23 October 2026
The Hollywood Sharks secured a 36-21 bonus-point victory over Cardiff Rugby at the Arms Park. John Plumtree's charges weathered a fierce second-half fightback and a howling Welsh wind to run in five tries. The Durban-based franchise relied on their heavyweight Springbok power upfront to master the testing conditions and secure maximum points on the road.
The visitors dictated the early physical exchanges, leveraging a dominant set-piece to suffocating effect. A lethal midfield snippet saw Matt Romao slice through the defensive line to score under the uprights before lock Jason Jenkins powered over from a relentless rolling maul just before the interval. Despite Gianni Lombard shaking off the conversion in the heavy gusts, the visitors carried a well-deserved 17-7 lead into the sheds.
Cardiff emerged from the break firing on all cylinders to completely flip the momentum. Quick-fire tries from flanker Alex Mann and James Botham, coupled with the expert boot of Jarrod Evans, saw the hosts snatch a brief 21-17 lead. The home side's resurgence brought the Arms Park faithful to life, forcing the South Africans to dig deep into their defensive reserves.
The Sharks' heavily stacked bench turned the tide back in their favour for the final quarter. Tighthead prop Thomas du Toit rumbled over to wrestle back the lead before hooker Ethan Bester dotted down from another punishing driving maul in the 75th minute. Replacement flyhalf Siya Masuku secured the game with a sublime touchline conversion, and a late turnover allowed Romao to cross for his second try, sealing a definitive 15-point triumph.
Scorers:
Cardiff Rugby: Tries: Josh Adams, James Botham (2). Conversions: Jarrod Evans (3).
Hollywoodbets Sharks: Tries: Ethan Hooker, Matt Romao (2), Jason Jenkins, Thomas du Toit, Ethan Bester. Conversions: Gianni Lombard (2), Siya Masuku.
Teams:
Cardiff Rugby: 15 Cam Winnett, 14 Josh Adams, 13 Le Roux Malan, 12 Steff Emanuel, 11 Harri Millard, 10 Jarrod Evans, 9 Johan Mulder, 8 Taine Basham, 7 James Botham, 6 Alex Mann, 5 Teddy Williams, 4 Josh McNally, 3 Javan Sebastian, 2 Liam Belcher (captain), 1 Scott Sio. Replacements: 16 Evan Lloyd, 17 Danny Southworth, 18 Keiron Assiratti, 19 Tom Manz, 20 Semisi Paea, 21 Aled Davies, 22 Callum Sheedy, 23 Tom Bowen
Hollywoodbets Sharks: 15 Zekhethelo Siyaya, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Jurenzo Julius, 12 André Esterhuizen (c), 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Gianni Lombard, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Nick Hatton, 7 Manu Tshituka, 6 Matt Romao, 5 Emile van Heerden, 4 Jason Jenkins, 3 Hanro Jacobs, 2 Eduan Swart, 1 Phatu Ganyane. Replacements: 16 Ethan Bester, 17 Ox Nché, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 Stephan Lewies, 20 Vincent Tshituka, 21 Ivan van Zyl, 22 Siya Masuku, 23 Jaco Williams.