The Hollywoodbets Sharks XV’s ability to stay in the fight at altitude and secure the draw in extra time at Loftus that put them into Saturday’s Carling Currie Cup final on try count was an indication that the hard work put in during the pre-season has paid off for the Durban franchise.
There was a lot more at stake of course in last weekend’s semifinal than just the chance to play in a Currie Cup final.
It was also a crucial stepping stone in the preparation for the Vodacom United Rugby Championship season, a competition that the Sharks are determined to do well in after their failures of the last two seasons.
When he arrived John Plumtree said better fitness was going to be important to his team’s ability to play the up-tempo style he wanted to introduce.
But fitness doesn’t just arrive overnight, it takes a lot of sacrifice and toil, and it is something that has been worked on during the pre-season.
📊 The stats are in, but the real battle is yet to come. Who will have the upper hand? #CarlingCurrieCup #WhereChampionsRise pic.twitter.com/YEH9TdFzU9
— The Carling Currie Cup (@TheCurrieCup) September 17, 2024
Warmup games, which the last few Currie Cup games have effectively been, are usually seen as the culmination of the physical preparation and conditioning process, and in that sense Plumtree should be well pleased that his men survived an unexpected litmus test.
A coastal team going to altitude in what for many of the players was just their second game of the new season and playing 100 minutes and hitting the target took some doing by the Sharks and it should put them in a good mental space both for Saturday’s final 60 kilometres away from last week’s venue.
“We have just come off a really tough pre-season and that has prepared us really well for the season ahead and it prepared us to go to Loftus and play 100 minutes,” said Sharks flanker James Venter, who was the official man of the match at Loftus.
“Obviously playing 100 minutes is really intense and really demanding, but everyone in the group is in a really good spot in terms of their physical preparation for the season and it showed in Pretoria. What we did there has put us in a space where we are raring to go and just excited to play in a final rather than being too concerned about our well being and how our bodies are feeling.”
EXPECTING A FAST-PACED GAME
Venter will have a key role to play as he returns to a ground he called home when he was on the Lions’ books as a youngster between 2016 and 2019 as the loose-forward battle between two excellent back rows is going to be crucial in determining the result.
A big week ahead 👊#CarlingCurrieCup #LIOvSHA pic.twitter.com/PFRqrrMSeP
— The Sharks (@SharksRugby) September 17, 2024
Jurenzo du Plessis has been outstanding in the position Venter plays, openside flank, but he is not alone in the probable Lions match day squad as a ball scavenger, with JC Pretorius playing off the bench last week against the Cheetahs.
“The Lions have a reputation for producing some really good loose-forwards and there is no difference from that now in that they have a very talented back row.
Apart from Jurenzo, JC is coming through nicely and and guys like Francke (Horn) and Ruan (Venter) have also done well.
“But if you look at our mix with Manu (Emmanuel Tshituka) and Vince (Vincent Tshituka) we have a pretty decent back row as well. We are definitely okay there.
“We are expecting it to be a fast paced game on a pitch that is conducive to that kind of rugby. If you look at our exciting backline and the fact we got over the line for five tries last week and had two disallowed, then we have reason to be excited about the pitch. We always get excited about running out at Ellis Park because it is a really prestigious stadium.”
Not that the game will only be decided by the loose forwards and the respective backlines.
“The Lions are definitely a side that thrive off good set piece and put a lot of value on that,” said Venter.
“They also get really excited over turnovers and transitions, those are areas we expect them to be good at, so we mustn’t give them an opportunity to counter-attack. But they also love their scrums and they love their mauls, so if we can counter them there it will hopefully help the scoreline go our way.”