Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall expects a highly motivated, Springbok-bolstered Sharks side at Kings Park on Saturday.
The English club arrives in Durban off the back of an emphatic start to the Investec Champions Cup, having run in seven tries in a 47-10 victory over Clermont in London.
By contrast, a youthful Sharks team – shorn of its Springbok contingent – conceded eight tries in a heavy 56-19 defeat to Toulouse last weekend. It was John Plumtree’s final match in charge, with former Sharks and Springbok wing JP Pietersen appointed interim head coach.
The Sharks have managed just one win from seven matches across competitions this season, but McCall believes the return of several senior internationals significantly changes the equation.
“Coming to Durban to play the Sharks is a privilege,” McCall said on Wednesday. “They’ve got one of the best squads in the competition.
“I know they’ve had a difficult start to their season, but they’ve been massively disrupted by the Springboks and how many players have been available. They’ve also had two trips to Europe already to play URC matches, which is a really tough way to go about things.”
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This weekend, however, the hosts will welcome back several Springboks, including Bongi Mbonambi, Siya Kolisi, Grant Williams and Ethan Hooker. Lock Eben Etzebeth is unavailable due to suspension.
“We understand they’ve got around 15 Springboks who didn’t go to Toulouse last week and who are preparing to play against us,” McCall said. “So we’re going to come up against a top side – highly motivated and with their Springboks back.
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“The Sharks are a massive rugby organisation and, although they’ve had a difficult start to the season, this is a proper team. If you look at their squad man for man, they are as talented and as tough as almost any team in Europe.
“A change of coach can often have an impact, and you usually see an improvement. But regardless of that, they’ve got a very strong group of players and they’re going to improve, for sure.
“They’ve got almost everybody available now, so we know we’ll be facing them at their best.”
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Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images
