While coach John Plumtree awaits the return of Springboks and injured players, he has loaned players from other unions and done his best to whip them into shape.
Sharks head coach John Plumtree said his staff have worked the team hard in training, hoping their injury-hit 29-man squad will be able to match some of the best sides in the United Rugby Championship (URC) over the next three weeks.
The Sharks open their URC season against 2023’s winners Glasgow Warriors at Scotstoun Stadium on Friday (kick-off 9.05pm).
The squad for that match, plus the following game against Dragons in Wales and defending Champions Leinster in Ireland, has been hit by injuries. It will likely see a front row, lock pair, and half-back pair who have never played together.
Sharks pull out all the stops
“We’ve put them under pressure as much as we can from a team perspective, based on what they will be exposed to in Scotland,” Plumtree said.
“There have been a few challenges getting this team together and we’ve relied on other unions to help us out. Hopefully we’ve done enough.”
No less than 20 players are out of action with injuries, including Aphelele Fassi, Jason Jenkins Emile van Heerden, Jordan Hendrikse, Siya Masuku and Trevor Nyakane, while Bok stars Eben Etzebeth, Siya Kolisi, Vincent Koch, Bongi Mbonambi, Ox Nche, Grant Williams, Andre Esterhuizen, Ethan Hooker and Makazole Mapimpi are all involved with the Boks.
Plumtree said he will be able to call on some Springboks for the Dragons game while the national side gears up for their second Argentina Test in London.
This would, however, depend on their availability and work load.
Siya Masuku and Jason Jenkins may return by the Leinster game, while Jordan Hendrikse could play in the following two home games.
Poor memories of Scotstoun
The Sharks coach said one of the positives of starting the season with an away tour is the time players and coaches can spend living together to build team spirit. It will also be good to get a few away wins under the belt early, though the Sharks have poor memories of their last match on Scotstoun’s 5G pitch.
They lost 21-10 back in April last year, part of the 2023/24 season.
“Last time we played there we had a pretty inexperienced team. We played some dumb rugby, particularly in our discipline. We gave them an early lead.”
The coach said they still played some good rugby but couldn’t get back into the game (half-time score 21-5) because they didn’t capitalise on the opportunities they had.
Glasgow unchanged but still a serious handful for Sharks
The Sharks coach said Glasgow’s pre-season games suggest they haven’t changed their style much.
But it’s still up to the Sharks to match one of the best teams in the competition, led by the acclaimed Franco Smith.
“Are we going to be good enough to cope with the pressure they put us under in certain parts of the game?” Plumtree asked.
“They are a team that will play into space. I think it’s Franco’s style of coaching. They will want to build pressure by holding onto the ball for long periods of time. When they get the territory they want, they have a good driving lineout.
“Our discipline will have to be good so we do not concede the territory battle. It’s not just about playing the game but playing it smart and being able to cope with the pressure, and what type of pressure can we put them under when we get our opportunities.”
