The Sharks beat Cardiff 36-21 at Cardiff Arms Park on Friday to get their URC campaign back on track, but the victory came at a cost after André Esterhuizen was forced off in the opening minute with what appeared to be a serious ankle injury, leaving the field on crutches with his right foot in a moon boot.
Esterhuizen rolled his ankle on landing from the game's first aerial contest and did not return. Despite losing their captain almost immediately, the Sharks were quickest out of the blocks, with Jurenzo Julius carving through a gap and offloading to Ethan Hooker, who scored in the second minute.
Cardiff responded through Josh Adams after Le Roux Malan cut through the Sharks defence and moved the ball wide, but the Sharks reasserted control. Matt Romao ran a sharp line for the second try, and a powerful maul set up Jason Jenkins to make it three before half-time. The Sharks led 17-7 at the break.
Cardiff came back strongly after the interval, with James Botham scoring twice to put the home side ahead in the 58th minute. The Sharks' response was decisive — Thomas du Toit crossed for the bonus-point try to reclaim the lead, then Ethan Bester finished off another driving maul in the 74th minute, and Romao capped his brace late on to seal the win.
Romao's two tries and Jurenzo Julius's consistent damage with ball in hand were the standout individual contributions, with Zekhethelo Siyaya also lively throughout at fullback.
Sharks tries: Hooker, Romao 2, Jenkins, Du Toit, Bester. Conversions: Lombard 2, Masuku. Cardiff tries: Adams, Botham 2. Conversions: Evans 3.