Sharks loose forward Nick Hatton says the players are aware their performances have not been good enough this year, and need to bounce back.
Sharks loose forward Nick Hatton said the team are unhappy with how the beginning of their season has panned out, and want to turn it around, starting with a good performance against Toulouse on Sunday.
The Sharks take on the French giants in their first Champions Cup match of the season, at Stade Ernest Wallon at 5.15pm.
It comes as the Sharks flounder in the United Rugby Championship with just one win and a draw after six matches, and head coach John Plumtree announcing his departure following the Toulouse game.
The latest blow is that the most-capped Springbok, Eben Etzebeth, will miss 12 matches for his Durban franchise after copping a ban for an eye-gouge against Wales in South Africa’s final match of the year.
‘It hasn’t been good enough’
“Our results definitely haven’t been up to standard but all I can say is that as a group we are working really hard to put the Sharks back where they deserve to be,” said 22-year-old Hatton, who captained the Sharks during their poor Currie Cup campaign at the start of the season and now takes charge of the Champions Cup side this Sunday.
“We know it hasn’t been good enough, but we are fighting as hard as we can as a group to turn this around. We’ve got a chance on Sunday to show that fight for each other.
“We’ve got plans in place and we’ll go out there and make sure we give our best, a performance the fans can be proud of.”
He said the team was hurting after their poor 44-17 loss to Connacht in Galway last weekend. They also knew what a challenge Toulouse pose, having won the Champions Cup a record six times and having beaten the Sharks in their two previous clashes.
Both of these were one-sided wins: 54-20 in the 2022/23 quarter-final in France and 20-8 in a pool match in Durban last year.
Sharks face ‘massive challenge’ against Toulouse
Toulouse lead the Top 14 table with eight wins from 11 games. Significant wins include a 56-13 victory over Champions Cup title holders Bordeaux Bègles and 59-24 drubbing of French giants Toulon.
“Obviously, a massive challenge against Toulouse. We know what they bring to this competition in Europe. But it’s a challenge that we’re all really looking forward to. It is one we are working really hard towards.”
He added that training in France this week had gone well, with warm winter sunshine and a positive mood in the camp.
