Preview: The Cell C Sharks vs Blues:
The Cell C Sharks will be looking to get their three week New Zealand tour off to a winning start this Saturday morning (9.35am kick-off) when they take on the Blues in their round six Vodacom Super Rugby clash.
The teams have had similar seasons to date, but both will go into this game with huge desire and determination to finish with a positive outcome.
Fast Facts:
Since that epic final in 1996 between these two teams, the Cell C Sharks have won their last 10 matches against the Blues.
The Cell C Sharks have an impressive away record in recent times, remaining undefeated in their last four matches away from home, (W3, D1).
Like all matches, defence is going to be crucial and having conceded just two second half tries this season, three fewer than any other team in the 2016 competition, the Cell C Sharks will look to call on this strength against a team renowned for their attacking play.
With a +24 points differential, the Cell C Sharks, with three wins and a draw, just shade the Blues with two wins and a draw (PD -15).
The Blues have scored 13 tries this season, just one more than the Cell C Sharks, but it’s a different story on defence, where the Durban team have leaked 10 tries, the Blues 19.
Team News
Director of Rugby Gary Gold has had to reshuffle his loose forward trio following the sad loss of Marcell Coetzee to a season-ending knee injury, but the good news is the return of Philip van der Walt who missed the last match through injury of his own and is now back to full fitness. Also back is Stephan Lewies in the second row and Lourens Adriaanse getting a start in the front row.
The Inside Word
Andre Esterhuizen, the big Cell C Sharks centre admits that the loss of Marcell Coetzee is “a massive blow for us,” but points to the likes of the vastly experienced duo of Keegan Daniel and Jean Deysel, saying “with them, we feel we’ve got the guys to back up.”
After the disappointment of their loss to the Lions, Esterhuizen feels that this is an opportunity to right the ship.
“People aren’t really giving us much of a chance [against the Blues], we know this is a massive challenge and we want to show our fans that we can do it. Obviously it’s going to be tough but as long as we stick together, we can pull it through.”
Reflecting on his team’s defence – the second best in the competition – he acknowledges that, “Defence is probably our biggest strength at the moment, but we need to use the turnovers we’re getting from defence a little better. Defence has been a real factor for us this year and we’ve used it well.”
Looking at the Blues, Esterhuizen, is loath to pick out any potential game-breakers, instead pointing to a team with threats across the park.
“They have a lot of big name players and we’re not going out there to counter one or two guys,” he explains.
“But we’re physically up for it and we’ll look to take on whatever they bring.”
The post Preview: The Cell C Sharks vs Blues appeared first on Sharks Rugby.
Full article here: Sharks Rugby – sbuki1030
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