Following on from their 52-10 demolition job over Free State Cheetahs last weekend, the Cell C Sharks XV will take confidence into their quarter-final clash with the Bulls in Cape Town on Sunday.
The huge win is even more impressive given that it was played away from home, in Bloemfontein, and was a reverse of the loss suffered in the first round.
There were however, a number of senior Sharks players involved in that match, gaining valuable game time ahead of the resumption of Vodacom Super Rugby this Friday night, and, warns coach Paul Anthony, not too much should be read into last week’s result.
“In fairness we took a number of Super Rugby players with, so it was a result we kind of expected, but now we have a new challenge, a team that’s going to be totally different to the one that played.”
As far as team selection goes, he is without the senior players and has some injuries to contend with, and as such, has had to make a number of changes.
“We are now digging deep as far as squad depth goes and some of the players haven’t had starts yet, but I think it’s going to be a cracking game, a proper one.”
The Cell C Sharks XV ended up with very similar stats to their opponents, the Blue Bulls who also won five from their eight pool fixtures. The Bulls gained one extra log point, 29 to 28 and the points’ differential statistic was narrowly better in the Cell C Sharks’ favour: 140 plays 136.
The traditional Bulls style of 10 man rugby has been changed in favour of a more ‘total rugby’ approach, featuring a busy backline to go with the forward dominance and this makes them very dangerous, particularly as they can always revert back to their traditional strengths.
“I know they are trying to play more rugby, like we are, and what they will do if they’re not happy with the way things are going, is to revert to keeping things solid, attack around the corner and come hard at you with mauling and box kicking.
“When you play the Bulls, you have to be prepared for anything. I’m sure they will have a Plan A and a Plan B. We also will.”
| The Cell C Sharks XV |
Replacements | ||
| 1 | Gerhard Engelbrecht | 16 | Andrew du Plessis |
| 2 | Stephan Coetzee | 17 | Thierry Kounga |
| 3 | John-Hubert Meyer | 18 | Bandisa Ndlovu |
| 4 | Rikus Zwart | 19 | Graham Geldenhuys |
| 5 | Jean Droste | 20 | Hanco Venter |
| 6 | Khaya Majola | 21 | Danrich Visagie |
| 7 | Wian Vosloo | 22 | Marius Louw |
| 8 | Keegan Daniel (c) | ||
| 9 | Rowan Gouws | ||
| 10 | Benhard Janse van Rensburg | ||
| 11 | Ilunga Mukendi | ||
| 12 | Brandon Bailing | ||
| 13 | Tristan Blewett | ||
| 14 | Morne Joubert | ||
| 15 | Courtney Winnaar |
The post Knock-out Time appeared first on Sharks Rugby.
Preview: Cell C Sharks vs Vodacom Bulls:
When it comes to derby time, it doesn’t get much more heated than when the Cell C Sharks and Vodacom Bulls meet, which is the case for tonight’s Vodacom Super Rugby clash between the two rivals.
Growthpoint KINGS PARK can expect another huge game as the Cell C Sharks look to maintain their successful record at home this year – they haven’t lost once – while the Bulls come to Durban looking to prove that they are much better than their log position suggests.
There has been a month long break from Super Rugby and with that, comes the question of continuity being broken, along with the loss of players injured during international duty.
Players not considered for this match include Beast Mtawarira, Jean-Luc du Preez, Kobus van Wyk and Lwazi Mvovo who are all carrying slight niggles. But head coach Robert du Preez confirmed that all four are expected to be ready for the Lions’ game.
“It’s really important for us that for this game we regain our momentum,” said the coach. “We have the Bulls, then a bye, then the Lions but our squad depth is being tested which means a fantastic opportunity for the guys who have come in.”
While Super Rugby breaks for the June internationals, it could mean that players have a long break, but it transpired that most were involved in some form of competitive rugby in the last couple of weeks which should alleviate any symptoms of rustiness.
“The players do need a break, they played 13 weeks on the trot, and a month is a long time, but we had players with the Boks and SA ‘A’ team and a number who were available played for the Sharks XV team against Free State, so there has been some match action for almost everyone.”
The expectations are that this match against the Bulls is going to be a hugely competitive encounter.
“It’s a derby and Bulls-Sharks derbies are always tough encounters, they have nothing to lose and that makes them really dangerous,” said du Preez.
“They have exciting backs, with the Springbok centre pairing with a very tough pack of forwards. We’re going to need to get ascendancy upfront.”
Along with the traditional Bulls style of looking to dominate upfront, they have evolved their game plan to include 15 man rugby, which makes them all the more dangerous.
“They will definitely run the ball when they get the opportunity, whereas in the past, they were more kicking orientated, but they have the backs to run. I think we can expect a mixed bag from them.
“Winning is really important because that builds confidence, winning is everything. And with that, we want to get momentum going, and taking that into the Lions game. But it really is just taking it one game at a time.”
The match kicks off at 7pm this evening at Growthpoint KINGS PARK.
The post Preview: Cell C Sharks vs Vodacom Bulls appeared first on Sharks Rugby.
Fill in the form below to have your blog featured on MyDurban – we will post a snippet and title link to your new blog posts.
Submit and get free press releases here: MyPR Free Press Release | Meet the Durban Bloggers.
