Sharks chase crucial European win before Springboks return

INTERVIEW: Sharks coach JP Pietersen is targeting a maiden away win against Lyon without his Springboks, who will join the squad next week for their clashes against Cardiff and Munster.

The Sharks open their EPCR Challenge Cup campaign against Lyon this weekend before travelling to Wales to face Cardiff, with Munster to follow. The Springboks have been given an obligatory rest period and will link up with the squad next week, with their availability for the Cardiff clash to be assessed.

The previous meeting between Lyon and the Sharks came in the Challenge Cup Round of 16 on April 6, 2025.

Lyon claimed a 34-21 victory, scoring five tries to the Sharks’ three. The French side built a commanding 27-7 half-time lead and maintained enough control after the break to secure their place in the quarterfinals.

“If you look at last season, we didn’t win any games away from home,” Pietersen said. “So the objective is to win a game away from home outside of South Africa. That’s the objective.”

Pietersen said the coaching staff would assess the Springboks’ condition before deciding on their involvement in the next match.

“They’re joining us next week. We’ll see how they look condition-wise, and we’ll have a chat with them on Sunday about how they are and what space they’re at. Then we’ll probably announce the team on Monday.”

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Sharks take Challenge Cup seriously

The decision to rest the Springboks for the Lyon fixture has raised questions about the Sharks’ priorities, with securing a place in the United Rugby Championship playoffs also a key objective.

However, Pietersen insisted that the Challenge Cup remains an important competition for the Durban-based side, who are targeting a place in the playoffs.

“Yes, we do take the Challenge Cup seriously. One of our goals is to make the playoffs in the Challenge Cup,” he said.

Pietersen explained that the timing of the Springboks’ rest period was a decision made with the players after the international break.

“We could have rested them straight after the international break or later. The players and we all decided that it’s probably best to rest them now.”

He also rejected the perception that South African teams are sending weakened sides to Europe, pointing to the experience within the Sharks’ match-day squad.

“If you look at our match-day 23, it maybe doesn’t look like it because of the Springboks – that’s six players who are not involved. But if you look into detail about our team, it’s quite an experienced team.

“There are guys who have played close to 50 caps, and others between 50 and 100 caps. Some guys have that cohesiveness.”

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Sharks braced for emotional Lyon response

Pietersen expects a difficult opening challenge against Lyon, who will be eager to respond after losing to La Rochelle last week.

He believes the opening exchanges will be crucial as the Sharks look to establish themselves and put the hosts under pressure.

“Home games are so important. It’s do or die for a home game, so we know tomorrow they’re going to be highly emotional. They lost against La Rochelle last week, so obviously their backs are against the wall.

“They’re going to be emotional. They’re going to come out and start the game with a bang, and we know we must be ready for that.

“Whatever they throw at us, the first 20 minutes are going to be so important for us to stay in the game or even start the game well and put them under pressure.”

Pietersen acknowledged the difficulty of winning away from home in European competition, making the Sharks’ objective even more significant.

“It’s tough to win away from home. You can see from the results in the URC and the EPCR competitions that it’s quite a challenge, and teams are quite good at home.”