The Hollywoodbets Sharks achieved the first part of their Vodacom United Rugby Championship tour objective when they scraped to a narrow win over Edinburgh, but their job is only half done and they face an arguably tougher obstacle in their final game.
Saturday evening’s clash with Ulster at the Kingspan Stadium in Ravenshill will be the Sharks’ last away game of the league phase of the URC season. After this, they face Scarlets and Ospreys at Hollywoodbets Kings Park, which they have started to rebuild into a fortress during an otherwise inconsistent season from a performance viewpoint, despite the obvious progress reflected by them being fourth on the log in comparison to the second last place they finished with last season.
With the likelihood being that they will have to travel for a semifinal if they win their anticipated home quarterfinal, it is important for the Sharks not only that they get the victory that will make sure of their fourth-place finish, but also that they get some significant overseas wins to build their confidence.
A win in Edinburgh is not to be scoffed at, regardless of the margin. But there was also no denying that the Sharks were well short of their best and in some sections of the Durban rugby community, the post-mortem was such that you would have imagined they had lost.
AN OPPORTUNITY
Ulster at the Kingspan offers the Sharks an opportunity to make a big statement. Like Thomond Park in Limerick was this time last week, it is a stadium where no South African team has won in the URC. While the likes of Ruan Pienaar, Marcell Coetzee and Steven Kitshoff, to mention just three, have starred for Ulster over the years, it has never been a happy hunting ground for teams visiting from this country.
The DHL Stormers came close to breaking the duck when they lost by just four points (38-34) there four weeks ago, but the fact they lost after leading 17-0 after just seven minutes may be a reflection of just how difficult a barrier winning in Belfast is to overcome. The closest a SA team has come was the Sharks in their first game there towards the end of the inaugural season of the URC.
However, although 24-21 looks like a close game, Ulster actually dominated that fixture for most of the way and had it won with 10 minutes to go, only for the Sharks to put a false gloss on the end score with two late consolation tries that grabbed them a losing bonus point in a game that effectively eliminated the Durbanites from top-four contention.
The defeat condemned them to finish fifth after they had been fourth before the game, and determined that they had to head to Pretoria to play the Bulls in their quarterfinal, where they lost to a last-gasp drop-goal. So while that first visit looks like a close game in terms of scoreline, it was actually a decisive down moment both in that season and in the coaching career of their then-coach Sean Everitt.
ULSTER HAVE A HABIT OF TRIPPING UP SHARKS
Ulster actually boast a good record against the Sharks home and away, and many will recall the important loss the Sharks suffered when they were forced to play Ulster on a rescheduled date in March 2023. The game had originally been slated for a few months before that, to coincide with a Sharks Fan Day, but was postponed due to Ulster pulling out of the fixture because of a stomach bug that was blamed on Durban’s water.
The Sharks were set to field a full strength team in that game in late October but by the time March arrived, there were key players absent due to injury and Springbok resting protocols. It was a decisive moment both for the Sharks and their coastal rivals, the Stormers, who ended up finishing third rather than second on the log to Ulster. The Sharks narrowly missed out on Champions Cup qualification.
Like was the case when the Bulls scored the first-ever win in Limerick for a South African team a week ago, a win over Ulster will be a significant result for the Sharks and will be a big moment for them regardless of how it is achieved. There has been a deathly silence coming out of the Sharks camp this week, which may be a reflection of how focused they are on this game.
Ulster will be in a determined mood too for their defeat to Leinster last week dropped them out of the top eight and with just three matches to play, time is running out for the hosts in their quest to make the URC playoffs for the fourth consecutive year.
HOSTS HAVE LOTS ON THE LINE
It’s more than just the playoffs for them - qualification for the Champions Cup is important for a team like Ulster, and ending outside of the playoff positions will mean they miss out on being part of the main European competition next year. Seeing as Ulster played a role in denying the Sharks Champions Cup rugby last season, perhaps the Sharks should be motivated to return the favour.
There has been no news out of the Sharks camp this week but we do know that Ulster are struggling with injuries.
Cape Town born Ireland hooker Rob Herring is battling a calf injury, while centre Stuart McCloskey (groin), scrumhalf John Cooney (knee) and prop Callum Reid (ankle) were all on the doubtful list earlier in the week. Fullback Michael Lowry and centre Stewart Moore will miss the game due to the concussions they suffered playing against Leinster last week.
The Sharks team for the game is due to be announced on Friday but expect coach John Plumtre to go full strength for the fixture. It goes without saying that some of the star players who looked short of a gallop last week will need to improve significantly on their performances in Edinburgh if the statement win they are looking for is to be achieved.
Ulster games against SA teams at Kingspan
2021/2022 URC
Ulster beat Emirates Lions 26-10 and the Hollywoodbets Sharks 24-21
2022/2023
Ulster beat DHL Stormers 35-5 and Vodacom Bulls 32-23
2023/2024
Ulster beat Vodacom Bulls 26-19 and Emirates Lions 24-17
2024/2025
Ulster beat DHL Stormers 38-34