Springbok and Hollywoodbets Sharks centre Andre Esterhuizen says he and his teammates are expecting Ulster to throw the kitchen sink into their attempt to win Saturday night’s 16th-round Vodacom United Rugby Championship fixture at the Kingspan Stadium in Belfast.
It is not just Ulster’s precarious hold on their own playoff hopes that suggests to the Sharks that this will be a big effort game for the hosts. It is also the fact that this game will be the last home game of the season for the Irish province, and as always, that means that some stalwarts will be bidding farewell to the home fans and will be motivated to make it a winning sendoff.
Top of the list of players departing is former Ireland international scrumhalf John Cooney, who has long been considered the fulcrum around which the Ulster team operates. He is a Fourie du Preez-type scrumhalf, meaning he is very much the playmaker and the driver of the Ulster game plan. Also playing his last game for Ulster is England-born lock Kieran Treadwell, who represented Ireland at international level after qualifying on ancestry grounds.
Treadwell, who has played 177 games for Ulster and won 11 caps for Ireland, is returning to England to play for Harlequins and says his motivation is a desire to reconnect with his roots. Cooney has played 154 games for Ulster and, like Treadwell, hasn’t played for Ireland for quite a while. Cooney is on his way to French club Brive.
Another trio of experienced Ulster players in the form of Matty Rea (111 caps), Andrew Warwick (209) and Alan O’Connor (210) will also be having their last involvement with the squad in a home game on Saturday, along with three other players who have been capped but have played fewer games.
Ulster confirmed the departures, which amount to eight senior players, in a statement earlier this week: “Supporters will have the chance to say a fond farewell to the players confirmed by the club as this season’s leavers: Corrie Barrett, John Cooney, Reuben Crothers, Michael McDonald, Alan O’Connor, Matty Rea, Kieran Treadwell and Andrew Warwick.”
EXPECTING EXTRA EDGE
Esterhuizen said from Belfast, where the Sharks are completing their preparations for Saturday’s game, that the farewell aspect of the clash would bring an extra edge to the Ulster effort.
“Yes, we are expecting this to be a really big game for Ulster and we are expecting a really big game from them,” said Esterhuizen, who this time last year was preparing for his own emotional farewell from English club Harlequins.
“This is their last home game of the season for them and several of their big players will be playing their last game at the Kingspan Stadium for Ulster. We know what that means. They will be amped up and determined and we have to be ready for that.
“They are a hard, physical and fast team and they are a great attacking side. So our defence will have to be on point, while we will also need to sharpen up our own attack and make sure we execute properly when presented with opportunities.”
Esterhuizen was the one Sharks star player who came out of an otherwise disappointing performance with some credit. His strength in the contact areas got the Sharks out of a hole on quite a few occasions and when the Sharks got over the line as winners, he was the obvious choice for the man of the match award.
CAMP IS IN GOOD SPIRITS
Yet while the supporters back home weren’t happy with the team's performance on the whole, the Sharks did get over the line as winners, something that not many teams that visit Edinburgh manage, and that means that while they know they have much to work on, the camp is in good spirits.
“We are looking for a win in the Ulster game to complete a successful tour. We obviously did take some learning out of the Edinburgh game that we hope to apply on Saturday. We arrived in Belfast from Edinburgh on Sunday and it has been a good training week. The weather has been good but some rain is expected on Saturday so it will be a change of conditions for us a bit. But we will adapt and be ready for whatever is thrown at us.
“The boys are focused and ready for the task at hand. We feel like we have had a good tour so far and now we just have to finish the job by beating Ulster,” he added.
The Sharks team for the match will be announced on Friday.