The Sharks made it two wins from two in the URC with a 26-20 bonus-point victory over Leinster at Kings Park, ending a losing run against the defending champions that stretched back to 2023.
The Sharks scored four tries through Manu Tshituka, Lili Bester, André Esterhuizen and Edwill van der Merwe, with Vusi Moyo kicking three conversions. Leinster, suffering their second defeat on South African soil in as many weekends following last week's loss to the Lions, claimed a losing bonus point through tries from Robbie Henshaw, Thomas Clarkson and Andrew Osborne.
Leinster drew first blood in the 16th minute when Henshaw finished off a patient build-up inside the Sharks' five-metre line, Caspar Gabriel converting for a 7-0 lead. The Sharks' scrum steadily grew in dominance, forcing a run of Leinster penalties before Tshituka found space off the set-piece to level at 7-7. With Clarkson in the sin bin for a scrum infringement, the Sharks moved the ball wide and Bester crossed out wide, Moyo converting from the touchline for a 14-7 half-time lead.
Clarkson returned and immediately crossed from a tap-and-go to cut the deficit to 14-12, then Sam Prendergast, introduced from the bench, kicked a penalty to edge Leinster in front at 15-14. The Sharks' response came through their own bench. Eben Etzebeth sold a dummy and released Esterhuizen to power over, Moyo's conversion restoring a 21-15 lead. Van der Merwe then intercepted a pass and ran clear to seal the bonus point, before Osborne finished a Prendergast cross-kick in the corner for the final margin of 26-20.
Etzebeth was central to the Sharks' second-half control after his introduction, while Bester and Van der Merwe were the standout backs on the night.