There are big things on the cards for the Sharks
In beating Gloucester in the Challenge Cup, the Sharks also qualified for next season’s more lucrative and respected Champions Cup
John Plumtree leads a Sharks training session ahead of the Challenge Cup final on Friday. Picture: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images
It may not be the top-tier Champions Cup trophy, but the Sharks and their fans will be thrilled at winning some silverware after what has been a generally disappointing season for the men from Durban.
In beating Gloucester in the Challenge Cup final in London on Friday night, the Sharks also qualified for next season’s more lucrative and respected Champions Cup – won on Saturday by Antoine Dupont’s Toulouse – and also erased the bad memories, to some degree, of their poor run in the now almost completed 2023/24 United Rugby Championship (URC), where they will finish outside the top 12 out of 16 teams.
But the Sharks, with a number of Springbok World Cup winners in their ranks, showed in the Challenge Cup final what they are capable of when they get it right. And with the experienced John Plumtree now settled in again in Durban, big things could, and should, be on the cards in the forthcoming URC season and Champions Cup.
With new No 10 Siya Masuku in the side and fulfilling a major calming role with his excellent goal-kicking, the Sharks delivered a stunning performance in beating Gloucester. And it is that type of outing that Plumtree and Co must now strive for on every occasion. Well done Sharks!
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