Following a 15-3 win for the Sharks over Munster in the United Rugby Championship (URC) on Saturday, here’s our five takeaways from Thomond Park.

The top line

The Sharks came, saw and conquered in a thoroughly deserved triumph on the road, ending a perfect tour for JP Pietersen’s charges this month.

Tries from Gianni Lombard and Ivan van Zyl plus a conversion and penalty from the former saw the South Africans seal four points in Limerick.

In reply, all that Munster could muster was a JJ Hanrahan penalty a minute before the interval as they suffered a third defeat this URC campaign.

Victory puts the Sharks in fourth position in the standings while Munster have slipped to 11th at the time of writing (Ospreys v Cardiff ongoing).

Scintillating Siyaya

Remember the name, Zekhethelo Siyaya. This 19-year-old has been a breath of fresh air this season and was electric tonight in tough conditions.

He cut through Munster’s line at will and went agonisingly close to scoring a worldie in the first period but for a non-bounce of the rugby ball.

Siyaya was voted Player of the Match by the watching supporters in a dominant poll, with his post-match interview showing that he is a polite, calm and has a mature head on his shoulders as he learns from the senior players in the team and also ex-Bok wing and current Sharks boss Pietersen.

Tour from heaven

Victory at Cardiff and Munster is a hugely impressive return from the Sharks which comes on the back of an EPCR Challenge Cup win at Lyon.

Pietersen and his coaching group are clearly doing wonderful things at the Durban outfit and what is most impressive is that they are getting positive performances even whilst missing the likes of Springboks Rugby World Cup winners Eben Etzebeth, Andre Esterhuizen and Makazole Mapimpi.

Gone are the days of the under-performing Sharks it appears as there is a real drive throughout the entire squad to win every single battle on the rugby field this season and it’s translating into wins. They look a side connected that is well balanced and motoring very much in the right direction.

The squad posed for a photograph on the field as they captured a special moment in their journey together. One senses there are more to come.

Munster woes continue

On the flipside, what a dismal start to the URC season for the men in red. Five games, one victory, one draw and now three losses on the board.

The title glory under Graham Rowntree and top-of-the-table finish the following year must seem like a distant memory for their supporters.

What has followed since those heady days has been nothing short of disastrous on and off the field and one worries 2026/27 could be painful.

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Power and smarts

That was how the Sharks won this clash in Limerick. Defensively they were formidable as they shut out Munster and forced errors with the wet ball, on attack their power and speed put them on the front foot and lastly their kicking game from Jaden Hendrikse and Lombard was also on point.

It was a blueprint for wet weather rugby and with the stardust of Siyaya at full-back causing havoc, the result tonight never really felt in doubt.