John Plumtree has challenged the Sharks to dust themselves off and get back to winning ways on Saturday, despite the loss of another member in the pack to a long-term injury.
The Durbanites host the Lions in the teams’ opening match of 2024 when the SA rivals meet in a rescheduled Vodacom URC round 8 encounter at Kings Park.
Eben Etzebeth has recovered from illness and slots back into the Sharks lineup for what promises to be a blockbuster derby duel. The Springbok lock will partner Gerbrandt Grobler in the second row.
Grobler makes a welcome return at No 5 after a lengthy lay-off and takes over from Emile van Heerden, who has been ruled out for the clash against a Lions outfit on a four-game winning streak.
TEAM: Sharks clear Eben to front Lions
Speaking in a Sharks conference on Friday, Plumtree revealed that Van Heerden faces up to six weeks on the sidelines with an undisclosed condition, while acknowledging the challenges to reverse a 1-7 record in the URC this season with a home victory.
“We haven’t had a lot of home games, particularly in the URC, so this is a big fixture for us, and one we’ve been looking forward to,” the head coach told reporters.
“It’s going to be tough, we had a tough pre-season hit out against the Lions as well, so what I expect from us is just continued improvement and a massive effort up front.
“It’s good to have Gerbrandt Grobler back in the pack, but we’ve just lost Emile van Heerden for about six weeks. We’re still looking forward to having both Vincents [Tshituka and Koch] back, and Bongi [Mbonambi] back, so that’s a fair bit of firepower in our forwards. I’m really looking to getting all the big boys back and then really building this team.
PLUS: Sharks fired up for Lions feast
“It takes more than one performance to say you’ve arrived where you need to be, and I was really happy with the effort against the Stormers last week, but we still didn’t get the result. We need to get wins because that will breed belief and the confidence in what we are doing is good.”
Plumtree added: “It’s hard to keep picking everyone up off the canvas when you lose and does sort of feel like it becomes a habit.
“[But] it’s part of the art of coaching – when you’re winning you’re always looking for ways to challenge a team and keep them on the edge of their seats; when you’re losing you keep driving them to get better and encouraging them that we’re not that far away.
“As long as our team spirit stays really high and we are having a little bit of fun together … we’ll get a few things right and we will have success.”
Photo: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images