Edinburgh attack and backs coach Scott Mathie is excited by the “massive challenge” provided by his former team, the Sharks.
The ex-scrumhalf, who made 47 appearances in the black and white jersey from 2006 to 2008, is now in the enemy camp along with head coach Sean Everitt, who spent 14 years in Durban.
The two have helped turn Edinburgh’s season around to the point where they are in the Challenge Cup semi-finals, after beating the Lions and Vodacom Bulls, and well on track to qualify for the Vodacom URC playoffs.
The eighth-placed Scottish club can take a big step towards achieving that goal with victory against the Sharks, who are fourth on the log but coming off a loss to Leinster’s second-stringers in Durban.
However, coach John Plumtree has welcomed back four Springboks – lock Eben Etzebeth, scrumhalf Grant Williams, centre Lukhanyo Am and fullback Aphelele Fassi – for a two-match URC tour that also includes a clash against Ulster.
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“Having a look at their squad, they’re probably going to put out 13 Springboks in their starting team and probably about 18 or 19 in the 23,” said Mathie. “We expect exactly what they are, a very accomplished, if not Springbok-laden team that’s coming here. It’s a massive challenge, but an exciting one.”
Mathie is hoping for a similar performance that saw Edinburgh score four tries against the Bulls before staving off a second-half comeback from the visitors.
“It was really exciting,” he said. “You go against the Bulls outfit, who again boast a lot of talented individuals. I think just to come out here and show what we can do with ball in hand.
“Defensively, I thought we were really stoic. Turned a lot of ball over, which gives us a lot of broken play opportunities too. I think on both sides of the ball, it was a really fast start. It was exactly what you want at home.”
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But for Mathie – who previously coached Griquas and the New England Free Jacks in the USA – the pursuit of improvement never stops.
“You’re always chasing the perfect performance,” he said.
“I think for any negative you might look at it, you’ve got to look at the positive too. I think in the past, we might have let that game slip. There’s some stoicism there and there’s some fight and some purpose being shown from the boys.
“That came to the fore at the back end of that game. To withstand that Bulls onslaught and to come out of it, I think the boys took a lot of confidence from that.”
Photo: Ewan Bootman/SNS Group via Getty Images
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