Hollywoodbets Sharks vs Munster by Sharks Uncaged

HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS VS MUNSTER RUGBY

PERFECTLY POISED FOR PLAYOFF PUSH

They need at least five wins from six to qualify for the VURC playoffs. That leaves little margin for error and is a tall order, for sure. However, with several stars back in harness and four fixtures at home in The Tank, the Hollywoodbets Sharks are up for the challenge…

The heat is on. In more ways than one. Having arrived from a rainy and chilly Limerick in Ireland, the Munster boys can expect temperatures to soar past 30 degrees, as well as 100 percent humidity, in the Shark Tank today.

Today’s big Vodacom United Rugby Championship clash between the Hollywoodbets Sharks has been dubbed a “grudge match” following the penalty shoot-out drama that ensued during the VURC quarter-final at the very same venue last May.

It was a brutal struggle from start to finish, with the sides level-pegged on 24-24 after 20 minutes of extra time and eventually had to be decided by a place-kicking shootout. Munster ultimately lost out courtesy of a 6-4 tally to the Hollywoodbets Sharks in the kicking contest.

It was towards the end of the shoot-out that events threatened to spiral out of control.

Having converted his second attempt at goal, Jaden Hendrikse dropped to the deck with what appeared to be cramping. Medical personnel arrived to treat Hendrikse adjacent to where Munster sharpshooter Jack Crowley was supposed to have his second crack at goal.

TV footage later showed Hendrikse lying on the ground, winking at Crowley, after there had earlier been a spot of sledging between the two players during the kicking contest.

Crowley nevertheless succeeded with his kick, while Hendrikse, who had played the full 100 minutes, including the 20 minutes of extra time, indeed suffered severe cramping in both his calves, which prevented him from putting one foot in front of the other. Hence, the fact that he dropped down on the spot.

With so much at stake and everything on a knife-edge, the situation was probably wrested out of context, while Hendrikse’s wink escalated things. People who know the 25-year-old Springbok halfback - he

turns 26 on Monday - will, however, tell you that he is a bit of a jester and there was nothing malicious in his gesture.

For the Hollywoodbets Sharks, though, there is far more at stake today than settling the score of who should’ve won last year, or Hendrikse’s cheeky wink.

The Durban-based outfit, following a coaching change of guard in mid-season, recently recorded sensational back-to-back victories over archrivals, the Stormers, but then got unstuck against the Lions and Bulls away from home. Hence, they are languishing in 11th spot on the VURC table and have their work cut out to reach the top eight.

To be sure, winning against Munster has become non-negotiable for the Hollywoodbets Sharks, who are welcoming back a host of Springboks.

Considering that they are within 10 championship points of the Vodacom Bulls in eighth position, JP Pietersen’s side is still very much in the race. They simply need to recapture the intensity and physicality with which they blew the Stormers off the park on consecutive weekends, as they take on Irish giants, Munster.

"WITH SO MUCH AT STAKE AND EVERYTHING ON A KNIFE-EDGE,..."

Another home fixture is scheduled for this coming Friday, March 27, against Cardiff, before the boys head back to the UK for crucial away assignments against Ospreys and Edinburgh.

The Hollywoodbets Sharks are back in action at Hollywoodbets Kings Park in early May to conclude their regular season against Italian outfits, Benetton and Zebre Parma.

The race to the eight is on!

WORDS: ALBERT HEENOP

A WARRIOR AND A CENTURION

Makazole Mapimpi reaches a major milestone today when he runs on for his 100th cap in the colours of the Hollywoodbets Sharks…

Time flies almost as quickly as this 35-year-old scorches down the Hollywoodbets Kings Park touchline.

It feels like just yesterday when Makazole Mapimpi first arrived in the Shark Tank from the Cheetahs in 2018. Barely a year later, the dynamic and utterly determined winger, who made his test debut that same year at the ripe age of 27 years, immortalised himself in the Springbok saga by becoming the first Bok player to record a try in a Rugby World Cup final.

The occasion was the final of the global showpiece in 2019, against England, when, in the 66th minute, Mapimpi stabbed the ball ahead for Lukhanyo Am to collect and pass back to him to score the opening try in South Africa’s sensational 32-12 victory.

