Edinburgh Rugby edged out the Hollywoodbets Sharks 33–28 in a thrilling Round 16 United Rugby Championship (URC) clash at Hive Stadium on Friday, 24 April 2026. The loss dealt a significant blow to the Sharks' ambitions of securing a top-eight playoff spot, leaving them languishing near the bottom of the standings.
The encounter unfolded as a classic tale of two halves. After reaching halftime level at 14–14, the Sharks briefly surged ahead to 21–14 early in the second half thanks to a Vincent Koch try. However, Edinburgh quickly turned the tide with a stunning three-try burst in just eight minutes, taking command of the contest. Despite total dominance at scrum time in the first half, the Sharks were hurt by a lack of discipline and handling errors in their own half.
The Sharks started strongest, controlling the scrum. Edwill van der Merwe opened the scoring with a wide try (converted by Jean Smith).
Edinburgh responded through hooker Ewan Ashman from close range (Cammy Scott converted).
Sharks struck back via a rolling maul with Emmanuel (Manu) Tshituka scoring (Smith converted). Before the break, lock Glen Young scored under the posts after a break by Grant Gilchrist, making it 14-14 at half-time.
The Sharks brought on their Springbok "Bomb Squad" (Ox Nché, Vincent Koch, Siya Kolisi) after the halftime break, and Vincent Koch powered over in the 56th minute to put the Sharks 21–14 ahead.
However, Edinburgh responded instantly with a devastating three-try burst in eight minutes to take control:
Mosese Tuipulotu scored in the corner (59th min).
Shortly thereafter, Hector Patterson scored following a charge-down by Ewan Ashman (62nd min).
Darcy Graham finished a brilliant long-range effort (68th min).
With time running out, Vincent Tshituka scored a consolation try for the Sharks on the stroke of full-time (80th min), securing a bonus point for the visitors.
The Sharks left Edinburgh with two bonus points, courtesy of a Vincent Tshituka try on the stroke of full-time. They next face Benetton and Zebre at Kings Park.
The Sharks return home to Kings Park to face Benetton and Zebre in their final matches, fighting for pride and to boost their standing after a disappointing 2025/26 URC campaign.
Scorers:
Edinburgh: Tries: Ewan Ashman, Glen Young, Mosese Tuipulotu, Hector Patterson, Darcy Graham. Conversions: Cammy Scott (2), Ross Thompson (2).
Hollywoodbets Sharks: Tries: Edwill van der Merwe, Emmanuel Tshituka, Vincent Koch, Vincent Tshituka. Conversions: Jean Smith (4)
Teams:
Edinburgh Rugby: 15 Piers O’Conor, 14 Darcy Graham, 13 Mosese Tuipulotu, 12 Findlay Thomson, 11 Malelili Satala, 10 Cammy Scott, 9 Hector Patterson, 8 Tom Currie, 7 Freddy Douglas, 6 Glen Young, 5 Grant Gilchrist (captain), 4 Marshall Sykes, 3 Ollie Blyth-Lafferty, 2 Ewan Ashman, 1 Pierre Schoeman. Replacements: 16 Dylan Richardson, 17 Boan Venter, 18 Paul Hill, 19 Callum Hunter-Hill, 20 Tom Dodd, 21 Charlie Shiel, 22 Ross Thompson, 23 Jack Brown.
Hollywoodbets Sharks: 15 Zekhethelo Siyaya, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Andre Esterhuizen (captain), 12 Siya Masuku, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Jean Smith, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Manu Tshituka, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 Phepsi Buthelezi, 5 Emile van Heerden, 4 Jason Jenkins, 3 Hanro Jacobs, 2 Fez Mbatha, 1 Phatu Ganyane. Replacements: 16 Eduan Swart, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Corne Rahl, 20 Nick Hatton, 21 Siya Kolisi, 22 Bradley Davids, 23 Marnus Potgieter.