Following the Sharks’ 29-19 win over the Bulls in the latest South African derby in the URC, here are five takeaways from a gritty game at Loftus Versfeld.

The top line

The action got off to a breathless start, as the Bulls crossed after just three minutes through Jan-Hendrik Wessels. After a period of concerted possession in the Sharks’ 22, a cute offload from Marco van Staden fell into the grateful Bok’s hands, and he strolled in to score.

Repeated Bulls ill-discipline from the resulting kick-off gave the Sharks a crucial lifeline back into the contest, and it eventually saw them pull level through Ethan Hooker, who reaped the rewards of a pinpoint Siya Masuku pass to score out wide.

Trench warfare ensued after this, with neither side able to break the other down up-front. The visitors had the best chance, though, following superb link-up play from Masuku, Lukhanyo Am and Hooker, but it eventually came to nothing. They nearly took the lead through a Jordan Hendrikse penalty too, but his long-range effort drifted wide.

Hendrikse did atone for his earlier miss, though, as he knocked over an easy three-pointer. Bulls counterpart David Kriel nearly responded with one of his own, but his effort struck the upright.

With the clock striking 40, repeated Sharks infringements allowed the Bulls to set-up shop in the 22, but a costly knock-on brought the attack, and the half, to a grinding halt.

The same issues reared their ugly head in the second-half for the Sharks too. Repeated penalties at the maul saw both Jason Jenkins and Corne Rahl sent to the sin-bin, and the Bulls quickly rubbed salt into this gaping wound as Johan Grobbelaar dotted down for a try.

Things were quickly spiralling out of control up-front for the visitors too, and Ntuthuko Mchunu became the third Shark sent to the naughty step shortly after.

For all of the Bulls’ work up-front, it was the Sharks who made the next dent in the scoreboard through Hendrikse, who finished off a sublime counter-attack.

Again, the Bulls’ inability to take their chances came back to haunt them, as the Sharks added two tries through Tino Mavesere and Yaw Penxe.

The hosts added one consolation through Grobbelaar at the end, but it was too little too late as the Sharks held on to claim maximum points.

Sharks survive despite rampaging Bulls pack

To call the Bulls pack brutal would probably be doing them a disservice, in all honesty. The Bulls were utterly dominant up front throughout the game, to the point where they made referee Marius van der Westhuizen send three – yes three – Sharks players to the sin-bin in the second-half.

It just seemed in every forward department, the scrum and the maul in particular, the Bulls were getting the better of the Sharks, but yet, they just couldn’t take their chances and that eventually came back to haunt them at full-time. It just seemed like the Sharks had this ability to wriggle out of any dangerous position, and their two second-half scores came as a direct result of some fantastic counter-attacks.

The Sharks just played with a better intent and desire than their hosts, which saw them close out a famous win, but the Bulls will absolutely be kicking themselves.

Siya Masuku makes Boks point

Sharks fly-half Siya Masuku was potentially unlucky to miss out on the Springboks alignment camp this week, but he certainly used it as fuel with a delicious performance against the Bulls.

The back, who has not won a Test cap for the Boks despite being called into the wider squad under Rassie Erasmus a number of times, was right at the heart of everything the Sharks did well. He just effortlessly pulled the strings to get his side on the front foot, but crucially he injected himself into the play at exactly the right time to make a real difference. Take the assist to Ethan Hooker for their opener – he guided his side into striking distance before then coming into the fold and executing a delicious wide pass to the winger.

Around this too, his kicking game was simply superb. He came up with some wonderful attacking kicks to pile the pressure on the Bulls, and he combined this beautifully with some clever exit kicks from his own half too.

This performance, particularly against an experienced Springbok in the form of Willie le Roux – albeit not an out-and-out 10 – will certainly get him back up Erasmus’ pecking order a touch. He showed today that he can play the style that would work within Tony Brown’s new attacking shape, but also had that calmness and composure to deliver on his basics too.

Just a really, really good display from the Boks hopeful.

Sharks front-row injury concerns

The game took its toll on the Sharks’ front-row unit, as Trevor Nyakane and Bongi Mbonambi both came off in the first half.

Springboks cult hero Nyakane looked to have picked up a freakish Achilles injury early into the game, and after seeing him writhing in pain and later being helped off by multiple physios, he could be set for a significant spell on the sidelines.

Front-row colleague Mbonambi took a blow to the knee early on, and later took a bang on the head, too, and was withdrawn for a HIA.

Bok watch

As always with any South African derby, there were plenty of players who would have caught the attention of Erasmus.

For the hosts, Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Marco van Staden impressed with a physically imposing performance, and notably combined for the opening score. Wilco Louw was in fine scrummaging touch as he repeatedly tore through the Sharks, and Johan Grobbelaar also stood out with a brace.

Aside from Masuku, Ethan Hooker has given his Boks chances a boost with a strong try-scoring performance. Lukhanyo Am, deployed at 12 today, was as classy as ever and came up with some nice flourishes at pivotal moments. Grant Williams also made a decent impression, combining well with Masuku to get the Sharks out of some tricky positions.