'Make or break' for the Sharks
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: The Sharks face a challenging path to the playoffs, with their first make or break moment being the must-win clash against the Lions this weekend says, captain Ruan Botha.
After this weekend’s match against the Lions, the Durban-based side face Stormers in Cape Town, followed by a home fixture against the Jaguares.
And Ruan Botha has labelled all three matches as must-wins.
“There are three games left in the pool stages and it would be safe to say that we need to win all three,” Botha said.
“This is make or break time for us.
“Having these four weeks to plan and prepare for what lies ahead just emphasised just how important these games are,”
The captain Botha revealed that the fact that all three fixtures are played in South Africa does make the job slightly easier.
“When you think of a path to get to the quarter-finals, this is the ideal one for us, with two home games and one away, which is still in South Africa so there isn’t a lot of travel involved, whereas some teams still need to travel,”
The Sharks are currently third on the South African conference, six points behind the Jaguares.
Robert du Preez’s side will hope the Stormers do not fail against the Jaguars, however, for now, the captain is solely focused on his own team’s performance against the Lions.
The Sharks would want to avoid their first-round results against the Lions, where the Durban side suffered an opening defeat with just seven points the difference.
“This Lions side is a very tough team to play, but we are preparing as best we can.
“They are getting a few big names back, Warren Whitely, Malcolm Marx, Ruan Combrinck, all back from injury which is a big boost for them. Then throw the fact that it’s a South African derby, and these are always big games, regardless of whether it’s a normal game, a semi or a final.
“We don’t think about that game, I certainly don’t. It’s all in the past.
“The Lions have had to face a number of challenges this season with injuries, so, like us, it’s a brand new start for them after four weeks off, almost like kicking off a new campaign, with the stakes much higher,”
@TheSharksZA
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