Sharks interim coach JP Pietersen said the Stormers will be nothing like the second-string Clermont side his team smashed.
The Sharks know pressure is on them to step up and claim their first win against the high-flying Stormers in the United Rugby Championship in Cape Town.
While interim coach JP Pietersen refrained from being drawn into a discussion about the ‘favourites’ tag in the build-up to their URC match on Saturday (kick-off 7.30pm), he called on every department in the Durban union to improve ahead of their coastal derby.
The Sharks languish at 14th on the URC table with just two wins from eight games. However, they have three wins out of five under new coach JP, and he said they will draw confidence from their 50-12 demolition of a second-string Clermont at Kings Park in the Champions Cup last week.
The Stormers, meanwhile, have won eight out of eight in the URC and aim to make it five URC wins in a row against the Sharks at their home ground.
They however slipped up two weeks ago, losing their first match of the season 61-10 against the Harlequins in London. They subsequently beat Leicester Tigers 39-26 in Cape Town to bolster confidence ahead of the Sharks clash.
‘Go down to Cape Town and give it the full go’
Pietersen said the Sharks know they have to improve on the Clermont win.
“We’ve had a good week of training. The mindset is to go down to Cape Town and give it the full go,” he said.
The coach named a strong Sharks team, bringing Springboks Siya Kolisi and Grant Williams back from rest.
“We want to win. The only way you can change the story is to play your game, put the Stormers under pressure. But they are a good side so you must respect them. But we will be given opportunities.”
He said the Stormers have excellent forward-play and their backline brims with individual brilliance. When the Stormers make their way into an opponent’s 22 they always come away with points.
“They have individuals who can turn a game. They have a good flyhalf in Sacha [Feinberg-Mngomezulu] who sees the game differently from anyone else at the moment.
“As it goes with rugby, it’s all about gain line. If we can stop them from going forward, we give ourselves the opportunity to be in the game.”
