The South African teams had yet another great round in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, with three of the four teams claiming impressive wins. This meant that we were left with a lot to choose from when compiling our list of heroes for the week.
Here are our selections:
Vodacom Bulls Hero of the Week: David Kriel
If there is one thing that Bulls coach Jake White values it is versatility. He has often expanded on the need in the modern game for players to play more than one position and David Kriel is the perfect example of that.
Arriving at the Bulls as a fullback, he has played in both centres and the wing but his return to 13 this past weekend, combined with the subtle touches of Willie le Roux and the speed and flair of the wingers Kurt-Lee Arendse and Canan Moodie, was a delight to watch.
Kriel had a hand in at least five of the Bulls nine-try demolition of Ospreys and scored one himself, and certainly revelled in the amount of ball on the front foot he received.
There are so many reasons, and so many heroes in a nine-try win, but Kriel stood out again and again as one of the biggest winners on a big day at Loftus Versfeld.
DHL Stormers Hero of the Week - Salmaan Moerat
There was a stellar performance from Warrick Gelant at fullback and coach John Dobson had high praise afterwards for Damian Willemse, but one of the most influential players in the DHL Stormers’ one-sided win over Leinster was their captain, Salmaan Moerat.
The former national age-group captain has had trouble with injuries in recent times and they kept him from featuring for most of the first half of the season, but Moerat has started to pick up impressive momentum in recent matches.
His ball carrying against Leinster played a big role in giving the Stormers go forward against the Vodacom United Rugby Championship log leaders. With lock partner Ruben van Heerden in equally good form, the Stormers second row bossed their opponents, but it was also Moerat’s captaincy that stood out - his decision to get the scoreboard ticking by kicking penalties for posts rather than for the corner took Leinster quickly out of their comfort zone and the scoreboard forced them to play catch-up.
It took a while for the Stormers to score their second try to add to Ben Loader’s early intercept but when they did it was the determined Moerat who just refused to let anything stand in his way as he barged over near the posts.
Hollywoodbets Sharks Hero of the Week - Siya Masuku
It is hard not to wonder why it took the Sharks coaches so long to give the former Free Stater, Masuku, a run in the Sharks No 10 jersey. The answer is that when he arrived in Durban from Bloemfontein he wasn’t in the physical condition required by new coach John Plumtree.
However, since getting his first opportunity as a replacement in the second half of the home loss to the DHL Stormers, Masuku has made the hard work he put into his conditioning pay off. And the Sharks have benefitted.
Playing much closer to the gainline and therefore asking many more questions of the opposing defences than the man he has displaced, Curwin Bosch, Masuku’s presence has galvanised the Sharks’ attacking game. Put simply, he brings the players around him more into the play, and the Sharks are therefore much more of an attacking threat than they were.
His game against the Scarlets in Llanelli was outstanding, with his kicking, running and distribution all to the fore, but the standouts were the two cross kicks that resulted in wing Werner Kok’s second and third tries.
Emirates Lions Hero of the Week - Jordan Hendrikse
The Lions had a tough time against Munster over the week, but Jordan Hendrikse still managed to catch the eye.
Playing from fullback he was able to bring some excitement coming into the line, while his kicking game from the back created some scrambles for the Munster back three. Showing his competency in yet another position means that his stocks are still on the up as a versatile backline player who can cover mutliple positions, perfect for the six-two split bench the Springboks love so dearly.
Looking good in a losing match is always a sign of class, and for doing just that on Saturday he is our hero of the week.