What former Bok coach NICK MALLETT had to say on SuperSport about the Super Rugby matches in Cape Town and Singapore.

Stormers vs Sharks

'It was a great game of rugby between two excellent South African teams. The defence from the Sharks was exemplary. The Stormers tried to attack with width and scored a brilliant first try.

'I thought the game turned on the yellow-card incident with Siya Kolisi. I don't believe he was deliberately kicking the ball [out of Cobus Reinach's hands]. It was just bad luck. Those are the laws and I have no complaints about the referee's decision [to award a penalty try]. The ball did go down on his foot and possession was lost. You're not allowed to kick the ball out of a player's hands.

'The game was finally won by JP Pietersen, who'd had a very quiet game up to that point. [Joe Pietersen's try came from] an unstructured kick in open play from Kurt Coleman, and the Stormers' chase lines weren't good enough. JP Pietersen was able to find space between Huw Jones and Nizaam Carr and that was good enough in the end.'

Sunwolves vs Cheetahs

'I think the heat played a massive part in how these teams performed. The game was slow and lacked energy and inspiration.

The Sunwolves had a very good first half and scored some excellent tries. But when the first-choice Cheetahs players came on, especially the new front row, they managed to control the scrums, enabling them to creep back into the game.

'The Cheetahs will be relieved with the win, but I can't see either of these two teams challenging for quarter-final places.'

Note: Mallett was not asked to comment on the matches in Dunedin and PE.

Photo: Shaun Roy/Gallo Images