United Rugby Championship Round 5: South African Team of the Week

The Stormers head into the break for international rugby as one of the top teams in the competition with five wins from their first five matches of the season.

The Sharks will also be happy with their work over the weekend after picking up their first win of the campaign, while the Lions moved into the top 8 for the first time this season with an impressive victory over Ulster.

There were also some good performances from several Bulls players despite them going down to a strong Glasgow side away from home.

URC Round 5 SA Team of the Week

15 Willie le Roux (Bulls)

For the second week in a row, the Bulls' seasoned fullback proved he still has plenty of gas in the tank. Le Roux ran for over 70 metres in 10 carries, with a clean line break and a crucial try just after half time to give the men from Pretoria the lead and some much-needed momentum.

14 Eduan Keyter (Lions)

Only played 62 minutes for the Lions but such was his impact that he was still the top South African 14 in Round 5. He ran for nearly 70 metres, with a key offload and made seven tackles in a strong all-round performance. Scored a lovely try in the eighth minute to regain the lead for his side.

13 Henco van Wyk (Lions)

Was an important defensive cog for the Lions, not missing a single tackle all game, while also chipping in with some solid ball carrying. Scored a try in the 71st minute to push the Lions into a commanding position to close out the game.

12 Damian Willemse (Stormers)

Was a demon on defence for the Stormers with 15 tackles throughout the game. Uncharacteristically did not offer as much on attack but still did enough while defending to stand out among the South African inside centres this week.

11 Stravino Jacobs (Bulls)

Jacobs did everything he could to help the Bulls in a losing cause against Glasgow. Scored their opening try of the match and was full of running all game with nearly 100 metres gained in total.

10 Jurie Matthee (Stormers)

Played an outstanding game in the absence of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. Scored 21 of the Stormers' 31 points, including a try in the 48th minute which put the Stormers ahead. Dictated tempo well and controlled territory with some clever kicking out of hand.

9 Johan Mulder (Cardiff)

Was the star on all sides of the ball for Cardiff in their narrow victory over Edinburgh. Was involved in all three of the Welsh side's tries, while also making nine tackles and forcing two turnovers at the breakdown.

8 Emmanuel Tshituka (Sharks)

Scored the second try of the game for the Sharks to regain the lead and marshalled the forwards well from the back of the scrums and mauls. Was strong with ball in hand and made seven carries with one clean line break.

7 Ruan Venter (Lions)

Scored an important try just after half-time to put the Lions ahead and get them back on the front foot. Ran for over 50 metres in 13 carries with ball in hand while also pulling his weight on defence.

6 Marcell Coetzee (Bulls)

Put in an absolutely titanic performance on defence with an astounding 20 tackles and only one missed all game. Did more than his fair share in a losing effort for the Bulls.

5 Ruan Nortje (Bulls)

While the Bulls might have been beaten on the day, their set pieces were tight and effective with Nortje controlling the lineouts. He also made a lot of tackles and did his best to distribute possession with 13 passes.

4 Jean Kleyn (Munster)

Hit the gainline hard with ball in hand, made 14 big tackles and did not put a foot wrong at lineout time. While it might not have been a standout performance per se, he was easily one of the top South African locks in Round 5 of the URC.

3 Morne Smith (Bulls)

While they may not have got the better of Glasgow on the scoreboard, the Bulls absolutely dominated the Scots at scrum time. Smith scrummed Scotland international Jamie Bhatti out of the game and his replacement Nathan McBeth didn't fare much better, picking up a late yellow card.

2 Johan Grobbelaar (Bulls)

Did not miss a single lineout throw all game and pulled his weight at the front of an impressive scrum unit. Almost played the entire game in what was a physically draining encounter, as well as making a staggering 26 tackles.

1 Ox Nche (Sharks)

Was named Man of the Match in the Sharks game against Scarlets. Turned the scrums into a weapon for the Durban men while also chipping in with eight tackles and consistently hitting rucks hard in his 64 minutes on the pitch.

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