Playing against northern hemisphere opposition is nothing new for Cell C Sharks wing Yaw Penxe, but that doesn’t detract from the challenge posed by the teams in Europe in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship.
All the best intentions and tons of character, effort and fight weren’t enough to prevent Munster from gaining a first round win over the Cell C Sharks in their tournament opener in Ireland on Saturday evening.
Having contested two Carling Currie Cup finals in 2021, the Cell C Sharks were in good spirits and building continuity in squad depth, but found the reckoning very tough against one of the top sides in Europe.
“It was very different playing Munster from what we’ve been exposed to in the last year or so,” explained Yaw Penxe after the match as the team now prepare for their second URC clash, this time against Glasgow Warriors in Scotland on Saturday.
“You face more structure on attack, more kicks if teams aren’t going anywhere and as a winger you face a lot of high balls, chasing them as well.
“It’s more forward orientated.”
Penxe represented the Southern Kings during their foray into Pro14 rugby, as well as enjoying a taste of Vodacom Super Rugby with the franchise so he does bring experience of the competition to the Durban side.
“It’s been a while since I last played Pro14 rugby but I have tried to help where I can with what I know and what I’ve experienced,” he said.
Playing in front of a crowd was a novel experience following 18 months of rugby behind closed doors and he admitted that is was wonderful to hear the cheers of the fans.
“It was honestly amazing even though it wasn’t our supporters and speaking for everyone, it’s something we’ve missed. The crowd brings a lot of energy which we feed off, so it was lovely to be playing in front of a crowd again. Hopefully we will have that back home soon.”
With Covid protocols still firmly in place, there are restrictions on movement and freedom but it hasn’t been oppressive. But there is still a strong element of precautionary behaviour necessary and one positive case could have major repercussions for the entire tour party.
“We’re in a bit of a bio-bubble but we are allowed to walk around which helps us a lot in preventing too much cabin fever,” he pointed out, although strict measures remain.
With Saturday’s match played on a fourth generation synthetic turf pitch, there are new challenges that face the Cell C Sharks who are accustomed to playing on grass turf. Following a practice session on the artificial turf, Penxe outlined what can be expected.
“The ball is a bit faster if it goes ground because it doesn’t stick as it does on grass, so it bounces around a bit and races away.
“As players, we’re able to run a bit more and faster, so there are these small differences. Then there’s the danger of roasties, so a few guys strapped their elbows and knees during training.”
The post A Different Challenge appeared first on The Sharks.
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