Final is opportunity to further hone Sharks’ game

People often talk of “finals rugby”, or “finals footy” if you hail from the Antipodes, but the safety first and more conservative playing template encapsulated in that statement is not something we are likely to see in Saturday’s Carling Currie Cup final in Johannesburg.

For both the hosts, the Fidelity ADT Lions, and the visiting Hollywoodbets Sharks XV the game is a stepping stone to the Vodacom United Rugby Championship season that starts the following week. While winning the storied trophy will be celebrated by the team that prevails at Emirates Airlines Park, attention will quickly switch to what happens the following week - the Sharks will be in Galway for a tough opening to their URC campaign, while the Lions have an equally tough game against Ulster.

Both teams are anyway committed to a fast tempo playing style, and as it was what got them to the final, neither will be looking to turn away from that just because it is the deciding game in the competition. Warren Whiteley, a former Lions captain (as well as Bok captain of course), is now one of the Sharks assistant coaches, and as he heads back to his old stomping ground in his new role, it is the growth of the Sharks’ game as much as a potential trophy lift that is occupying his mind.

“We’ve worked on our Sharks way and game model and the players and the coaches are now all aligned on our playing style,” said Whiteley.

“Regardless of the occasion, it is our objective to force our way of playing on the opposition. It’s been great to see that evolution in the last couple of months. There’s still a lot of improvement to do do, and we saw that in the (semifinal) game against the Bulls this past weekend. And making those improvements is what we are looking at going into this game.

“We were very proud of the effort and character we showed at Loftus, but there are still a lot of areas we need to be better at,” he added.

Whiteley, having been part of the last Lions Currie Cup success in 2015 and having led them to three successive Super Rugby finals subsequent to that, admitted that he will have mixed feelings being back at Ellis Park for a final as a member of the opposing squad.

“It is a bit of mixed emotions, but also special,” he said. “We see it in international rugby, Ellis Park is just a special place to play. I’ve got some fond memories of my time playing for the Lions, but at the same time it is a great opportunity for us, and we have developed nicely over the past few weeks.”

Indeed they have, and the make-up of the Sharks team, given the importance of being fresh and ready for the Connacht challenge a week later in what will be a tough start to the URC season, will be eagerly awaited. Although this is a final, it’s placement so close to the URC kick-off will mean that when it comes to weighing up the readiness of players who emptied the tank last week, head coach John Plumtree should err on the side of caution.

Whiteley though said that the Sharks players are eager to embrace the challenge of playing against the side that has been acknowledged as the form team in the competition. Indeed, the Lions lost only one game in the regular season, and it was to the Sharks.

“It’s a final and we want to treat it with respect and honour the traditions of the competition. The Lions have a tight-knit group and they have good continuity in all areas. They are a great side and topped the standings. It’s going to be a massive challenge up there against a quality side that has got the better of us on a number of occasions and has a massive, dominant pack and explosive backs. It’s a challenge we want to face head on. It’s going to be a great occasion.”