Kolisi playing like a real captain every week, but that EW Viljoen chip ...

SP Marais 6.5/10: He scored all of the Stormers’ points… not like there were a lot, but still... Stunning offload in the tackle to Leyds in the first quarter – his offloading game was on point in general. Perfectly-timed kick to touch in the second. He made a lot of carries and didn’t do too badly in the metres-gained department either. Made some good passes. Conceded a turnover. Missed a penalty to touch, although the Sharks had already wrapped up the game by then.

Cheslin Kolbe 6.5: He was good under the high ball. Stunning step, run and chip kick down touch after receiving a flick from De Allende at pace next to touch. And that run down touch in the last few minutes was tops…that stepping all around S’bu Nkosi was something else.

EW Viljoen 5: Knocked the ball on early on, and missed a tackle on Johan Deysel as the No 12 quickly changed his running angle with a step before going over for the try. Fine run and step in the first half. That little chip kick that went off the side of his boot was too short and went straight into Sharks’ hands – in opposition 22 – again, turning over possession at a crucial time. He didn’t make a lot of tackles, and usually that’s one of his strongest contributions.

Damian de Allende 6: Great break and run in the first half. Made a few strong carries and he got a few good passes away, that quick flick to Viljoen in the first quarter, short outside pass to Leyds before half time and a quick flick to Kolbe in the second were great. He didn’t make a lot of tackles and missed four, one of them being on Nkosi as he sprinted through for his try. Had the ball ripped away on the tryline after that decoy runner mess-up in the second half.

Dillyn Leyds 6.5: Good run after that way-over-the-top lineout throw by Bongi Mbonambi in the first half. Did well to win the aerial battle with Kobus van Wyk, but he lost it forward right afterwards. Lost it forward in the tackle on Sharks’ five before half time. Got a few good passes away. Made a lot of handling errors. Great run down touch with two minutes to go, followed by a nice pass to Kolbe.

Kurt Coleman 5: He showed no signs of getting the Stormers going and made no real impact. That aimless kick in the first half allowed Garth April to produce a beautiful clearance kick that gained great ground for the Sharks. Missed a few tackles. Did well to secure a high ball and stay on his feet until support players arrived.

Jano Vermaak 6: Knocked the ball on early on. Put great pressure on Garth April with one of his clearance kicks. I don’t know what to say about that kick after a lineout that was charged down (it led to a try) – and to make it even worse he got bulldozed out the way by Daniel du Preez afterwards as he was made to pay for his poor body position in the tackle. Great run after taking a quick tap in the first quarter.

NizaamCarr 6.5: He was the Stormers’ top tackler and didn’t miss a single tackle. Also made a few good carries.

Siya Kolisi 7.5: Captaincy seems to be his thing!. He was again one of the top performers on the field. He made huge, driving-back tackles and just didn’t stop working. Great intercept of Ruan Botha’s offload that gave the Stormers possession. Top break and hand-off in the second quarter. Fantastic run straight through the middle before half time.

Kobus van Dyk 6: He made a lot of tackles and a few nice carries. He could have made more of a physical impact on the ground since that’s the main reason he’s there.

Pieter-Steph du Toit 5: He got cleaned off a couple of rucks and one of their lineout balls was just too easily poached by Ruan Botha. High tackle on Franco Marais. Lost the ball forward after good work by Etzebeth. Why couldn’t he just get the ball away after securing possession at a lineout on their five-metre line just before half time?

The Sharks fully deserved the try they got from that shocking turnover.

Eben Etzebeth 6.5: Beautifully gathered Kolbe’s restart kick and handled the ball well after that. Made a lot of strong carries. Made his tackles.

Frans Malherbe 6: Nice tap back of the ball after that horrible Stormers lineout in the first quarter. Great contribution on defence, but the same can’t be said about his involvement in open play.

Bongi Mbonambi 5: Whenever tackles needed to be made he was there, well, most of the time.

But damn, I don’t know what to say about his lineout throwing anymore.

Oli Kebble 6.5: Penalised for illegal binding early on and for not rolling away just before half time. Made three good runs. Nice little step and run past Ruan Botha in the first half.