As if they didn’t have enough to think about as they switch their focus back to the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, the Cell C Sharks have said goodbye to six of their star players as they move from London to Edinburgh.
The Springboks go into their resting protocols from this week and it is understood that the likes of Siya Kolisi, who captains the Sharks in their Heineken Champions Cup campaign, Eben Etzebeth, Ox Nche and a few other Boks are heading back to Durban, with six replacements being flown out.
The Sharks were at full strength minus a few injured and suspended players (Bongi Mbonambi and Makazole Mapimpi) when they lost 39-29 to the Harlequins at The Stoop in London in the Champions Cup at the weekend. So they do have some correcting to do before they get to Edinburgh for a game that is important for them given their mid-table position on the URC log and the way they are lagging in the conference and battle for the South African Shield.
To top that, the Edinburgh game will be played on an artificial pitch at the DAM Health Stadium, which is troubling considering the Sharks looked a little beaten for tempo by the Harlequins. As the Stormers discovered in their recent visit to Glasgow, the 4G pitch is much quicker than the regular grass surface and can require a bit of adjustment.
After the Quins game, Sharks director of rugby Neil Powell should be concerned about his team’s discipline. The Durbanites conceded 18 penalties in London and that is just way too many if you intend challenging for a win. It also goes without saying after Harlequins so easily exploited the Sharks’ porous defensive system that the tackling and defensive organisation aspect of the game requires working on.
The Sharks’ last URC game was the trip to Connacht a few weeks ago, where they lost with an understrength team, so the pressure is mounting on them to get it right. It will be interesting to see what team Edinburgh select after their two good Champions Cup wins in the past two weeks, but judging by their form in the prestigious European competition, where they easily qualified for the last 16, the Scots do appear to be picking up momentum.
The Sharks were also in impressive form though before the hiccup at The Stoop so it will all hinge on how the replacements for the missing Boks fit into their system.