Since then, Mapimpi has established himself as the third-highest try-scorer in Springbok history, behind Bryan Habana and Joost van der Westhuizen, with 33 tries in 47 tests, at a tryscoring ratio of 70 percent.

He has also been a serial scorer for the Hollywoodbets Sharks over the past eight seasons, and last year broke current coach JP Pietersen’s record of 39 tries when he crossed for the match-winning score in a VURC encounter with Edinburgh in the capital of Scotland.

Recently, when launching his own clothing label, elevè, Mapimpi stated on social media that growth doesn’t come from comfort.

“It comes from courage.”

His story is indeed a classic rags-to-riches tale that oozes courage.

In Chasing the Sun, the powerful documentary series that takes viewers behind the scenes in the Boks’ quest for RWC glory in 2019, an emotional Rassie Erasmus (Bok coach) elaborates on Mapimpi’s fairy-tale path to glory, from his rural rearing in the Eastern Cape village of Tsholomnqa.

“On the back of your jersey, there are numbers where you could have photos of family members,”

Erasmus explained.

“He (Mapimpi) only had photos of himself. “I asked, ‘Why are you doing this?’ and he said, ‘I’ve got nobody’.

“You know his brother died, his mother died, he doesn’t have a photo (of them)…

“He just has a massive heart. Massive heart.”

In November 2024, when Mapimpi ran in a brilliant brace of tries for South Africa against Scotland at Murrayfield, Erasmus added:

“It will be sad the day when Mapimpi is done because he always produces.”

Produce, Mapimpi certainly has over the past eight years, both for the Springboks and Hollywoodbets Sharks.

And now, he is on the threshold of joining an elite group of players to have achieved a century of caps for the Hollywoodbets Sharks. As always, Mapimpi is modesty personified and will take the major milestone merely in his stride. Striding towards the goal-line, no doubt!

A man of few words, the one phrase that regularly comes up when interviewing Makazole Mapimpi is: “The team always comes first.”

HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS PLAYER PROFILES HOLLYWOODBETS

04/05/1989

1.78m

TSHITUKA NICK HATTON

10/11/1998 HEIGHT: 1.95m BORN: 17/01/2003 HEIGHT: 1.91m WEIGHT: 107KG WEIGHT: 103KG GRANT WILLIAMS BORN: 22/06/1996 HEIGHT: 1.74m WEIGHT: 77KG

20/10/2000

RAHL JANNES POTGIETER BRADLEY DAVIDS BORN: 31/08/2004 HEIGHT: 1.86 m BORN: 05/05/2003 HEIGHT: 1.90 m BORN: 29/07/2002 HEIGHT: 1.71m

HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS

LUAN GILIOMEE

PENXE LE ROUX MALAN ANDRE ESTERHUIZEN (C)

