost the ball just metres from the Ulster try line. On their third attempt, Emmanuel Tshituka crashed over for a converted try in the 60th minute. Jurenzo Julius danced between defenders to score the Sharks’ third try in the 69th minute. The score was tied 19–19 with 10 minutes to play. At this point, the Sharks seemed the favourites to wrestle the win.
They took the lead for the first time with three minutes left on the clock. It was courtesy of a Jordan Hendrikse penalty. The Sharks held onto possession for the final minutes to secure the win. The final score was Sharks 22 (Makazole Mapimpi, Vincent Tshituka, Jurenzo Julius tries; Jordan Hendrikse 2 conversions, 1 penalty) and Ulster 19 (Jack Murphy, Jude Postlethwaite, Nathan Doak tries; Murphy 2 conversions).
