The Hollywoodbets Sharks have built up impressive momentum during their three match overseas tour, with the EPCR Challenge Cup win in Lyon that started it all being followed up by last Friday night’s impressive Vodacom URC win over Cardiff at Cardiff Arms Park.
In beating Cardiff 36-21, the Sharks became only the second team to win at that venue against Cardiff in the URC since the start of last season.
And even though people would rightly say the win in France was “only in the Challenge Cup”, any win on French soil is something to crow about and the Lyon team were up to the challenge and dug deep in their attempt to win the game.
Clearly the Sharks, having overcome the disappointment of being blown away by the DHL Stormers in Cape Town in the game that preceded the tour in their first away fixture of the season, are tracking in the right direction now.
They played with a lot of commitment and passion to win the game late at Stade de Gerhland, and there was a similar “gees” about their effort in Cardiff.
But on Saturday they face a step up in terms of the level of challenge. They need to beat Munster in Limerick so they can go into the November international break with a strong platform on the log, particularly as their first game when they return to action in early December is the return derby against the Stormers in Cape Town.
Munster though are always a particularly tough team to beat at their home ground of Thomond Park, and they will be even more so given how close they came to upsetting Leinster in a game decided by some controversial calls in Dublin at the weekend.
Going within six points of Leinster on their home ground is indicative of how well Munster played, but at the same time the narrow loss will have increased their determination to end this phase of the season with a good win over the Sharks.
The Sharks, like most of the other South African teams in the URC, are counting the costs of their efforts last weekend, and for starters will have to play against Munster with a completely new midfield.
Springbok centre Andre Esterhuizen was forced to hobble off within the first minute of play with an ankle injury and it looked like an injury that will keep him out of the Boks’ away leg of their Nations Championship campaign and maybe longer than that.
There’s been no word from the Sharks yet on the exact extent of the injury, and how long Esterhuizen will be out for, but he was one of three players forced to fly home at the start of the week.
Joining him on the flight to Durban was his starting midfield partner in the Cardiff game, Jurenzo Julius, who was arguably the pick of the Sharks players before halftime but did not come out for the second half. The Sharks have listed his ailment as an ankle injury and with Esterhuizen also out that does leave the Sharks in a bit of a hole.
However, Ethan Hooker, who started on the wing against Cardiff but then was forced to shift, has played most of his rugby as a centre, while Suleiman Hartzenberg, on loan to the Sharks from the Stormers, has flown to the UK as a replacement for Julius. Hartzenberg was an influential player on attack when he played outside centre, his preferred position, against Lyon, and it was maybe a surprise to some that he flew home after that.
He’s now returned to the squad and apart from centre he can also be used on the wing should the Sharks go for another midfield option, such as Murray Koster, for the Munster game. He shouldn’t be needed on the wing though as Lilethile Bester, who scored a brace of tries against Lyon including the winning try well after the hooter, is one of three players to have rejoined the squad.
Apart from Hartzenberg, the other returnee is Cameron Dawson, who is front row back up due to the loss to an elbow injury of Phatu Ganyane.