Cell C Sharks vs Emirates Lions Match Preview:
Vodacom United Rugby Championship action resumes this weekend with the local derby clash between the Cell C Sharks and Emirates Lions at Emirates Airline Park on Saturday afternoon.
Despite the long lay-off since their last match (a 30-16 victory over the Vodacom Bulls at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on 3rd December last year), the Cell C Sharks team have prepared well for this match and there is great excitement in the camp to get stuck in again.
“It’s been tough on the guys, they returned to training on the 27th of December and it feels a bit like a Super Rugby pre-season with the guys working really hard in tough conditions here in Durban,” explained Cell C Sharks head coach Sean Everitt ahead of the game.
“The guys are looking forward to displaying their talents on the field rather than on the training ground.”
Two obvious omissions from the side are Siya Kolisi and Bongi Mbonambi and Everitt explained that, “They weren’t considered for action this week, they had an extended break over December and we feel they’re better off with another week of training under the belt.”
Casting his eye at the Lions, he warned that they are a formidable foe.
“This team is similar to the one that played the Stormers in their last game, we know they did really well there and put the Stormers to the sword on their home turf and we know we’re playing against a team that’s really confident.
“The Lions are a team on the up, they performed admirably overseas where we all struggled, but they were able to get one win and they ran a couple of teams really close and came home and finished December on a high, so they’re a dangerous team that will be hyped up and ready for us. We’re under no false illusions as to what they will bring to the table.
“They have pace on the wing, their centres probably playing their best rugby in some time, this is a really dangerous team indeed.”
Playing at altitude in January presents its own set of challenges, but Everitt pointed out that nothing changes in the Cell C Sharks camp.
“We won’t be adjusting our style at all, we have a plan that we’re taking up there and it’s about our execution. It’s difficult at 3pm, there is a difference to a 5pm game because of the heat, but we played well the last time we met there and we were able to put quite a good points’ tally on the board, playing an attractive brand of rugby. We’ll look to do the same again.
“We’ll have to vasbyt for the first 20 minutes, but it’s something we’ve been accustomed to, we do prepare for it during the week but I believe we are conditioned well enough to last the full 80 minutes at a high intensity.”
Everitt admitted that building momentum in the competition has not been easy with games cancelled, travel, quarantine periods and the festive break.
“It is difficult, in an ideal world you want to build momentum in match situations from week to week, but it is what it is and we just have to adjust our training.
“We’ve found ways around it, we are able to build cohesion in our training sessions and this break has allowed us to push the guys a little bit harder and I believe we’re in way better shape than December.
The post Cell C Sharks vs Emirates Lions Match Preview appeared first on The Sharks.
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Quick Durban KwaZulu-Natal Fact: While many associate Durban with sharks, not many people make the connection between Durban and whales. In fact, Durban was once a busy centre of the whaling industry, with many thousands of whales processed in the whaling stations on the Bluff. Thankfully, whaling was outlawed in South Africa when whale numbers plummeted, and the Durban whaling stations were closed in 1975. Since then, whale numbers have recovered and whale watching is now a major Durban tourist attraction.
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