Seabelo Senatla shines despite Stormers' defeat to Glasgow Warriors
Winger Seabelo Senatla's remarkable resilience was once again on display for the Stormers against Glasgow Warriors.
The Stormers may have struggled for positives after their 36-18 humbling against the Glasgow Warriors in the United Rugby Championship quarter-final on Friday, but winger Seabelo Senatla's performance was one of the silver linings to a dark cloud for head coach John Dobson.
Senatla's early yellow card at the Scotstoun Stadium in Scotland proved costly for the visitors from the Cape. In the time he was off the field, Glasgow scored two tries.
The former Springbok Sevens star seemed determined to make amends on his return from the bin, scoring two tries that brought his team right back into the match as he energised the Stormers attack.
He showed the kind of indomitable spirit that has seen him overcome personal tragedy. A horiffic car crash in 2023 sidelined him from the game for more than a year, threatening to end his career.
"Sabelo was magic. He was very obviously our best player," head coach Dobson said in the aftermath of the disappointing defeat.
"I'm very chuffed for him, given what he's been through. That was brilliant.
"I don't think we rolled over, we just made so many mistakes; Sasha running with ball and it just pops out of his hand. That was our evening."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
10 hours ago
- IOL News
Sharks draw confidence from Loftus wins ahead of URC semi-final
Vincent Tshituka embraces Fez Mbatha after the Sharks beat Munster in the URC quarter-final this past weekend. Photo: BackpagePix Image: Backpagepix The Sharks will have no fear when they travel to Loftus Versfeld for the United Rugby Championship (URC) semi-final on Saturday, thanks to their happy memories of winning their last two matches at the Bulls' fortress. In sport, it can be argued that what happened in the past often has little bearing on the present. However, the collective memory banks at the Sharks include a URC win in Pretoria in February and a heroic Currie Cup victory last September. The latter win was a significant psychological blow to the Bulls, who had set their sights on winning the Currie Cup. Instead, they were beaten on home turf by a Sharks side that went on to clinch the trophy a week later at Ellis Park, against the luckless Lions. This week's URC semi-final is not comparable to an international team travelling to Eden Park in Auckland, where the All Blacks have remained unbeaten for 100 games. That is a proper mental obstacle for visiting teams. In contrast, most of the Sharks team travelling to Loftus featured in that bizarre Currie Cup win late last year. It was big man Trevor Nyakane who scored a try deep into extra time to force a 40-40 draw. The Sharks progressed to the final on the technicality that they had scored six tries to the Bulls' four. Nyakane — still at the Sharks but currently recovering from a long-term injury — never scored a try in his three seasons at the Bulls, but crossed the line in that match to silence Loftus. His famous post-match dance jig added insult to injury. After securing the Currie Cup title, the Sharks went on to win the Challenge Cup. Head coach John Plumtree later admitted that the season-defining moment for his team was the Currie Cup victory at Loftus, where they were reduced to 12 players at one point.
The Citizen
12 hours ago
- The Citizen
PICTURES: The best from the world of sport over the past weekend
PICTURES: The best from the world of sport over the past weekend Here is a selection of the best sporting pictures from around the world over the last weekend. Harold Vorster of the Bulls on his way to scoring a try during their United Rugby Championship quarterfinal against Edinburgh at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday. Picture: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images Fez Mbatha of the Sharks is helped over the tryline by his captain Eben Etzebeth during their United Rugby Championship quarterfinal against Munster at Kings Park in Durban on Saturday. Picture: Steve Haag/Gallo Images Paris Saint-Germain captain Marquinhos lifts the Uefa Champions League trophy surrounded by team-mates at the at the Parc des Princes Stadium on Sunday after they beat Inter Milan 5-0 in the final in Munich on Saturday. Picture: Thibaud Moritz/AFP Paris Saint-Germain's players light smoke flares as they parade on a bus on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris a day after they won the Champions League. Picture: Thibaud Moritz/AFP Pyramids' Egyptian defender Ahmed Samy raises the trophy as his team-mates celebrate winning the CAF Champions League final against Mamelodi Sundowns at 30 June Stadium in Cairo on June 1, 2025. Picture: Khaled Desouki / AFP McLaren's Australian driver Oscar Piastri crosses the finish line to win the Formula One Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo on Sunday. Picture: Albert Gea/AFP Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka celebrates after beating American Amanda Anisimova in the fourth round of the French Open at Roland Garros Complex on Sunday. Picture: Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP Frances Tiafoe of the US serves to Germany's Daniel Altmaier during their fourth round match at the French Open at Roland Garros on Sunday. Picture: Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP Team Visma-Lease a Bike's British rider Simon Yates kisses the Giro d'Italia trophy wearing the pink jersey of the overall winner after the 21st and last stage in Rome on Sunday. Picture: Luca Bettini/AFP England's Joe Root celebrates after hitting the winning runs to win the second one-day international against the West Indies at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on Sunday. Picture: Paul Ellis/AFP Siyakholwa Kuse (right) and Samuel Salva trade punches during their fight at the Coronation Boxing Tournament at Emperors Palace on Saturday. Picture: James Gradidge/Gallo Images Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia celebrate their victory against Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae of South Korea in their men's doubles final match at the Singapore Open badminton tournament in Singapore on Sunday. Picture: Roslan Rahman/AFP
The Citizen
13 hours ago
- The Citizen
OPINION: Bulls and Sharks sure to bring in the fans — at a better kick-off time
At least the game kicks off at a more regular time this weekend, as opposed to the lunchtime kickoff against Edinburgh. Well, what a weekend that was of United Rugby Championship action! And as things stand the top four teams after the regular season have advanced to the semifinals – exactly what the organisers would have hoped for. Top-placed Leinster will host fourth-placed Glasgow Warriors, who are also the defending champions, while the second-placed Bulls will host third-placed Sharks, in the last four. This last weekend everything went as expected, for the most part, with all the home teams winning, but few could have predicted the drama in Durban, with a first-ever kick-off to determine the winner. How very exciting that was, and now everyone knows who Bradley Davids is. Well done to the Sharks, but they will be up against it this weekend at Loftus, playing against a Bulls team determined to finally win the URC. Semifinals Thankfully this weekend's big local semifinal kicks off at the more appropriate time of 6.15pm, which gives fans enough time to watch their kids in action on Saturday before heading to Loftus. It is odd that last Saturday's quarterfinal against Edinburgh kicked off at 1.30pm, especially considering the Bulls finished second on the log and should surely have been given a later kick-off. Because, let's be honest, who's actually ready to go to a big URC quarterfinal at midday or lunchtime on a Saturday? Not too many fans, I believe, who have things to do in the morning, and also possibly have kids of their own playing sport. It wasn't the best crowd that Loftus could have had on Saturday, but let's hope it's bigger and better this weekend. I'm sure it will be … and the Bulls deserve a big crowd backing them, after the season they've had, and this game potentially their last at home in the competition. It promises to be a thrilling match, because while the Sharks haven't been great this season, they did finish third on the final points table, and are in the semifinals, and now anything can happen. The good news is South Africa will have a finalist for the fourth season in a row – but who will the Bulls or Sharks face – Leinster or Glasgow, and will that final be in Dublin, Pretoria or Durban?