MAKAZOLE MAPIMPI

JORDAN HENDRIKSE

GRANT WILLIAMS

NICK HATTON

VINCENT TSHITUKA

PHEPSI BUTHELEZI

EMILE VAN HEERDEN

JASON JENKINS

HANRO JACOBS

MUNSTER RUGBY

MIKE HALEY

COACH

BARNES

MBATHA PHATU GANYANE

SHANE DALY

HANRAHAN (C) ETHAN COUGHLAN

GAVIN COOMBES

HODNETT

EDOGBO

AHERN JEAN KLEYN MICHAEL ALA'ALATOA DIARMUID BARRON

SWART

NCHE VINCENT KOCH CORNE RAHL

JANNES POTGIETER BRADLEY DAVIDS

JEAN SMITH HAKEEM KUNENE

KICK

JOSH WYCHERLEY JOHN RYAN

EDWIN EDOGBO

FINEEN WYCHERLEY

PADDY PATTERSON

DAN KELLY

BRIAN GLEESON

ASSISTANT REFEREES

FERREIRA, JONATHAN LOTTERING

DAVIDSON

MUNSTER RUGBY PLAYER PROFILES

BORN: 05/02/1999 HEIGHT: 1.83m WEIGHT: 115 kg

BORN: 26/08/1993 HEIGHT: 2.03 m WEIGHT: 122 kg

BORN: 10/01/1999

BORN: 13/04/2002 HEIGHT: 1.75 m

BORN: 01/10/1993 HEIGHT: 1.89 m WEIGHT: 99 kg

BORN: 15/02/2001 HEIGHT: 1.91 m

BORN: 08/08/1997 HEIGHT: 1.78 m WEIGHT: 93 kg

BORN: 22/07/1999 HEIGHT: 1.83 m

BORN: 28/06/1994 HEIGHT:1.91 m

BORN: 02/08/1988 HEIGHT: 1.83 m

BORN: 11/12/1997 HEIGHT: 1.96 m

BORN: 21/12/2002 HEIGHT: 1.96 m WEIGHT: 116 kg WEIGHT: 127 kg

BORN: 16/06/2001 HEIGHT: 1.85 m

BORN: 30/11/1998 HEIGHT: 1.75 m

116

BORN: 05/02/2004 HEIGHT: 1.93 m WEIGHT: 96 kg

WEIGHT: 75 kg

GAVIN COOMBES

DIARMUID BARRON

MICHAEL ALA'ALATOA

TOM AHERN

ETHAN COUGHLAN

MICHAEL MILNE

JEAN KLEYN

JOHN HODNETT

FINEEN WYCHERLEY

EDWIN EDOGBO

CALVIN NASH

TOM FARRELL

MIKE HALEY

JOSH WYCHERLEY

LEE BARRON

JOHN RYAN

DAN KELLY

BRIAN GLEESON

LOOSE FORWARD

SCRUM-HALF

PADDY PATTERSON

MAJOR MATCHUP HENDRIKSE VS HANRAHAN

The hero of the Hollywoodbets Sharks’ Carling Currie Cup final triumph against the Lions at Ellis Park in 2024, with his monster pressure kick at the death, Jaden Hendrikse is the man in possession of the No. 10 jumper at the moment.

He performed meritoriously in the back-to-back VURC wins against the Stormers seven weeks ago, converting six tries and succeeding with three penalty goals across the two games, while his general play contributed greatly to the Hollywoodbets Sharks’ stunning performances.

Today’s outing against Munster is crucial with a view to the Durbanbased side’s hopes of making the playoffs, and Hendrikse is once again required to fulfil a vital playmaking and goal-kicking role.

A sharpshooter of note, JJ Hanrahan leads Munster as captain for the first time in his 155th appearance for the club.

A former Ireland Schools and U20 international, he nailed 10 kicks from 10 attempts in 2014 when Munster hammered Cardiff 54-13, and he was named Munster Young Player of the Year that same season.

Hanrahan represented Emerging Ireland in their triumphant Nations Cup campaign in 2014 and signed a two-year deal with Northampton Saints in 2015, turning out on more than 30 occasions for the Premiership outfit. The 33-year-old won the PRO14 Golden Boot a second time in 2020, having been successful with 50/55 kicks.

FREQUENT FLYERS TO ‘DUR’ FACTS, STATS & TRIVIA

Munster’s arrival in Durban earlier this week marked the Irish gi-ants’ 11th visit to South Africa since 2018, and today will be their fifth appearance in the Shark Tank…

With a new head coach in the form of New Zealand-born Clayton McMillan at the helm, Munster will next Saturday also tackle the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld. Of the 16 matches Munster have played on SA soil over the past eight years, including three playoffs across the VURC and Investec Champions Cup, the 2022-23 VURC champions have won eight, lost six and drawn two.

Did you know:

* Durban is the most frequent venue for Munster in the Republic, with two regular-season VURC matches, last year’s dramatic VURC quarter-final, and an Investec Champions Cup round of 16 clash between the Hollywoodbets Sharks and Munster staged at Hollywoodbets Kings Park.

* During the 2022-23 season, Munster visited South Africa three times in two months, spending four weeks over here. That spell culminated in Munster clinching the VURC title with a 19-14 victory over the Stormers in the grand final in Cape Town.

* On April 1, 2023, the Hollywoodbets Sharks hammered Munster 5035 in an Investec Champions Cup round of 16 encounter in Durban, but three weeks later the Irish fought back from 3-22 down to force a 22-22 draw in a VURC match at the same venue.

* In 2024, the Hollywoodbets Sharks achieved another convincing 41 24 win against Munster in the VURC, but last year’s quarter-final will forever be remembered for the home side winning a dramatic penalty shoot-out after the final scores were locked 24-24