Head coach John Plumtree says the challenge for “a strong Sharks side on paper” is to click into gear and work hard against an in-form Edinburgh outfit on Friday night.
The Sharks boss addressed the 15 Springboks in his match-day 23, including skipper Eben Etzebeth, during a team announcement conference for the Vodacom URC round 15 clash at Hive Stadium.
“Yeah, it’s a little bit of a relief, I guess, in the buildup to the playoffs,” Plumtree told reporters on Thursday. “[But] as much as it is a strong Sharks side on paper, the challenge will be for us to get our game going.
“A lot of boys haven’t played for a little while, four or five of them, so that’s all we’ve been working really hard on in the last 10 days, probably close to two weeks.
“Hopefully we’ll see them click into gear and get a little bit of rhythm going in our game.”
Etzebeth, who has missed four months through concussion and hamstring setbacks, slots straight back into the engine room. The two-time World Cup winner takes over the captaincy, with No 8 Siya Kolisi able to focus solely on his performance.
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“Eben was named as our captain at the start of the season. I’ve got two really good leaders, Eben and Siya, and they work well together,” Plumtree said.
“It’s too long a season to have one captain. Siya has done a great job, but it’ll be good for Siya to focus on his game and allow Eben to make the big calls.
“[Etzebeth] has done a lot of training, had a couple of setbacks along the way… I know it has been pretty frustrating for him, so it’s good to have him back in there.”
Despite the strength of his side, Plumtree dismissed any suggestion that the result is a foregone conclusion. Sean Everitt’s Edinburgh are eighth on the URC log – four spots behind the Sharks – but are coming off EPCR Challenge Cup playoff victories against the Lions and Vodacom Bulls.
“Unfortunately, team sports don’t work like that. Like I say, putting a name out on a paper is not where it’s won or lost – it’s out on the rugby field where there’s 15 versus 15, or 23 versus 23,” Plumtree said.
“It’ll come down to the team that wants it the most, the team that works hard for it the most.
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“Yup, we’ve got some experience and got some talent, but that doesn’t give you the right to win any game of rugby.
“If you look at Edinburgh, they’ve got a lot of experience and talent within their team. Just because we’ve got some Springboks doesn’t mean we’re going to get the W, we have to work for it.”
The Sharks, who face Ulster next week before their final two league matches back at Kings Park, are pushing for a home quarter-final but Plumtree is focused on the present.
“That’s what the horizon looks like, the immediate horizon, if you like. Or if you close that horizon down a little bit, it’s around just winning tomorrow, getting a result,” he added.
“Edinburgh have found themselves in a little bit of form at the right time of year, got some rhythm going in their game.
“They’re tough. They’re going to take ages to break down, if we do break them down. It’s a tough task over here.
“We’re playing on a 4G pitch, something we’re not used to. There’s different elements to that as well. We trained on one yesterday, which is good. But, yeah, we’re looking forward to it.”
Photo: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images
