The Sharks have never lost a home game against the Ospreys, and need to ensure a statement win in the URC's opening weekend.
Co-captain Nick Hatton hopes the Sharks can produce a strong performance in their opening URC match. Picture: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images
A statement win in the opening round of the United Rugby Championship – against the Ospreys at Kings Park on Saturday – would go a long way towards rewarding fans for their support while showing opponents that the Sharks are not the same team they were last season.
The Sharks struggled over the past two years, with John Plumtree resigning as head coach mid-season and JP Pietersen taking over in December, and making André Esterhuizen the new captain.
A coaching and structural shake-up ensued, and players rallied around their new leadership. But they still narrowly missed out on URC play-off qualification, finishing 10th with just eight wins out of 18 matches.
This meant they failed to qualify for the Champions Cup this season.
They fared no better in that EPCR competition, falling out at the group stage and exiting the lower-tier Challenge Cup in the round of 16.
Pietersen promised the team would be better this season after they didn’t win a single game in Europe last year.
They start with a home clash against Ospreys (kick-off 4pm), who won their only contest last year: 21-17 in Swansea.
In the greater scheme, the Sharks have a 3-2 win record against Ospreys and are the only team between them with an away win.
Ospreys bolster their squad
New Sharks attack coach Scott Mathie, who joined after spells in America and Edinburgh, said Welsh teams were strong in his experience, having had to endure much uncertainty over their future in the URC.
As it stands, the Ospreys and Scarlets will have to fight it out for a spot ahead of the 2028/29 season, when Wales will feature only three teams – Cardiff and the Dragons are already secure.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for every team in this competition, but the Welsh teams in particular. They are abrasive units,” Mathie said.
“Their ability to play rugby and move the ball around is second to none. The Ospreys have shown that.”
He said the signing of Australians Liam Wright, Lalakai Foketi, Lawson Creighton and Marika Koroibete, along with Ryan Smith from last season, showed the Ospreys want to become a serious threat.
“[They] will definitely add quality to their squad.”
Hatton: Sharks hope to start well, reward fans
Sharks co-captain Nick Hatton said they hoped to produce a strong performance in front of their home fans.
“The first few games are really important,” Hatton said.
“We’ve got awesome fans and we’ve missed them. We are super excited to be back in the Shark Tank. We’ve worked really hard this pre-season for this weekend and what is to come.”
