Sharks off to good start but it was 'expensive'

The Hollywoodbets Sharks did what was expected of them as they got the job done against the Exeter Chiefs but coach John Plumtree will look back on the 39-21 Investec Champions Cup win as “expensive”.

The Sharks, who confirmed at the weekend that they are the most likely of the South African teams to go deep in the elite European competition, head to Welford Road to play Leicester Tigers now and, with the mighty Toulouse set to visit Durban in early January, the Sharks will feel they need to win.

However, they are going to have to dig into what Plumtree refers to as his wider group for replacements for injured players as the win over the Chiefs did come at a cost, with photos circulating on the internet after the game of two key Sharks looseforwards, James Venter and Vincent Tshituka sitting on the bench heavily bandaged up.

“We have suffered a number of serious injuries, and this victory is therefore probably expensive,” said Plumtree at the post-match press conference.

“The loss of Vincent and James brought about changes in our defensive line. Dylan Richardson, actually a hooker, had to come up as a flanker.”

Richardson has been playing hooker recently but he has of course also played a lot of rugby as an openside flank, and some might argue that is his best position, so Plumtree might be lucky in that regard. However, any long-term injury to Venter could be problematic in that losing him could upset the balance of the back row, something that has worked for the Sharks.

This means the switch of Siya Kolisi to No 8, with a genuine opensider and blindside flanker playing in tandem with him. Against the Chiefs Kolisi was the Sharks’ outstanding player, and he deservedly walked away with the Man of the Match award for a performance that was capped by two tries.

“I like Siya at No 8. It gives him more time with the ball in hand. Siya is such a skilled player, intelligent, and he really understands the game. So you want to see him play with the ball as much as possible. I like him there, and he enjoys it.”

It certainly looks that way, but unless Plumtree makes the mind-shift towards seeing Richardson as a No 6, and just so long as the Scottish international also stays fit, the Venter injury could be hugely problematic for the current good balance of the Sharks back row. Vincent Tshituka’s brother, Emmanuel, is a good replacement for him as a blindside flank, and Phepsi Buthelezi, though not physically built like a traditional South African No 7, has good utility value.

INJURIES TO DEAL WITH

The Sharks have a few other injury problems as the two flankers have joined Lukhanyo Am and Gerbrandt Grobler who were on the injured list before the game.

“We will now be forced to bring in players from the wider group, and that will give an indication of how good the group really is,” Plumtree said.

The Sharks have a player budget that dwarfs the other local franchises so that really shouldn’t be a problem, and it is how the players adapt to situations that will really come under scrutiny. On that score, the last minutes of the game when the Sharks were down to 12 men because of a spate of cards were chaotic, but Plumtree was pleased with the way the players handled it when Eben Etzebeth, Emile van Heerden and Eduan Keyter were all off after being carded.

“The last 10 minutes turned into a circus when we had to make do with only 12 players. However, I think we managed those last 10 minutes effectively,” he said.

The win was the Sharks’ fourth in succession at Kings Park against top teams and it is a record that is confirming the development of a winning habit. This weekend though away against a Leicester Tigers team that will be desperate to win after a 42-28 away defeat to Bordeaux Begles will be a new test for them.

They can perhaps be heartened though with the knowledge that the DHL Stormers travelled to Welford Road last year with an understrength team and came close to beating a full-strength Tigers team that included Springbok World Cup winning flyhalf Handre Pollard and Los Pumas skipper Julian Montoya among others.