Home and away series with Stormers is watershed time for misfiring Sharks
UNITED RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP
Sharks and Springboks hooker Bongi Mbonambi.
Image: Backpagepix
The Sharks’ stuttering season can take a new turn over the next fortnight of matches against the Stormers — victories can propel the Durbanites into URC playoff contention, while losses would see their season likely to sink without trace.
The Sharks are out of the Champions Cup and in 14th place in the URC. Their season has reached the watershed stage, and interim head coach JP Pietersen will be urging his team to make the most of the unpredictable nature of the SA Derbies.
The Stormers are having the opposite season to the Sharks — they are well placed in the Champions Cup and top the URC standings, but SA Derbies are a leveler.
The Sharks will sense an opportunity against their coastal rivals to turn their season around in matches in Cape Town and Durban, but they will have to challenge history — across URC history, the Sharks have beaten the Stormers just once, in Durban in 2024.
The Sharks will sense an opportunity against their coastal rivals to turn their season around in matches in Cape Town and Durban, but they will have to challenge history — across URC history, the Sharks have beaten the Stormers just once, in Durban in 2024.
But Bongi Mbonambi says the Sharks have a knack for responding well to the better South African teams.
“Beating the Stormers will mean so much for us and coach JP, who’s done a great job of stepping in and has done a lot of hard work with the players,” said Mbonambi.
“It won’t just happen by itself; it will require a lot of effort, not just this week but the following weekend also. You are always as good as your last game. It will be a traditional SA derby, very physical, with two quality sides going at each other. The Stormers have done really well in both competitions this season, and they have a quality squad with lots of depth.
“We as a team need to connect so that we can go to Cape Town and do well against what we know is a really good team.”
The Sharks team for the Cape Town clash will be announced on Thursday.